Apostles for today March -2025

         
 

UNION OF THE CATHOLIC 

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  Apostles for Today
        March 2025

Fr. Francis Harelimana, SAC

The power of the Sacrament of reconciliation

Jubilee of The Missionaries of Mercy

The power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is best seen in the steps taken to repair the damage caused by sin. God himself, through his Word made flesh, has stepped in to heal the wounds caused by sin in human life. In his infinite merciful love, he instituted and entrusted to the Church this Sacrament by means of which the faithful can return to communion with Him and his people.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation has other names that shed light on its meaning. It is often called the Sacrament of Penance, the Sacrament of Confession, the Sacrament of Forgiveness, or the Sacrament of Conversion or Reconciliation (CCC -Catechism of the Catholic Church 1423-1424).

This Sacrament is one of the seven instituted by Jesus Christ, through which He works for the salvation of those who approach Him (cfr. S.C. no. 7). It is par excellence the sacrament of God's love and consolation. It can be said that those who express their desire to receive this Sacrament are first and foremost confessing God's merciful love. The Second Vatican Council makes it clear that the faithful who have fallen into sin after their baptism are not condemned, but that the Sacrament offers them the grace of reconciliation with God: Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from the mercy of God for the offence committed against Him and are at the same time reconciled with the Church […] (LG 11 - Documento del Concilio Vat II).

Through the sacrament of reconciliation, those who suffer from the ugliness and damage of sin can taste the savor of forgiveness. The wounds healed by this sacrament are in the very definition of sin. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law" (CCC no 1849). The power of this sacrament restores spiritual health for the good of the whole person. The joy of being purified of original sin by baptism is often interrupted by wrong choices against God and neighbor. The parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32) makes it clear that lost joy is restored in post-baptismal conversion through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. According to this parable, the younger son's rejection of the father and his voluntary exile could not destroy all the love the Father had for his son. The life of Jesus reveals to all the merciful face of the Father, whose joy is to forgive. He hates sin, but loves the sinner.

Pope Francis says that in this parable, as in others about mercy, Jesus reveals the nature of God as that of a Father who never gives up until He has forgiven the wrong and overcome rejection with compassion and mercy (Misericordiae Vultus, no 9). This joyful atmosphere characterizes the encounter between God and his children, and between them. Instead of resigning Himself to our broken covenant, through His Son Jesus Christ, He has forged a new bond between humanity and Him, a bond so strong that nothing can undo it (Cfr. Missal, Eucharistic Prayer I for Reconciliation).

This divine joy floods the earth, so much so that no one would be afraid to confess his misery and unworthiness. On the contrary, everyone should approach the confessional with confidence and hope, because, as St. Francis de Sales said, “ our misery is the throne of God's mercy”.

In any spiritual journey, a soul that stumbles discourages or drags others down. On the other hand, a soul that immerses itself in the ocean of Divine Mercy uplifts many. To keep and observe the Lord's greatest commandment to love God and neighbor (Mt 22:34-40), the faithful are invited to rely always on the power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It heals love wounded by sin and restores sanctifying grace. The experience of this “spiritual resurrection” is accompanied by new strength, not only to fight temptations, but also to love and forgive others their trespasses.

The Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia recalls Jesus' insistence on this theme of fraternal reconciliation when he invites us to turn the other cheek, to leave even the cloak to the one who has taken the tunic (Lk 6:29), to love even our enemies (Mt 5:43-45) and to forgive without limits (Mt 18:21-22). On these conditions, says Pope John Paul II, which are realizable only in a genuinely evangelical climate, it is possible to have a true reconciliation between individuals, families, communities, nations and peoples (no 26). Love and forgiveness are inseparable. The latter accompanies the growth of love to open the faithful to the flavor of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. God hates sin. But he loves the sinner very much.
 

That's why, still today, through his Son and his Ministers, he is committed to healing the wounded hearts of his children. St. Vincent's writings are full of self-reproaches, so much so that the reader feels like a perpetual penitent. And yet, this penitent aware of his misery and sins is always happy to feel enveloped by God's infinite love and mercy. In his spiritual retreat at Montecitorio in 1842, he noted this spiritual motion: My God my Mercy, You only know that I have been and still am so incapable of being holy, that I can only be so by an extraordinary prodigy of your mercy (OOCC X, 714). He is convinced that he won't be able to do it on his own, but that with God he will succeed (OOCC X, 122).

On his way to the perfection he so desires, he suffers from the obstacles of his own limitations, and takes steps to go further. The most important of these is formulated in this principle: Sacramental confession, made often and with the necessary dispositions, is a very effective means of attaining perfection (OOCC XI, 903). He also thought about the salvation of others. 

We know that his entire spiritual Family will inherit as its motto the destruction of sin for the infinite glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Thanks to this Sacrament, Pallotti is a man happy to be the object of God's infinite love. This profound experience accompanies his journey. In one of his colloquies with God, he opens his heart to Him, and does not know how to express his joy: You who are infinite Love, infinite Mercy, and forgive me if I dare say that you are crazy with Love and Mercy with regard to me (OOCC X, 235). Pallotti's enthusiasm made him a champion of Mercy, and he never ceased to encourage others to embrace the sacrament of reconciliation. He did not even hesitate to share the example of so many saints who had experienced it: Saint Leonard went to confession twice a day, Saint Francis Regis three times a day and Saint Pacifico da Sanseverino four times a day, [...] in order to approach the Holy Altar with a more perfect freedom of conscience (OOCC II, 68).

For him, going to confessional means confessing his faith, his love for God. He would like to go often. For example, in 1840, while at Osimo, he expressed his desire to receive the sacrament of reconciliation every day (Cfr. OOCC X, 386). Giving the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a demanding but interesting service. At the Shrine of Our Lady of Kibeho (site of the Apparitions of the Mother of the Word), many pilgrims come to ask for this sacrament. Personally, it pains me when some of them go back without receiving this sacrament. The same goes for my confreres. Sometimes we get caught in the confessional and go home very tired, but happy. Here in Kibeho, the Virgin Mary has launched a vibrant call to conversion. We want to find reinforcements from other priests to ensure service to all those who want it. Please pray for us!

Rediscovered communion with God strengthens the fragile bonds with our neighbor, and in so doing, reinforces the unity of the Church. Today, the human community so desperately needs to rediscover its nobility at the heart of human fragility, by asking for and offering forgiveness (Cfr. Dilexit nos, 189). In his Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis made a powerful appeal to the entire Christian community: “The time has come for the Church to rediscover the joyful proclamation of forgiveness. […] Forgiveness is a force that resurrects us into new life and gives us the courage to look to the future with hope” (no. 10). The Holy Father's appeal remains as valid as ever. 

For reflection:

1) There is talk today of a crisis in the sacrament of reconciliation. In your opinion, what are the causes of this disaffection for the sacraments in general and for the sacrament of reconciliation in particular?

2) The charism of St. V. Pallotti is our heritage. His motto “Ad destruendum peccatum” is ours. What apostolic actions do you propose to fight the sins in our time.

Fr. Francis Harelimana, SAC

Piazza San Vincenzo Pallotti, 204 00186 Roma, ITALIA
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