This past weekend I traveled to Wisconsin to visit Adam and his family. One thing Adam and I like to do is visit churches near where we travel to. Saturday we went up to the Basilica and Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill. It is an incredibly gorgeous and peaceful place to visit and I highly recommend it!
Anyhow, we decided to go up to the chapel to pray and try to make it in for confession before mass. I obviously will not share what I confessed, but I learned something very important in the confessional. After I had confessed my sins the priest began to say, "It is good you are here and that God gives us this great sacrament, it reminds us that...." In my mind I immediately already finished his sentence as he had continued. I thought, "it makes us see our flaws when it is always so easy for us to see them in others we need to be reminded we have flaws too, knock us off our high horse (so to speak)..." and I thought I had some great little epiphany of the good in this sacrament.
As I was reveling in my own thoughts in my head, I heard him finish his sentence "....God greatly desires a relationship with us." I was way off. God loves us. I continued to listen to him talk to me of this relationship that is so important to God. Our sins and all keep us from Him. They fill us until there is no room for Him in our life. When we talk ill of others there is no room to see the good in them, when we get caught up in doing things our way we fail to see God's way or what is best for ourselves and others. When we get distracted, time for God gets filled with other things, shopping, sports etc. When we do not honor our parents or others in authority we fill our time only honoring ourselves, not God. When we waste time, God gets less, if any. When we covet what others have and focus on what we do not have, what all we want, we no longer have time for appreciating what God has given us or for Him to fill us with what we need. I could go on.
The sacrament of Confession is our place to get rid of everything that keeps us from God, to reset. God wants us to be with Him in all ways. This sacrament is a great merciful gift that cleanses us of all that keeps us from being filled with His life and grace. In this sacrament He doesn't see us as the flawed people we are. He doesn't look at us in the confessional like "yup you messed up, look what you did, how awful, why do you keep doing that, are you really sorry...etc." If that is what you think happens in there, or what you fear or dread about going to confession, then someone is really doing their best with their lies to keep you from the exact sacrament you need! Satan feeds us those lies. Those kinds of thoughts, fears, doubts and shame are not of God. Don't get me wrong, having some healthy guilt and shame for what you have done is not a bad thing, it means we truly are sorry and it shows we do care that we have messed up because we know we have hurt our relationship with God. However when that keeps you from the sacrament it is no longer healthy and no longer a product of your own remorse but has become something Satan is using to keep you separated from God's grace.
God does not look at you in the confessional only seeing your flaws. God sees a child wanting to be closer to Him, lost, and in need of grace, forgiveness and His fatherly love. God sees someone He loves and desperately wants to heal the relationship with. He is glad you are there. He is ready and waiting to abundantly flood your heart with His grace as soon as you let go of the sin you have carried in it.
Furthermore in mass during the homily the priest pointed out how Jesus came to us as a baby and the gospel takes time to specify He was laid in a manger. He was laid in an object which had the sole purpose of feeding all animals. A manger is used to feed. The farmer keeps it full and the animals come to feed and be nourished as they please. The good farmer wants them to have their fill. I had never had this pointed out to me before! Again God shows that He desires for a relationship with us, to nourish us. God is that good farmer that keeps the manger full. Jesus became our bread of life and calls on us to literally receive and consume His body and blood in John 6 and the Last Supper. He literally feeds us Himself in the Holy Eucharist.
Make this the year to allow God in your life through these great sacraments. Regularly make use of them and see how He fills and nourishes you. See how your relationship with Him will change and grow. See how your life will change with Him filling it. You will be fulfilled
Basilica at Holy Hill
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