Into the Deep

“Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Cor 5:17) The words of St. Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians are impressive. They reflect that Christ’s redemption is not simply a forgiveness of the debt incurred through sin, but a complete personal transformation, to the point of being considered a new creature, a being with a new nature, a divine nature. New desires, new ways of thinking, new ways of acting, new relationships, new hopes, new joys, new strength. Unfortunately, this gift given to us in Baptism is always threatened. The constant threat is that of returning to what St. Paul in various places calls the “old self”, a life of selfishness manifested in sin.

But this regenerative power of God is not limited to Baptism but continues throughout life and is linked to his merciful plan, which reconciles us to him many times over. The words of St. Paul that immediately follow the verse with which we began this text speak of the “ministry of reconciliation”: “And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor 5:18-20). “Be reconciled to God”. This is a necessary and comforting invitation that we need to listen to many times during our lives, and especially during Lent. A privileged and effective place where this occurs, not the only one, is the sacrament of Confession.

Many times, when we “go to Confession”, we have a very judicial vision of this sacrament, as a restitution that we have to make to God for having offended Him, a payment for our faults. We see it as something that is imposed on us and that only partially affects us, at best returning us to the situation before we sinned. The truth is that when we go to confession with the right dispositions, something special happens, a regeneration of our nature and our relationship with God. The Catechism explains it in theese words: “the sacrament of Reconciliation with God brings about a true “spiritual resurrection,” restoration of the dignity and blessings of the life of the children of God, of which the most precious is friendship with God.” (CCC #1468) Even the etymology of both the words “forgiveness” and “pardon” give a hint to the nature of this sacramental encounter: to give ‘thoroughly’, to give without reservation.

God has the initiative, but our actions matter and can affect the level of this regeneration according to the classic Latin adage: Quidquid recipitur ad modum recipientis recipitur “Whatever is received is received according to the condition of the receiver.”

Our dispositions matter too. For that reason, the Church has traditionally insisted on the steps, actions, of the penitent approaching this sacrament. A good example is the Baltimore Catechism (Question 384):

• First, examine our conscience;
• Second, be sorry for our sins;
• Third, have the firm purpose of not sinning again;
• Fourth, confess our sins to the priest;
• Fifth, be willing to perform the penance the priest gives us.”

In the coming weeks, coinciding with our Lenten journey, we will explore each of the steps described by the tradition in order to better understand them and to make the practice of the sacrament of Confession a true experience of renewal and liberation of our nature, and not just an obligation imposed on Catholics.

Have blessed Lent.