“The Light Is On For You” This Lent

By Bishop Robert F. Hennessey, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston

Bishop Robert F. Hennessey, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston.

The Sacrament of Penance is one of the most beautiful and enriching acts we, as Catholics, fulfill in our relationship with God. To confess one’s sins is to experience a spiritual resurrection that reconciles us with God in loving friendship and restores us to His grace.

One of the great joys of being a priest is being God’s instrument to reconcile a member of our faith community to Him through the sacrament of confession. The priest sees the tremendous joy and relief that people experience in being freed from their sins. Confession is one of our greatest gifts from God.

I go to confession frequently myself, not only to confess what I’ve done wrong, but also to receive the grace to become a better disciple, a better priest, a better bishop. I’m a sinner and I need God’s grace.

Confession gives us a chance to start over, to hit the reset button of our lives. It shows how forgiving and kind our God is and it helps us grow in compassion and love for others.

The sad reality today is that very few Catholics regularly attend confession. The reasons vary but in many respects it is a clear sign of the times we live in and the fact that the Catholic Church has not done a good job fostering a better relationship with our faithful on this most important Sacrament.

You need only look to research conducted by the Center For Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), a national, non-profit, Georgetown research center affiliated with Georgetown University. CARA, which conducts social scientific studies about the Catholic Church, has reported that only one in eight U.S. Catholics (approximately12%) participate in Reconciliation once a year. More than six in ten people who attend Mass weekly indicate that they participate in Reconciliation at least once a year, compared to 37 percent of those attending Mass less than weekly but at least once a month.

As we have seen in the numbers related to Mass attendance, some Catholics have simply stepped away from the Church. Our challenge and our opportunity is to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ to come home. If you are someone who says it’s been too long, or that God couldn’t possibly forgive you, think again. God’s love for you is greater than all the sins you’ve committed or could commit. Now is the time to come and have God take away the burdens of sin and guilt that can so often weigh us down.

Come to confession to receive God’s mercy, for peace of mind, to deepen your friendship with Jesus, to receive spiritual healing, to increase your sense of joy, and to experience Christ’s saving grace.

Jesus came to the world to save each one of us. He loves each of us so much and wants to help us now with whatever issues we face. He wants to fill us with joy, love and freedom.

Cardinal Seán O’Malley has asked me to lead an important initiative during this Holy Season of Lent to encourage Catholics to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This initiative is called The Light is On For You.

Each Wednesday evening this Lent, from 6:30-8 p.m. from February 24 and continuing through to March 31, the priests of the Archdiocese of Boston are going to be opening every church and chapel to welcome back Catholics to the Sacrament of confession.

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to return to the Church or to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, this is your chance to reestablish and strengthen a relationship with God that will last forever. Please visit TheLightIsOnForYou.com to learn more.

Jesus once said, “Heaven rejoices more for one repentant sinner, than for 99 that never needed to repent.” Every time someone returns to the sacrament of confession, heaven celebrates and that unbelievable experience of joy becomes ours when we’re forgiven.