6. Healer and Healed

Prayer

Lord, your unfathomable love is shown in pardoning than in meeting out justice. I bring you today my sins, failures, imperfections and mistakes to receive your merciful pardon. I know well that I do not deserve it but your Love compels me to bring you my infidelities committed against your love as a Christians and as a priest. I repeat like the prodigal son: "I have sinned against you and heaven".

In order to understand better what is meant by reconciliation let us take the 2nd letter to the Corinthians. The illustrious exegete Fr. Prat has said: "Paul never wrote anything more eloquent, moving and passionate than the second letter to the Corinthians. It throbs with sadness and joy, hope and fear, scorn and tenderness. The way light is thrown on the most common incident by the highest principles of faith makes this letter an inexhaustible treasure far the ascetic and mystic". What follows is very pertinent to our topic in consideration. Prat continues:

"All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors far Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God"¹.Two aspects are very evident in this passage. God has reconciled us to himself through Christ and he gave us the ministry of reconciliation. God was in Christ reconciling us, not based on the fact that human beings have repented, been converted, or restored to God the honour they had taken from him. “It is a unilateral and gratuitous act"². This act is mediated through the Church's word, the ministry. We are ambassadors for Christ, we are as reconcilers, in the place of the one who reconciled humanity to God in his flesh. We are the bearers of a particular mandate placed in our hands by God. We are reconciled first by Baptism but the second is reconciliation for our actual sins committed after our baptism. In fact, this is what Pope Benedict XVI has clearly said: “Our adhering with docility to the Magisterium of the Church, he(the priest) becomes minister of the consoling mercy of God, makes the reality of sin manifest and at the same time the boundless renewing power of divine love, a love that gives life again," ³

Hence by the gesture of the absolution pronounced in the name of the Church – in fact, this is contained in the formula of Absolution through the ministry of the Church – a weak human being becomes the means of a marvelous event of grace⁴

“The loss of a consciousness of sin always entails a certain superficiality in the understanding of God's love. Bringing out the elements within the rite of Mass that express consciousness of personal sin and, at the same time, of God's mercy, can prove most helpful to the faithful. Furthermore, the relationship between the Eucharist and the sacrament of Reconciliation reminds us that sin is never a purely individual affair; it always damages the ecclesial communion that we have entered through Baptism. For this reason, Reconciliation, as the Fathers of the Church would say, is laboriosus quidam baptismus; (58) they thus emphasized that the outcome of the process of conversion is also the restoration of full ecclesial communion, expressed in a return to the Eucharist.”⁵

The priest in the Sacrament of Confession is the instrument of the merciful love of God, whom he invokes in the formula of the absolution of sins: "God, the Father of mercies, through the death and Resurrection of his Son, has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church, may God grant you pardon and peace".

We cannot be healed unless we are conscious that we are sinners. It is because of our sinfulness that we say in the Our Father, "Forgive us our sins". "lf we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us"⁶ Sin is an offense against God: “Against you, you alone, have l sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight"⁷

May every person have this same spiritual experience and, as the Servant of God John Paul II said, rediscover "Christ as mysterium pietatis, the one in whom God shows us his through the Sacrament of compassionate heart and reconciles us fully with himself. It is this face of Christ that must be rediscovered Penance" ⁸

The priest, minister of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, must always consider it his duty to make transpire, in words and in drawing near to the penitent, the merciful love of God. Like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, to welcome the penitent sinner, to help him rise again from sin, to encourage him to amend himself, never making pacts with evil but always taking up again the way of evangelical perfection. May this beautiful experience of the prodigal son, who finds the fullness of divine mercy in the father, be the experience of whoever confesses in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

"Sin is an offence against reason, truth and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbour 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 law⁹

The letter to the Galatians contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit" "Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing and the like"¹⁰

St. Paul bewails his weakness attesting the fact that he does not do what he wants: We know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what l want, but l do the very thing l hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the la w is good. So then it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that, in my flesh. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin almost embedded in me¹¹. We all, except our blessed Mother, are sinners. We are in need of forgiveness. We need the mercy of God. We need Conversion.

In the document Fraternal life in Community it is stated “Among these other sacraments, renewed attention should be given to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, through which the Lord restores union with himself and with one’s brothers and sisters”¹² No one can gainsay the important role this sacrament plays in the life of a priest. Pope Benedict XVI reaffirms this inalienable duty of the priest when he says: “Christ has chosen us, dear priests, to be the only ones who can forgive sins in his name: Therefore, it is a specific ecclesial service to which we must give priority”¹³

“The most important thing for us and for our pastoral activity is to recognize, savour and proclaim God’s mercy, and to concentrate our attention on him, the Father of Jesus and our Father too. The mercy of God rebuilds an otherwise fractured history, and continues to renew the covenant which in our weakness and forgetfulness we lose sight of.”¹⁴ Not only does the penitent savour the goodness of God in the Sacrament of Mercy but the priest should experience it as Benedict the XVI recommends to the priests to experience God’s forgiveness realizing that for such a lofty responsibility human strength is inadequate. “We cannot preach forgiveness and reconciliation to others, if we are not personally penetrated by it”¹⁵

Speaking to the priests in Pastores Dabo Vobis says: John Paul II says: "I would like to make special mention of the Sacrament of Penance, of which priests are the ministers, but ought also to be its beneficiaries, becoming themselves witnesses of God's mercy towards sinners. Once again, I would like to set forth what I have wrote in the Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia: "The priest’s spiritual and pastoral life, that of his brothers and sisters, lay and religious, depends, for its quality and fervour, on the frequent and conscientious personal practice of the Sacrament of Penance. The priest's celebration of the Eucharist and administration of the other Sacraments, his pastoral zeal, his relationship with the faithful, his communion with his brother priests, his collaboration with his Bishop, his life of prayer - in a word, the whole of his priestly existence, suffers an inexorable decline if by negligence or for some other reason he fails to receive the Sacrament of Penance at regular intervals and in a spirit of genuine faith and devotion. If a priest were no longer to go to confession or properly confess his sins, his priestly being and his priestly action would feel its effects very soon, and this would also be noticed by the community of which he was the pastor"¹⁶.

For this reason the experience of reconciliation in the Gospel is always one of a superabundance of grace, joy and plenitude, beyond all bounds of reason. There is great rejoicing over one who is converted, to the scandal of ‘respectable’ people. There is the use of costly perfume, with objections from the thrifty. There is a banquet, with invitations given to everyone and complaints from the more serious-minded. There is the exoneration from guilt, without any guarantees and not justifiable in human eyes and a loving understanding of human traits, all of which seems naive.”¹⁷

Even though we were reconciled to God through Baptism yet our own daily infidelities need forgiveness: "Even after baptism we remain weak, even though we have the capacity, the grace to live a new life. We bear the weight of our historical weakness, the condition of the flesh. Although we are remade by right in the cross of Christ and baptism, our remaking in fact requires a slow process"¹⁸

. "For us the ministry of reconciliation is difficult because it is a ministry that must heal. The image is not of marriage of two innocent young people, decided upon by their parents, that takes place and brings them together. It is of a broken marriage, in which it is necessary to restore a relationship. This is why the new covenant is such hard work¹⁹

As the Holy Father writes we are ministers and recipients of this sacrament. As ministers we are restoring "weak and broken people. So it is hard going and we are in danger of exhaustion and discouragement; we too, like the others after reconciliation, feel at ease, as children of the Father, as brother of our fellows in society, as loved and favoured people, who therefore feel themselves happily loved and favoured".²⁰

Our ministry is the ministry of this new covenant, it is in the service of reconstructing both individual and collective personalities, in God's strength, because without God's forgiveness, without his mercy, without the gift of his renewing Spirit, all this will utopia. It is the grace of the Spirit which renews human hearts, makes them able to accept themselves and others, feel loved, express themselves with solidarity and friendship and established them in the new covenant.²¹ It is a ministry to encourage others. Even if things are not as they should be there is hope. It tells them to be reconciled to God, with the people around you, with your work, with your sickness, your anguish, your nervous exhaustion, everything in yourself you dislike. It is a ministry of peace. It is also a ministry of severity. It is not all kindness. Although Jesus was full of incredible understanding, boundless love and mercy at times he was demanding and severe because God's jealous love does not admit of rival; "Woe to him who scandalizes one of these little ones; it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea"²².

"1 never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers"²³. Paul speaks the same way: "What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?”²⁴ In our ministry too we run into occasions like this when we cannot compromise moral principles:” Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God" (2 Cor 7:1). It is a ministry of holiness, not legal holiness, imposed from above with rigidity, anger or complaint, but holiness through love and compassion”²⁵

We must remember that we cannot give peace that accrues from the sacrament if we are not reconciled ourselves:” Reconciled does not mean having nothing to forgive anybody for, but having things to forgive and forgiving, ourselves and others. Of course it is easy to be reconciled when we owe nothing to anyone. But if we have credits or debits, either to ourselves or to others, or the Church, then we have the experience of being reconciled. This often takes a long time, because without our realizing it daily life induces continual states of slight hostility, bad temper, negative judgments, irritation, to which we probably pay limited attention but which slowly grow into big clots. God’s way of dissolving these clots of resentment, discomfort, discontent is by spiritual reading which we should never leave out of our day" ²⁶

This sacrament is absolutely necessary for all those who want to follow God more closely. The just man falls seven times a day. How much more we who, in our apostolic life, are confronted with our weakness that makes us fall very often.

Conversion, reconciliation and penance are closely linked to one another. John the Baptist begins his mission by preaching: "Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand"²⁷. Bear fruits that befit repentance.

The prophets always asked the people of God to be converted. We have the classical example of Nathan speaking to David: "You are the man... Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord"²⁸. By this beautiful act of contrition David is converted and turned to God who took him from the sheepfold. This attitude brings about reconciliation with God and neighbour and one is disposed to do what the Lord wants. "Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean remove the evil of your doing from before your eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow...though your sins are like scarlet they shall be white as snow, though they are red like crimson they shall become like wool"²⁹ Let us have a glance at the penitential psalm of David "Miserere" .Probably the best act of contrition ever written. The psalm delineates all what the repentant sinner has to do. So it can be said conversion is an internal attitude, a condemnation, i.e. a getting away from sin and turning to God.

Let us reflect on the following cases: The prodigal son³⁰: "I perish with hunger. I will arise and go to my father. I have sinned. I am no longer worthy to be called your son". This parable can be called “The parable of the Merciful Father” It is the Father that goes to look for his son!!

It is Jesus who makes the first approach to Levi;³¹ Jesus who looks at Zaccheus; goes painstakingly, anxiously and perseveringly wait for his son to call on him at his house.³² It is Jesus who comes to the defense of the sinful woman who washed his feet³³ and of the woman taken in adultery.³⁴ It is Jesus who proclaims the pardon of the paralytic who is let down through the roof in search of a cure.³⁵ It is Jesus who looks at Peter, having already forgotten his lack of fidelity.³⁶ It seems as if God has to be reconciled with man and not vice-versa! Here we see the beauty of God’s love “God is indeed Love”. So with the grace of God the repentant sinner like Zachaeus: "Lord, I give to the poor half of my goods, and if I have defrauded anyone I will return fourfold"³⁷. Like Magdalene is turning around to see Jesus standing³⁸, in short to be al ways turned to God.

The conversion of St. Paul, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of my knowing Christ Jesus my Lord"³⁹

Conversion is self condemnation, to find one's true self in the eyes of God. Penance also means changing one's life in harmony with the change of heart and in this sense doing penance is completed by bringing forth fruits worthy of penance. Penance is therefore a conversion that passes from the heart to deeds, and then to the Christian’s whole life. Penance is closely connected with God, with oneself and with others - and implies overcoming that radical break with sin.

Especially as priests we must always bear in mind the close connection that exists between the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. In the Eucharist we are immolating a God, Who takes away the sins of the world, ours included. In fact the whole celebration of the Eucharist is geared to our purification which culminates in the reception of the "One Who takes away our sins". The reconciling gift of the Eucharist must never be lost sight of by the one who enacts the great mystery of Love.

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