Reconciliation

Saint Paul urges us today in the name of Jesus Christ: be reconciled to God. Look at how many wars are being waged in the world, how many families are falling apart, how much division there is among us and how much unrest dwells in each of our hearts. And so often the root cause of all this is the lack of reconciliation. It seems so obvious, yet how difficult it is for us to be reconciled even with ourselves — to forgive ourselves for all our sins, failures and shortcomings. How hard it is to approach the sacrament of penance in order to be reconciled with God and with our neighbour. This is why it is so important to begin Lent with the sacrament of reconciliation. And if this proves difficult for us or for our loved ones, we must pray for this gift of reconciliation. This is why, during these forty days of fasting, the devotions of the Way of the Cross and the Lenten Lamentations are celebrated — through which we can implore for ourselves and for those dear to us the gift of reconciliation, above all with our merciful God the Father.

The one and only path to holiness is Jesus Christ himself, the Son of God. We cannot sanctify ourselves, nor can we free ourselves from our sins by our own efforts. Nor are we capable, on our own, of overcoming the power of the evil one. We need communion with Christ — through Christ and in Christ. We are granted access to this union with our Master at every celebration of the Eucharist. Only in Him and through Him can we become more just, more virtuous, and even holy. We therefore need to cooperate with Jesus so that we may at last be converted. We also need communal prayer and intercessory prayer, so that together — as a community of believers — we may draw closer to God.

We must never receive God's grace unworthily or in vain — that is, the sacramental gifts of confession and holy communion. Let us therefore pray throughout this season of Lent that our Lord may wash us thoroughly from our transgressions and cleanse us from our sins. Let us be truly sorry for our faults. Let us acknowledge our iniquity and sinfulness, so that we may become worthy of reconciliation with one another and with our God and Father. This is a sacred time for the Lord God to purify our hearts and renew within us the power of His Holy Spirit. Let us not harden our hearts, but rather let us hear the voice of the Lord.