In regard to the vehicles that we drive, most of us don’t wait until what we are driving breaks down somewhere in the country where we may be far away from a service center. Many of us get into a wholesome routine of having the vehicles that we drive serviced on a regular basis. Preventive maintenance is a lot less costly than is mandatory maintenance if and when what we are driving breaks down.
We can apply this insight to our spiritual lives. As a result of our Baptism, we are designed to operate “on all cylinders” of the spiritual engine, which is our souls. In our minds and in our hearts, we know what the Lord wants of us. At times, knowing what the Lord wants of us and living as He wants us to live are two different things.
In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are offered a unique opportunity to let the Lord service the engine of our souls, so that we can be fully alive in Christ. Let’s look at signs that indicate that we might benefit by having our souls serviced in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. These include: 1) being continually stressed out and overwhelmed by all that we perceive that we have to do; 2) remaining bored for prolonged periods of time on a regular basis; 3) waiting for upbeat and exciting things to come our way in place of being proactive in relating to that which is before us; 4) being eager to learn more about vice and scandal in the lives of others; 5) locating the lack of harmony for which we yearn in others; 6) spending much of our time and energy trying to impress others; 7) wishing that we could be in someone else’s shoes; 8) waiting for others who have hurt us to come crawling back to us; 9) spending more of our time and energy with things and with our work than we do with others; 10) allowing ourselves to become enslaved to having more and more of that which is identified with the good life; 11) giving to the Lord primarily on the basis of what we have left over of our time, energy and financial resources.
Preventive maintenance in regard to the care of our souls can be likened to preventive maintenance in regard to the vehicles we drive. If we get into the habit of celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular frequent basis, it becomes harder and harder to fall into the pit of grave or mortal sin.
Regularly scheduled times for servicing our souls in the Sacrament of Reconciliation are as follows: on Saturdays at St. Mary Parish from 3:00 until 3:30 p.m.; at Resurrection Parish from right after the 6:00 p.m. Mass until all confessions are heard. On weekdays, this Sacrament is offered for 20 minutes, starting one-half hour before each scheduled Mass. Please check the bulletin for the weekday Mass schedule. If these times do not work out, please contact the office at either parish, and a time can be arranged for celebrating this special sacrament of our Lord’s healing love.
A fruit of celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular frequent basis is that of growing in the ability to experience a sense of connectedness with others in the Lord. As this happens, our threshold for putting up with pain and hardship for the sake of helping others in the Lord increases. We are set free to live according to the spirit that what happens to me isn’t all that important, so long as in and through my life, the redeeming love of Jesus Christ will be evident to others. This is one way of expressing what it can mean for the engine of our souls to operate and to serve as fully and as effectively as is possible.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Nelson Beaver – Pastor