Campus Ministry Column: A new start
Drew Whitmore
Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: Campus Life
How miserable does it feel when you've hurt somebody, maybe through a lie or a rumor or some neglected action, but that person doesn't even know it's your fault? How heavy with guilt the heart feels to watch the person suffer even while they treat you with kindness in their ignorance. It can take quite the effort to try to tell them what happened and can even be scary, especially when considering their potential reaction, and we often decide to hold onto our secret instead, letting it drag us down even further over time or, even worse, make us numb to the feeling.
But how rejuvenating it feels when we tell the person what happened and they forgive us. How much greater we feel when we're able to make up for the damage done. The friendship is strengthened with a deeper level of honesty and love.
This latter feeling is what we should look forward to in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Unfortunately, this incredible gift from God has almost become a taboo in the minds of many in our modern times and this fear of it only does a severe disservice.
Perhaps the fear of confession comes from our experiences with other people; maybe a friend didn't react so well when you confessed and you haven't spoken since. Maybe the fear comes from an unwillingness to change, when one thinks that he can do whatever he wants and still be happy. More than likely, it comes from a misunderstanding of God and sin.
Contrary to what an embarrassing number of Christians believe, God is not out to make difficult laws just so He can punish us when we break them. This is a complete misunderstanding of the entirety of divine revelation. Sin is not just merely breaking a rule. God shows this to us in the form of Christ, where He told us to call Him Father, but also as Jesus became our friend and servant, and in His marriage to the Church, our lover.
Now, that last one might seem to go a bit too far for some people but it should actually bring us immense joy. God does not want us to suffer or to punish us. He seeks to have a loving relationship with us, communicating through prayer and miracles and raising each person up to be the best and happiest that they can possibly be. Unfortunately, due to sin and evil in the world, we still suffer. Reconciliation is the remedy for this, God's act of loving kindness that heals our suffering and allows us to face life anew.
But how rejuvenating it feels when we tell the person what happened and they forgive us. How much greater we feel when we're able to make up for the damage done. The friendship is strengthened with a deeper level of honesty and love.
This latter feeling is what we should look forward to in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Unfortunately, this incredible gift from God has almost become a taboo in the minds of many in our modern times and this fear of it only does a severe disservice.
Perhaps the fear of confession comes from our experiences with other people; maybe a friend didn't react so well when you confessed and you haven't spoken since. Maybe the fear comes from an unwillingness to change, when one thinks that he can do whatever he wants and still be happy. More than likely, it comes from a misunderstanding of God and sin.
Contrary to what an embarrassing number of Christians believe, God is not out to make difficult laws just so He can punish us when we break them. This is a complete misunderstanding of the entirety of divine revelation. Sin is not just merely breaking a rule. God shows this to us in the form of Christ, where He told us to call Him Father, but also as Jesus became our friend and servant, and in His marriage to the Church, our lover.
Now, that last one might seem to go a bit too far for some people but it should actually bring us immense joy. God does not want us to suffer or to punish us. He seeks to have a loving relationship with us, communicating through prayer and miracles and raising each person up to be the best and happiest that they can possibly be. Unfortunately, due to sin and evil in the world, we still suffer. Reconciliation is the remedy for this, God's act of loving kindness that heals our suffering and allows us to face life anew.
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