Last week, I mentioned that a day is being set aside this Lent to emphasize and make widely available in the Diocese of Rockford the sacrament of reconciliation.

Under the title of “Be Reconciled,” throughout the diocese our priests will be hearing confessions from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on April 9.

Each parish has been asked to participate as fully as possible, given the number of priests that we have available. Of course, everyone is encouraged to go to confession at any time during Lent, not just on that day. And as I mentioned last week, any who have been away from the Church or the sacrament of reconciliation for a long time are especially invited and encouraged to come on that day.

The day that has been chosen, April 9, is the last Wednesday of Lent before Holy Week. That gives everyone the opportunity to use the whole season of Lent to prepare for confession.

But how do we prepare, especially if we have been away for a long time?

One of the most fundamental elements of being reconciled with Jesus and with the Church is first to recognize and admit our own sinfulness. That sounds easy, or at least simple enough, but in our anythinggoes world and society, it really merits our reflection.

In order to admit our sinfulness, we must first recognize that there is such a thing as right and wrong. And closely related, there is truth and that which is not true.

The basis of such right and wrong is, ultimately, God Himself. Right and wrong against which we must measure our consciences is expressed in the commandments that God has revealed (I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt not have strange gods before me.) or in an honest reflection on nature as received from God (discrimination based in race or ethnicity is an offense against the human dignity we all share).

What makes something right or wrong, sinful or not, is not our human feeling or some decision of the moment being embraced by a majority of society. Wrong cannot be changed into right nor sin into goodness by our collective human decree.

We need, then, to avoid the temptation, both socially and individually, to make excuses for our sins. And let’s be honest, that temptation can be strong.

Instead, like an honest child before his or her parents, we must stand before our heavenly Father in the sacrament of confession and admit when we have sinned, when our thoughts, words or deeds have not lived up to God’s truth.

That is the moment of freedom in confession. That is the moment of conversion. When we admit our guilt it is, paradoxically, the moment when we leave our sins behind. We drop our excuses and our rationalizations and instead we trust in God’s love for us and in His mercy. No longer do we cling to our evasions, but we open our hearts to the healing that only God can bring.

Of course, in preparing for that confession, we need to strip away whatever else keeps our hearts from being open to God’s mercy.

Do we harbor anger or resentment toward someone? Be done with it, go and apologize.

Am I involved in an improper or illicit relationship? Now is the time for my sake and that of the other, to break it off.

Too much alcohol? Pornography on the computer or television? Bad language? We know what we must do.

Some sins are hard to stop. Sometimes they become habitual and require time and prayer to overcome.

God does not ask us to come to confession as a reward only when the battle is won and we are closer to perfection. If we are contrite and truly resolved to try and follow God in our heart and in our conduct, the sacrament of reconciliation is a means to help us with our conversion.

“Now is a very acceptable time; behold now is the day of salvation” St. Paul tells us. Let’s not wait any longer to receive God’s love in the sacrament of confession, especially if it’s been a long time.