Notebook
We are still in the early days of Lent so maybe there’s space here for a thought or two around the journey to and through repentance.
There is a call to repentance that is central to the Lenten season. I recall sitting in the church one morning, a while before Mass. This is something I don’t do often enough but was trying to make a better effort. I was reading the ‘Office’ – Morning Prayer and feeling I was in the right place. A woman came and sat beside me. She thought I was hearing Confessions. Needless to say, I was glad she approached me and even more glad to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation with her.
Confused
I celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation in a secondary school a few years ago and a young lad came into see me. He sat down, looking a little confused and looked at me for a nod in the right direction. Before I got a chance to say anything, he found some words: “Bless me Father for I have sinned…”
He stopped as if this were a question – he seemed to be saying: “Is that what I was supposed to say?” and I looked at him and said “you’re through to the next round!” We both laughed and what needed to follow, followed.
What about you? Is Confession on the Lenten agenda this year? Don’t worry about words and formulas – the important thing is to be where you need to be and do what you need to do. The words will take care of themselves.
For priests reading this, I suppose our thoughts are around how can we make ourselves more available for this sacrament. Like many priests, I note the decline in attendance and have tried putting on Confessions from time to time but, more often than not, few or nobody turns up. Does that mean we shouldn’t bother? Of course not.
I’ll sit in the church a few more times during Lent – no announcement about time for Confessions – just ‘being there’ might be enough.
Thankfully we have the ability to express ourselves – a gift, for sure. I have a dog called Alpha and I recall a time when he seemed to have picked up a soreness in his right front paw. I thought there was something wrong, but the soreness became more pronounced. He slowed down and was very careful leaving his foot on the ground. I tried to see what was wrong – looked and felt around the paw but did not find anything.
As it turned out, within a few days he seemed to shake off whatever it was and there was no need to take him to the vet.
Better story
Where’s the Lenten thought in this? I can’t help but think how much easier it would have been for me to help him if he could tell me what was wrong. He hasn’t the voice of course and, had he told me, that would have been a much better story! Because he hadn’t the voice – the words to communicate his pain – the discomfort remained.
It strikes me that we can be ‘spiritually lame’ – little thorns and sores bringing pressure to bear on our souls and minds.
We limp and wobble, cry out or muffle our pain. All the while though, unlike Alpha, we have a voice and the ability to express what is wrong. The voice ought to be found, the words or communication skills should be used so that the pain – the spiritual lameness – can be addressed and healed.
God, wants to help us, to heal us and give us peace. We have the words.
Use them. Walk freely and without pain…
- SHE GOT IT RIGHT AND THEN… I was getting my hair cut – head shaved – last week. I usually go to the same hairdresser and enjoy chatting with her. We were talking about Lent and she said she had given up all sweet things and felt lighter (this was on Thursday, the day after Ash Wednesday!) so imagine how she will feel on Easter Sunday.
I told her I heard a priest say in recent days, “fasting without prayer is dieting” and she looked, the way they look into the mirror and talked to me: “Oh yeah, to be honest I hadn’t thought of that. I was just thinking about losing a few pounds.”
We decided that she might say a decade of the Rosary when she walks. She thought this was a great idea. Then she mentioned St Patrick’s Day and I complemented her on not calling it ‘Paddy’s Day’. I told her how much I hate that phrase and she said: “Yes, it lowers it to a boozing session, doesn’t it?”
I told her she had gained points there. Then she said: “It’s falling good for me this year?”
“What is?” I asked, “Paddy’s Day”, she replied, “it’s a Tuesday so I will have Monday and Tuesday off”. I looked at her in the mirror, she smiled. “Ooops,” she said. Ooops indeed!