This Lent is
memorable for me because my daughter just had her first confession.
It was memorable for me because I got to participate in preparing for
this. The parish had five sessions over five weeks for the child and
parents to prepare them for this celebration. During this
preparation, I got to see a new meaning of the Sacrament of
Confession.
I realize that
Confession is not merely telling the priest our sins. It is not
merely asking God to forgive our sins. It is not only knowing that
God has forgiven us. Instead, I see confession now as a means for me
to reaffirm my baptismal vow of rejecting Satan and his deceptions
and in reaffirming my belief in God as my Father. It is also my way
of telling God that I need him to help me win this battle against
Satan.
Before I got to
know the Lord, I never took confession seriously. (Come to think
of it, before I knew the Lord, I never took him seriously!). I
always felt that it was a waste of time because I would confess the
same sins over and over again. All I thought of confession was that
once I got out, I was forgiven of my sins and that was it. But as I
got to know the Lord, something changed in my view of confession. For
me, it became a very powerful way of humbling myself before the Lord
and to ask for his forgiveness. And very often, I cry when the priest
speaks out the absolution because I feel very loved and cleansed.
But with those
five weeks of preparation, I have a different perspective of
confession. It is still a powerful symbol of God's love and
forgiveness. But it has become a statement of my battle against evil.
When I go into the
confessional box, I come before God and tell him that I am a sinner.
I tell him that despite my weaknesses, I still choose him over the
deceits of Satan. I tell God that I love him and I want him over all
other things. And most of all, I tell him that I need him to help me
win this battle against Satan. “For our battle is not against
flesh and blood but against the rulers, authorities, powers of this
dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
realms.”
Galatians 6:12.
We have to realize
that we are up against a more powerful enemy. He is smarter and far
more powerful than we are. On our own, we cannot and will not be able
to win over him. And in confession, we not only choose God and ask
him for his help, we are exposing our sins to the light. And if our
sins are exposed to the light, the deceits of Satan are exposed. “For
everyone that does evil hates the light and will not come into the
light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by
the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that
what he has done has been done through God.” John 3:20-21.
This season of
Lent, may we all come to the Lord in humility and truth. May we find
confidence in his love “If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness.” 1 John 1: 9.
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