How and Why to Return to Confession

Last week, I posted an article from the National Catholic Register on "How and Why to Return to Mass." Today, I offer it's counterpart, "How and Why to Return to Confession."

1 The presence of sin can easily lead to depression and anxiety.

2 You shower to show respect for those around you. Cleansing your soul makes you better to be around, too!

3 Mortal sin, unconfessed, “causes exclusion from Christ’s Kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices forever, with no turning back” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1861).

4 As they leave the confessional, people smile a smile of freedom.

5 Because love means having to say you are sorry to the one you love.

6 You will grow in humility, sincerity and self-knowledge.

7 Blessed Mother Teresa went. Frequently.

8 Hoping to convert on your deathbed? That’s not very likely. Most likely, you will die as you lived.

9 It is itself a serious sin to go to Communion if you have serious sin on your soul and have not asked for forgiveness in confession.

10 Don’t be scared to death of confession. Be scared of death without confession.

11 Be strong. Face your sins; deal with them and move on.

12 Make sure there are no unpleasant surprises at your particular judgment or at the Final Judgment.

13 The priest will listen to your sins and will never tell a soul on pain of losing his soul. Priests even learn to forget what they hear.

For the full document, visit How and Why to Return to Confession

Breastfeeding Bullies

I wasn't looking for this article, but happened upon it as I was searching for something else. All I can say is "Amen!"

Breastfeeding Bullies by Simcha Fischer

Bishop Timothy McDonnell on the New Translation

Well, two weeks into the new translation and I'm almost to the point where I remember to say "And with your spirit" instead of "And also with you!" The other changes are going to take a little longer for me to learn.

In my parish bulletin this week was a message from our Bishop, Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell which I thought explained nicely the reasons for the new translation.

We've all heard the words:

"Four score and seven years ago, our forefathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

Suppose, however, that Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address had begun: "Eighty-seven years ago, in North America, the people of that time started a new country. It was focused on freedom and all were to be treated the same."

In that fashion, I doubt his words would be remembered today. Language does make a difference.

That is why the new Mass translations we begin today are so important. The Mass deserves more than everyday language. It deserves a language fitting for the worship of God.

The language we use at Mass is meant to take us out of the everyday and focus our minds and hearts on the divine mysteries we celebrate.

The language is different because the Mass is unique. The Mass is at the heart of our faith. It speaks to the Mystery of Faith - the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ made present on our altars. The translations we use should capture as exactly as possible the nuances of the original language in which our Mass prayers were composed.

The new translations will demand more of us. They will demand attentiveness, concentration, and prayerful reflection. At the same time, they will offer an opportunity to enter more fully into the Eucharist, God's gift of self to us. As together we experience the richness of the new translations, may we grow in appreciation of the Lord who is at the heart of our faith and of our Mass.

What is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception?

“I am the Immaculate Conception.” These are the words our Blessed Mother spoke to young Bernadette Soubirous when she appeared at Lourdes in 1858. On December 8th, we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, yet it often seems to leave many people confused. What exactly are we celebrating on this holy day?

Contrary to what many people seem to think, it is not the conception of Jesus. That feast is on March 25th – the Feast of the Annunciation. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception commemorates the conception of Mary in the womb of her mother, St. Anne.
The birthday of Mary has long been celebrated on September 8th. There is evidence that it was celebrated in the Eastern Church on that date as early as the sixth century. It would take a couple more centuries before it was celebrated here in the West. The information we have on Mary’s birth is not recorded in Scripture. Rather, it comes to us via the Protoevangelium of James written about 150 A.D. It is from this document that we have received the names of Mary’s parents – St. Joachim and St. Anne and the fact that they were childless for many years prior to having Mary.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception was therefore set on December 8th, nine months prior to Mary’s September birthday. Originally, the Church celebrated this feast as only the Feast of the Conception of Mary. Over the course of the years, as the tradition and understanding of Mary’s conception developed, it became known as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

It was officially declared thus on December 8, 1854 when Pope Pius IX declared that the Blessed Virgin Mary "in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin." Original sin was not removed from her soul. Rather, it never existed. In the Eastern Church, this feast is still known as “The Conception by St. Anne.” For more information on the development of this feast, the Catholic Encyclopedia offers a good treatment.

On a related note, The First Council of Baltimore in 1856 declared Mary, The Immaculate Conception, as the patroness of the United States. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, dedicated to the patroness of the United States and located in Washington, DC, is the largest Roman Catholic church in North America, and one of the ten largest in the world.

How and Why to Return to Sunday Mass

If you have been away from Sunday Mass for a while, Advent is a wonderful time to return. This list from the National Catholic Register sums up many of the reasons why we would love to have you back!

1. It’s your way to relive the Last Supper.

2 When was the last time you prayed too much?

3 If you want to spend eternity with Christ, you need to get to know him now.

4 It’s the central, necessary activity of Christian worship (Luke 22:14-23; John 6:53; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

5 It’s your best way to identify yourself with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

6 Some of the greatest people in history were Massgoers (St. Francis, Blessed Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II …).

7 Wise people invest money for the future. How much more should we invest in eternal life?

8 It has to be better for you than TV.

9 If you’ve been to confession, you get to receive Jesus Christ. If you find a better deal, do that instead.

10 If you knew Jesus would be somewhere, wouldn’t you go see him?

11 Guaranteed Bible readings. Countless lives have been changed by Scripture. Might yours?

12 Statistics say that people who go to church are less stressed.

13 It’s the best way to pray for your family and friends — and to cope with troubled times.

14 One out of Ten Commandments asks us to go to Mass every Sunday.

15 You’ll become a better person at Mass. The more you are a part of God’s life, the better you’ll be.

16 Life is complicated. Get directions that work — from the One who created life.

17 It’s your way to go most directly through Jesus Christ to God the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit in prayer.

18 Is one hour too much to give to God? How many do you spend on other priorities?

Read more at http://www.ncregister.com/images/documents/Advent-Mass.pdf

High School Pallbearers

I had meant to post the link to this article in November, the month in which we especially remember those who have died. Alas, November got away from me. Still, the dead are with us all year long and it is ALWAYS good to remember and pray for those who have died.

The high-schoolers featured in this article are carrying out the corporal work of mercy to bury the dead every day and doing so with grace and respect. Members of "The St. Joseph of Arimathea Pallbearer Society" at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio serve in a ministry of "respect and care, presence and prayer."

Their mission statement is as follows:

To practice the works of mercy by offering pallbearer services free of charge to those in need, especially the poor and elderly.

To affirm the value and dignity of human life

To represent the community at a person's final commendation

To commemorate and pray for the dead

I wish one of the local Catholic high schools in my area would take up a similar cause. It is a wonderful service.

Read the full article here: High School Pallbearers

Book Review: "Giovanni's Light"

Giovanni's Light: The Story of a Town Where Time Stopped for Christmas
by Phyllis Theroux
New York, Scribner, 2002 (Paperback 2010)

"Giovanni's Light" by Phyllis Theroux is a classic Christmas story - a light to give warmth on a cold winter's day. The town of Ryland Falls comes straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting - it is a place just about everyone would like to escape to. Things have always been done a certain way, and people play their roles in that tradition willingly. Except for one year when it all goes wrong.

Under the surface of that perfect world, the pain of living is taking hold and winning the battle. As Theroux writes of the tipping point: "A crack in the heart of an eight-year-old boy is not a very noticeable thing on earth. For one thing, there are so many eight-year-olds. For another, most of them have a rather small vocabulary. They don't have the words to call attention to their condition. But in that other place where all cracked, broken, lost, and hardened hearts are recorded, it was noticed right away. And when Neddie Crimmins's heart was placed gently upon the scale with all the other damaged hearts in Ryland Falls, it was considered one heart too many.

When snow starts falling and falling and falling some more until the whole town is snowed in, miracles start to happen and the good in human nature begins to shine through. This is a novella - easy to read in one sitting. It is a perfect family story - both children and adults will enjoy and benefit from it. It would be a splendid addition to your Christmas season.