We all need to be reminded of this truth, of the importance of repenting from our sins.
We should also pray for the many people who haven't come to Church today, who also need to be reminded of it.
As Catholic Christians, we are blessed with a very clear, concrete way to repent, as often as we need to. It's called going to confession.
- In the sacrament of confession, when we live it from the heart, we climb back into the arms of our heavenly Father, hiding nothing, freely admitting our need for him.
- Confession opens our souls wide to Christ's grace. It gives him room to work in our lives.
- In confession Jesus purifies our hearts, heals our wounds, and enlightens our minds.
- Confession gives us the assurance of God's forgiveness and grace that we need.
Confession is God's gift to us, just as much as the Eucharist, and baptism, and the Church itself.
- He wants us to make use of it.
- He wants it to be easy for us to come back to him, to repent, to live all the time in communion with him.
- He wants us to hear his words of forgiveness and encouragement not just in our imagination, but with our ears.
If each one of us didn't have a need for repentance, God wouldn't have reminded us today about how important repentance is.
[Here give information about confession times, penitential services, other suggestions... You also may want to have a confession guide available (see "Priest Resources")]
We often ask God to make us happy. And that's good.
Today, he is asking us to let him make us happy, by repenting, by turning away from our sin and selfishness and turning back into his arms. Let's not disappoint him.