The wisdom of the Church, built up over 2,000 years and guided by the Holy Spirit, gives us the annual Lenten Season. It is a time that calls us to focus in an intense way on repentance for our sins. It urges us to do penance, fulfilling Jesus’s teaching to His disciples.
The fact that this season plays such an important role in the annual cycle of our prayer and faith is reflective of the fact that, for many, conversion of heart and repentance can be hard. Often, in order to repent we have to overcome obstacles that are deeply rooted in our lives. Some of those obstacles might include the following:
First, a lack of faith. It is possible to use human reason to seek the truth and to recognize behaviors that are contrary to true goodness. We can use reason to identify actions that diminish our humanity. But in the end, those reflections lead to a fundamental question. What is the source of goodness and truth?
We do not invent the moral law that guides our nature. It would then be simply an ever-changing set of current or personal opinions. Instead, we receive moral truth from God who made us. And then to Him we must offer our sorrow and conversion when we sin. If one has never had faith or has lost a faith once practiced, this truth about sin can obscured.
Secondly, sin often becomes habitual. We are creatures of habit. Parents try to instill in their children all kinds of good habits. They are meant to be carried out daily, especially in moments of weakness or crisis when they can strengthen us.
So too can sin become a habit. And sinful habits weaken our resistance. They become comfortable and accepted as a part of life, even if deep down we find ourselves uneasy with these moments of evil repetition. We can come to find that we are resistant to change, even when we know that we should.
A third obstacle can be the wider implications of true repentance. Conversion begins with sorrow for sins committed. For that to be true, there must be the resolve to avoid that sin in the future.
Fourth, the realization of sinfulness. The realization of sinfulness can also call for a wider change of our vision and understanding of ourselves and the world. St. Paul is a prime example. When he had his famous conversion, it was not enough simply to stop persecuting Jeus’s followers. He was called to revise His whole understanding of the meaning of Jesus, His Jewish faith and salvation. We too may be called to more than just avoiding certain actions as our faith in God is deepened and purified.
Finally, repentance and conversion can be hindered by fear. One might fear the unknown of living a life without his or her sin. One might also fear the social disapproval or the financial adjustment that a true conversion might bring. And of course, some fear the feeling of shame and embarrassment of confronting their sins or of placing that before the priest in confession.
The Church knows from long experience of these and other challenges to repentance and turning away from sin. But there are even stronger motivations for conversion. First and foremost, we have the promise of Christ’s love. His death on the cross. His words, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” There are the words of the psalmist, “A humble, contrite heart you will not spurn.”
In the Church’s wisdom, Lent is a collective experience. We are not alone. We pray and fast with others seeking conversion. We are given strength against our fears by joining with others. That is why parish penance services with confession is so popular.
Don’t forget Be Reconciled Day on Wednesday, April 9 when our parishes throughout the diocese will seek to offer the opportunity to confess our sins from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. And our priests are especially attentive to help those who are nervous or who have been away from confession for a long time. Many are strengthened by the presence of others on that day. Come and join them for a good Lenten confession.
