Newsletter - 27 March 2022
Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year C
God never tires of forgiving us
God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy. Christ has forgiven us seventy times seven. Time and time again he bears us on his shoulders.
No one can strip us of the dignity bestowed upon us by this boundless and unfailing love. Always capable of restoring our joy, he makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew. These words, from Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, show us how important it is to experience God’s mercy.
To experience God’s mercy is to receive God’s love. Once we discover our sin and bring it to the Lord, we discover and understand, at the same time, the price He paid for us on the cross and how much He loves us. This is the heart of our faith - we are sinners but forgiven sinners. The sacrament of reconciliation is central to knowing and experiencing this. A sacrament is a visible reality which reveals the mystery of salvation. It is also its realization. Through sacraments, Christ does act through the intermediary of the ministers of the Church. This makes sacraments vital to Christian life.
The sacrament of reconciliation brings about something new. When the priest says “in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, I absolve you all your sins”, a new relationship is established between God and the penitent.
But why do we have to confess our faults? Can't we confess directly to God? Through the confession of faults, we open our hearts to the minister, who acts in the name of Christ. The more precise we are, the more we obtain the mercy and peace of the Lord. If we are able to name as precisely as possible our misdeeds and sins, our conscience will be filled by God’s forgiveness. The devil will have no means to accuse us anymore. God then grants his forgiveness by the sign of absolution.
Brothers and sisters, do not be shy to go to confession during Lent, this time is dedicated to being true before the Lord. Adam and Eve, after sinning, understood they were naked and they felt ashamed. In a similar way, it can be difficult to confess our sins and failings. But what a huge relief it is to be reconciled! The Catholic Church gives us a gift, enabling us to have a new taste of our Baptism. Why would we not make full use of this gift?
Fr Pascal Sullivan, ccn
Focus of the week - Lent
Adoration and Confession
Monday - Friday 6.00 - 7.00pm
Chaplet of The Divine Mercy Rosary
Before the chaplet we will have readings of meditation from the book of Saint Faustina Kowalska. These will be taking place Monday - Saturday at 10.30am.
Stations of the Cross
These services will be taking place every Friday during Lent at 10.00am and 6.00pm in the period leading up to Holy Week.