7 Reasons to Go to Weekly Confession During Lent (Plus a Quote on the Matter from Bl John Paul 2)

Posted by Taylor Marshall 

Confession weekly? That may sound like too often, but there are many benefits to it. For example, His Blessed John Paul II, who went to confession weekly, said:

"It would be an illusion to seek after holiness, according to the vocation one has received from God, without partaking frequently of this sacrament of conversion and reconciliation. Those who go to Confession frequently, and do so with the desire to make progress, will notice the strides that they make in their spiritual lives."

So here are seven reasons to begin frequent confession this Lent (weekly or every other week):

1. Priestly absolution is a generous gift that Jesus gave us.

Christ gave us this Sacrament and wants us to enjoy His grace through it. He told His first priests, the Apostles:

Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins are forgiven (John 20:22).

Christ gave us this sacrament of grace and forgiveness because He loves us. It is a divine gift of mercy and love - not merely an obligation.

2. You are a sinner.

We are a sinners and we need to examine the sinful patterns of our hearts and have a priest give us absolution, counsel, and penance.

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 Jn 1:8).

We are often not honest with our hearts and it takes an objective "physician of souls," to help diagnose us spiritually. If you injured your hand or back, you would consult a doctor. If you injured your soul through sin, shouldn't you see a priest?

3. Confession is a means of grace.

Confession shouldn't be terrifying. It is peaceful. We get excited over baptisms, weddings, and ordinations. Why not this remedy for our greatest Christian struggle? Why not be excited about Christ's forgiveness being declared by His appointed deputies - the priests of His Church.

4. You may have committed mortal sin.

There is a such thing as mortal sin:

If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal. (1 Jn 5:16)

Mortal sin is deadly and it separates our souls from the pure eternal life that exists within the Blessed Trinity. Contrition and priestly absolution restores our hearts to a position of love toward God and our neighbors. The absolution infuses our souls with grace. It ratifies our contrition.

5. Guilt is unpleasant.

Often Satan weighs us down with guilt. Guilt can be a good thing if we transform it into repentance. Of course, Satan hates this and God and the angels love it. So free yourself from guilt and hear a tangible person with priestly authority say, "I absolve you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

6. Confession unites you more fully to the Church.

When you make your confession to a priest, you acknowledge that you have sinned not only against God, but against every single other Christian because by your sin, you have weakened the universal witness of every single Christian. You have given the non-believer the excuse that "All Christians are hypocrites." When you go to Confession you acknowledge that you have caused every Christian to suffer by your sins.

"If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together" (1 Cor 12:26).

The priest, who represents both God and the Church by his ordination and office receives your repentance and you have the assurance of not only God's forgiveness, but also the implicit forgiveness of the entire Church.

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7. Receiving the Eucharist becomes even more powerful.

When you receive the Holy Eucharist you receive the true Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ our Redeemer. When you confess your sins in a sacramental way, you also have a stronger sacramental union with Christ in the Eucharist. Also, if you are living in mortal sin, you should NEVER receive the Eucharist because you blaspheme Christ and set yourself up for greater judgment and eternal damnation! Consequently, confession heals and deepens your devotion to Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

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Sira-sira store: Fish school

Ober Khok

Friday, April 15, 2011

“FISH AGAIN”

That is my nephew Pannon bewailing the fact that for a week now, the family has been eating creatures with fins, claws and shells for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Especially fish.

“It’s the Lenten Season, Pannon; be patient,” his grandmother, my Tita Blitte, tells him.

“Why do they lengthen the season, lola?” the boy asks.

We all have a good laugh, knowing that the boy has a point. Daily subsisting on fish and other sea denizens as the main protein of the day can seem like a long, long time in a faraway land.

My aunt stops laughing and seriously tells Pannon: “It’s not lengthen, Pannon; it’s Lenten. Lent is a Catholic tradition, the period of the church year from Ash Wednesday to Easter.

“The church traditional helps all believers to prepare for the commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus, which all happen during Holy Week. We all prepare through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial. The last one means not doing something enjoyable or eating food that we really like.

“Food is the easiest area that we can do sacrifice. In our case, we don’t eat meat; just seafood because it’s not as tasty as pork and beef.”

Pannon looks at his grandmother and says, “Well, I don’t really hate shrimps and crabs, lola. And I don’t really hate fish, but not just every day.”

That lesson gives me an idea for today’s column: What to eat during the Lenten Season.

I start to walk away, when Pannon asks once more: “But, lola, why is it lent? Isn’t lent the past tense of lend?”

OMG, the boy has sense. When I think of the Lenten Season, I see it as God lending us the life of his son so that we may all be spared the reality of being barbecued in hell. However, before I can open my big mouth to explain, my aunt beats me to it.

“In the olden days, Lent was known by the Latin word quadragesima, or ‘fortieth’. This refers to the 40th day before Easter and the 40 days of fasting to come.

“During the Middle Ages sermons were no longer said in Latin, and so the English term ‘lent’ was used. It is a word from the Germanic name for Spring Lencten and the Anglo-Saxon name for March Lenct. Lencten comes from the Germanic root for ‘long’ as Spring is the time of year when the days become longer.”

Pannon’s eyes light up like a birthday candle. “So, lola, Lent is really long,” he says triumphantly.

We all laugh again and go each our way so as not to prolong the discussion. I quickly go to my beloved computer and start today’s agenda. I still believe that by eating fish I don’t really punish myself. For one, I like fish. And for two, I like fish. And for three, I like fish.

Perhaps the notion of sacrifice will only work for those who hate fish. However, fish-haters don’t have to keep hiding in a subterranean cave. There are several ways that they can enjoy the finned brother of Nemo.

The most popular among the lot is tuna salad or fish fillet sandwich. Next time you have a barbecue, use prawns instead of fish. Stuffed squid makes a mighty main dish also.

Fish adobo comes as a remarkable substitute for the pork original. One I tasted in the house of my friend Ximo came with fried tofu. You can also ask your mom to make sopa de mariscos (literally soup of the sea), which uses white wine, tomato sauce, white fish fillet and other seafoods.

On this flat note I make my exit. I’m off to a long vacation.

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Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on April 16, 2011.

Station of the Holy Cross in Tableau...............

Stations of the Cross (or Way of the Cross; in Latin,Via Crucis; also called the Via Dolorosa or Way of Sorrows, or simply, The Way) refers to the depiction of the final hours (or Passion) of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St. Francis of Assisi and extended throughout the Roman Catholic Church in the medieval period. It is less often observed in theAnglican and Lutheran churches. It may be done at any time, but is most commonly done during the Season of Lent, especially on Good Friday and on Friday evenings during Lent.

In Palompon, Leyte the Station of the Cross or Way of the Cross was celebrated through a tableau or picture with living participants. One will notice the cross section of the population which participated in the once a year spectacle. But of course majority of those who joined in the procession are the younger member of society. Even the participants themselves are young people who are still young adults, who are eager beaver in their assigned task in the tableau.

Photo above shows Simon of Cirene being forced to help Jesus carry the Cross on the way to Mt. Golgotha. It shows that the cross is to heavy to bear which represents the sins of mankind, but still being carried by Jesus to save man from the everlasting fire that will be the consequence of man's folly and indifference.

Photo at left shows the women of Jerusalem whom Jesus met on the way to Calvary. He admonished them by saying that they should not cry for him but for themselves and the sinful ways of man.

This Lenten season is a big reminder for man to change for the better. Every day, especially during Holy Masses  
Jesus is waiting everyday for man to ask for forgiveness and change his life for the better.


Yet man, instead of following what Jesus have said of loving one another, have done the opposite of trying to outdo each other in grabbing all things the can without regard of people who can't take care of themselves.

Photo above shows Jesus giving the care of her Mother to John, his favorite disciple, after which John brought Mary to her home. Here we are also asked to let Mary enter our own homes and be with us as her loving Mother. Jesus as a loving Son is asking us also to take care widows like Mary, and especially those who are not capable and unable to provide for themselves their day to day needs.

  Just like Jesus who raised from the dead after the third day, He is likewise giving us the privileged of rising with him to heaven, if we only believe and do whatever he wants us to do.  

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is a big day for Roman Catholics, since this is the first day of the Lenten season. It is a day when ashes of palm crosses blessed in the previous Palm Sunday is mixed in sacred oils or holy water and the resulting paste is used by the minister or priest to make a sign of the cross, first upon his own forehead and then to the congregation with the help of the Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Communion if needed. In Palompon, Leyte it was observed that there are more congregants than last year. Some are saying that it was the result of the on going formation/seminars being held in different Baranggay/Barrio's of the town through family groupings called Basic Ecclesial Communities.

Ash Wednesday, in the Western Christian calendar, is the first day of Lent and occurs forty-six days (forty days not counting Sundays) before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter. It can occur as early as 4 February or as late as 10 March.

Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a sign of repentance. The ashes used are typically gathered after the Palm Crosses from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned. In the liturgical practice of some churches, the ashes are mixed with the Oil of the Catechumens^[1] (one of the sacred oils used to anoint those about to be baptized), though some churches use ordinary oil. This paste is used by the minister who presides at the service to make the sign of the cross, first upon his own forehead and then on those of congregants.

At Masses and services of worship on this day, ashes are imposed on the foreheads of the faithful (or on the tonsure spots, in the case of some clergy). The priest, minister, or in some cases officiating layperson, marks the forehead of each participant with black ashes in the shape of a cross, which the worshipper traditionally retains until it wears off. The act echoes the ancient Near Eastern tradition of throwing ashes over one's head to signify repentance before God (as related in the Bible). The priest or minister says one of the following when applying the ashes:

Remember, O man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.

—Genesis 3:19

Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.

—Mark 1:15

Repent, and hear the good news.

—Mark 1:15

The imposition of ashes on Ash

Wednesday

The ashes used in the service of worship or Mass are sacramentals, not a sacrament. The ashes are blessed according to various rites proper to each liturgical tradition, sometimes involving the use of Holy Water. In some churches they are mixed with light amounts of water^[2] or olive oil^[3][4], which serve as a fixative. In most liturgies for Ash Wednesday, the Penitential psalms are read; Psalm 51 (LXX Psalm 50) is especially associated with this day.^[5] The service also often includes a corporate confession rite.

In some of the free church liturgical traditions, other practices are sometimes added or substituted, as other ways of symbolizing the confession and penitence of the day. For example, in one common variation, small cards are distributed to the congregation on which people are invited to write a sin they wish to confess.

These small cards are brought forth to the altar table where they are burned.^[6]

In the Roman Catholic Church, ashes, being sacramentals, may be given to anyone who wishes to receive them,^[7][8] as opposed to Catholic sacraments, which are generally reserved for church members, except in cases of grave necessity.^[9][10] Similarly, in most other Christian denominations ashes may be received by all who profess the Christian faith and are baptized.^[11]

In the Roman Catholic Church, Ash Wednesday is observed by fasting, abstinence from meat, and repentance—a day of contemplating one's transgressions. The Anglican Book of Common Prayer also designates Ash Wednesday as a day of fasting. In the medieval period, Ash Wednesday was the required annual day of penitential confession occurring after fasting and the remittance of the tithe. In other Christian denominations these practices are optional, with the main focus being on repentance. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday,

Roman Catholics between the ages of 18 and 59 are permitted to consume only one full meal, which may be supplemented by two smaller meals, which together should not equal the full meal. Some Roman Catholics will go beyond the minimum obligations demanded by the Church and undertake a complete fast or a bread and water fast. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are also days of abstinence from meat (for those Catholics age 14 and over), as are all Fridays in Lent. Some Roman Catholics continue fasting during the whole of Lent,^{[citation needed]} as was the Church's traditional requirement,^{[citation needed]} concluding only after the celebration of the Easter Vigil.

As the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday comes the day after Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), the last day of the Carnival season.^[12]