Friday | April 11, 2008

Unexpected Gifts: The Sacrament of Reconciliation

Sooner or later it washes over everyone who realizes that (gasp) God is calling them to the Catholic Chuch, the realization that sooner or later they are going to have to darken the doorstep of a confessional. It isn't usually a happy prospect. It certainly wasn't for me. If you're lucky, you'll have a few people who take you aside and tell you that it really isn't all that bad. Some may even tell you that it's a gift. I heard things like that people who like going to confession must be the sppiritual equivalent of those who get up and declare that they just don't "feel right" without running ten miles. Trust me. I feel just fine without running a single solitary step. In fact, I have decided that I do not need to get anywhere so quickly that I need to run to get there. Not even if there is a charging herd of water buffalo involved and I promise that I will never say to anyone under any circumstances that I just don't feel right if I don't run ten miles at the start of it. Rolling over and getting more sleep is just fine by me. I felt much the same way about confession as I do about running. Gift? Blessing? Picture my eyeballs rolling way back in my head and getting stuck there. But once again that was an appalling lack of humility on my part and confession is indeed a gift. Recently after I posted "How to Make a Good Confession" and someone who reads this blog shared with me some of the blessings she has received in the confessional. I ask for permission to post it here and she agreed. If anyone else would like to share the way in which the confessional has been a blessing to them, I think your stories might help those on the journey towards Rome. Funny stories are good too....faith isn't always serious. Send them to redneckwomandesigns [at] yahoo [dot] com and maybe we could put together some encouragement for others. Thank you 'L' for sharing this one!!
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I have been thinking a lot about why I am so drawn to the sacrament of reconciliation.  While it has been a wonderful, affirming experience each time, that's never what I expect.  I hang out my dirty laundry, but it feels like maybe Father doesn't realize how horrible my sin is or doesn't take it seriously.  I mean, he's supposed to represent God, right? And God hates sin, so he ought to at least be gruff about it.

A few weeks ago, I had something like confession with another minister.   He was disappointed in me, sighed loudly at what he believed was disobedience, and basically did what he could to help me walk out of there feeling awful.  I know that his intention was to motivate me toward further repentance, but what he mirrored was a god who preferred sacrifices rather than a contrite heart.  I would never willingly go back there.

Which experience was the way confession is supposed to be?  What is truly God's heart, and what is the counterfeit? I know what we heard in RCIA, but it wasn't yet anchored for me.

Yesterday morning, my small daughter was being very naughty, and she knew it.  She was dumping water on the floor with a glass.  So I asked her to hand me the glass.  She did, but she was angry and half threw it at me, and it smashed all over the kitchen floor. So I sent up a quick prayer that I would be able to respond in love, even though she had been driving me crazy. It was obvious by the look on her face that she was shocked and sorry.  So what did I do?

First, I told her to hold still, because she was barefoot.  I walked over to pick her up and move her to a safe place.  I snuggled her while I carried her, because she was sweet and sad and a little bit scared. Then I told her to go get some shoes on so that she could help clean up without getting hurt.  We swept it all up and threw it into the trash together. We wrapped the pieces carefully in newspaper before tossing them, so that they wouldn't hurt anyone who handled the trash bag later. When we were done, we went out to play.

And that was when I realized that my experience in sacramental confession was not some kind of fake; it was absolutely authentic. The counterfeit was what I anticipated in fear and misunderstanding.

Growing up, it was far wiser never to confess to anything, because the punishment was rarely related to the crime, and its severity could not be predicted, because it had more to do with my mother's state of mind than what I actually did. Even total accidents could be harshly punished.  My parents expressed their disgust freely, and even as an adult I know that they are deeply disappointed in me, my priorities, and the life I have chosen for myself.  Past spiritual/religious experiences have been more about people making sure I follow the rules, rather than being in a relationship. That's the baggage I take to the confessional; that's the fake.

The reality is what happened between my daughter and me. Repentance is met only with love, not scolding, not groaning disappointment.  I didn't ignore the shards of glass or take them any less than seriously--not when I had to walk over them barefoot!  She is my little girl; she knew she blew it, and our priority was to fix the damage together and keep it from hurting anyone else.  There wasn't anything to be gained by shaming her or making her feel worse.  That wouldn't motivate her to avoid smashing dishes (quite the contrary, actually!), but it would hurt our relationship and make it that much harder to be reconciled when she screwed up the next time.

Truly sacramental confession is about a Father and his little girl. She's crying; she already feels awful.  She doesn't need to feel the weight of His disappointment or disgust, and in fact He isn't disappointed or disgusted at all, because she is His little girl, and He knows that little girls blow it all the time.  They do it less and less as they grow up, but that takes time and patient guidance. Willful disobedience is met with consequences, of course, but a little girl who bravely climbs into her Father's lap and owns up to what she's done is met with compassionate hugs and love, and then He gets down on the floor with her to help sweep up the mess and throw it away. Then they go out to play :)

May God grant that I always mirror that kind of forgiveness, and may I never fail to be grateful when it is mirrored to me by others.

Posted by Red Neck Woman at 16:52:04 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Sunday | March 16, 2008

How to Make a Good Confession

I've been asked by someone to describe what sacramental confession looks like. She's curious to know whether or not it looks like the movies. It's a topic that comes up regularly in the Catholic Spitfire Grill (you're welcome to join us!) as those who are journeying towards full communion with the Catholic Church approach the confessional for the first times in their lives.

It's a scary sacrament. I know it's not supposed to be but it is. We have to mortify our pride and not only admit our sin but go looking for it! It's one thing to have a general idea of one's sinfulness, but it's a whole 'nuther kettle of fish when you commit to go looking for it. It's also scary because whether or not you are doing it "right" is a matter of faith. You don't get to watch other people confess. You don't have anything to compare it to. You have to swallow your pride and just do the best you can.

So this is what I've learned about making a good confession. I am not offering this because I am any sort of authority but rather because I am not. I hate the feeling that I am not doing it "right"....pride no doubt with a little vanity thrown in. I am also hopeful that this might be helpful for those who are approaching the confessional for the first time, or haven't been in a long time. In a sense I have learned all of this from "watching other people" because most of what I've learned about confession comes from the prayers of the Saints and the writings of other holy men and women. You can read what the Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say about the Sacrament of Reconciliation here.

You know what? On the surface the Sacrament of Reconciliation often looks a lot like it is portrayed in the movies. But there is much more lurking below the surface.

Step 1: Preparation in Prayer for Illumination of Conscience

Technically the only sins that a Catholic must confess in sacramental reconciliation are mortal sins and we are required to go to sacramental confession at least once a year. Those are the minimum requirements. It is strongly recommended that we confess our more serious venial sins. (CCC on mortal vs. venial sins) One thing that is different than the movies that isn't always clear is that we are obligated to make a thorough examination of conscience. We've got to go looking for those sins and we must not deliberately conceal anything (CCC). (Forgetfulness is understood to be a universal human failing.) We've also got to be sorry for our sins and be determined not to do it again. ( CCC 1451)

Therefore, the most important part of making a good confession is prayer. Confession is not possible without the action of Holy Spirit in our lives. It is simply not possible to even know where we have offended God without His light to show us. It certainly takes an act of God to make me sorry for some of my my sins as my family and friends will tell you. I have often been teased that I will need to confess something to which my usual rejoinder is "I can't confess it, if I'm not sorry." (This is in jest....mostly.) So the first step in making a good confession is to take some time...maybe even a lot of time... to pray and ask God to show you where you have offended Him. I recommend making this be a quiet time away from distractions. If you are fortunate enough to have a chapel of Perpetual Adoration nearby, it is especially suitable to sit with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament to pray. Here are a couple of prayers that I use for this time of preparation:

Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas

To Thee, O God, the fount of mercy, I draw near a sinner. From my unncleaness, therefore deign Thou to cleanse me. Enlighten my blindness, O sun of justice; bind up my wounds, O eternal physician. Thou King of kings, clothe my nakedness; lead me back, good shepherd, to the fold from which I have strayed; Thou mediator between God and man, clear away my guilt. Have pity, O God on my misery; grant indulgence to my crimes; restore me life for death, virtue for impiety, and to my obduracy apply Thy saving grace. O Thou most clement one, call me back fleeing from Thee, draw me when resisting, raise me when I fall, support me having risen, and lead me as I walk. Do not forget me when I forget Thee nor turn Thou away when I forsake Thee; despise me not in the midst of my sins. By sinning I have offended Thee, my God, I have injured my neighbor, I have wounded myself. By my very weakness, O my God, have I sinned against Thee, the Father almighty; out of my ignorance, against Thee, meek Spirit of God. Thus have I offended Thee, most excellent Trinity. Alas for my misery! How many and what great faults of divers kinds I have committed! I have abandoned Thee, O Lord; I have murmured against Thy goodness; and when confronted by base pleasure, or deterred by misfortune, I have preferred rather to lose Thee than to forego the things that allure, to offend Thee than to incur the things that I fear. O my God, how far I have gone astray in word and deed! I have sinned in secret and in public contumaciously. Hence, I beseech Thee that, because of my weakness, Thou wilt not regard my iniquity, but Thine own immense goodness, and bestowing upon me sorrow for the past and care for the future, wilt mercifully forgive what I have done.

Prayer of St. Gertrude

O sweetest Jesus, Who in Thy loving desire for our salvation hast instituted the Sacrament of Penance for the consolation of sinners, that by its virtue we might be cleansed from our iniquities and recover the graces we have lost; behold me, a most wretched sinner, who have offended Thee again by many sins and defiled my soul with many stains, now come back once more to Thee, resolving to receive this most munificient Sacrament with the steadfast hope that Thou wilt grant me the remission of all my sins, to accuse myself with profound humility and contrition of soul before the priest, Thy representative, of all and each of my sins, in so far as I can recall them to my mind; nor will I knowingly hide any mortal sin, however vile and shameful it may be.

I desire to include in this Confession all those sins which I cannot now recall to my memory and all my venial sins. I confess them all to Thee as to my great High Priest; and in the presence of all the court of Heaven, I avow and proclaim myself a perfidious wretch and traitor against Thine adorable Majesty.

I beseech Thee, therefore, O most merciful Father, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to look on me, a miserable sinner, with that eye of compassion wherewith Thou didst look upon Thy Son when He fell on His face in the Garden of Olives, crushed to the earth by the sins of all mankind, and graciously to hear me while I implore Thy pardon. And to supply what is lacking to my most imperfect contrition, I offer Thee that overwhelming grief which Thine only-begotten Son endured throughout His life while on earth in His sweetest Heart by reason of the sins of the world, and especially when in the Garden of Olives the extremity of His anguish wrung from Him the sweat of Blood; beseeching Thee that Thou wouldst cleanse my soul from all its defilements in that most holy stream of His Precious Blood, and adorn it with a purity whiter than snow. Amen.

Prayer for Examination of Conscience

O God, Father of Light, who enlightenest everyone that comes into this world, give me light, love and sorrow, that I may discover, detest and confess all the sins I have committed.

O Holy Spirit, Spirit of Love and Dispenser of all graces, help me to receive this great Sacrament worthily; give me Thy grace that I may make a careful examination of conscience and discover my sins; touch my heart that I may hate and detest them, and assist me to make a firm resolution to avoid sin henceforth.

Spirit of Love and Truth, assist me to make a sincere, entire and truthful Confession to The representative, the priest, and thus obtain Thy forgiveness, Thy grace and Thy love.

O Jesus, my Redeemer, through Thy most holy merits, grant the grace heartfelt contrition and amendment of life. To Thee I look for the grace to make this Confession well, that I may glorify Thee.

O most holy Virgin Mary. Mother, thou who art so compassionate towards those who desire to repent, help me to call to mind all my offenses and to be truly sorry for having offended God.

My dear Guardian Angel, who has been a witness of my sins, help me now to recall them and to be truly sorry for them. All you Saints and Angels of Heaven, pray for me that I may not bring forth fruits worthy of penance.

Step 2: Examination of Conscience

There are a gazillion ways to do this. Use the Ten Commandments. Use the Beatitudes. Use the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Use the Precepts of the Church or Capital Sins..scroll down. Use any number of examens written for particular liturgical seasons...Advent or Lent (Lenten examen opens in PDF). There are multiple books and pamphlets for this purpose as well. Scott Hahn's book Lord Have Mercy: The Healing Power of Confession has a good examen at the back.

For my personal Examination of Conscience I have put together a number of examens that I like and put them all on my PDA. I have a small notebook that I keep the "results" of my examen in along with the date of each confession. It helps me to see where my most serious sins are and theoretically helps to encourage me as I see that with the help of God's Grace, I am overcoming. I'll let you know if that ever happens. I am sure that God's Grace is sufficient...if only I was better at making room for it in my life.

Step 3: Confession

Here is where things may actually start to look like the movies. There are still old fashioned confessionals like you see in the movies....my parish has them...in newer churches or extensively re-modeled ones, the penitent usually has the choice of confessing anonymously or confessing face-to-face to the priest. The general script goes pretty much like you see in the movies too. Depending on the form of the confessional you enter and either sit or kneel. You make the sign of the cross and say "Forgive me (bless me) Father for I have sinnned. It has been [period of time] since my last confession." Then tell him what the Holy Spirit has helped you discover in your prayer and examination of conscience. It isn't necessary to go into detail unless the priest requests it. It is necessary to give a general idea of any aggravating circumstances that increase or lessen the severity of the sin. For example, stealing an apple from a wealthy person is a sin but it is not as serious a sin as stealing an apple from a starving person. Likewise stealing an apple just for fun is more serious than stealing an apple because you are starving. Give the priest a general idea of the number of times and the severity of your mortal sins and your most pressing venial sins. Generally at the end of your confession (and you can bring in a written list if it helps. I certainly do!) you signal that you are done by saying something like, "For these and all of my others sins I am most sincerely sorry."

The seal of the confessional is absolute. Priests are required to accept death before breaking the seal of the confessional. If a priest does break the seal, only the Pope can grant him absolution. You can tell him everything.

Step 4: Advice and Absolution

The priest at this point may ask a few questions to determine the severity (or not) of your sins. He may also inquire about life circumstances that may have some bearing on your confession. He may also some spiritual counsel to offer. This is particularly true if you have established a relationship with a particular confessor. He will give you a penance which usually takes the form of a prayer or some other good work. Usually the penance will relate to the sins you have confessed. If you confess that you have been been angry or spoken unkindly of someone, the penance may very well be to pray for or do something nice for those people. (If there is some reason that you cannot perform the penance, you should tell the priest! For example, I had one priest who knew I was a convert, ask me if it was all right with me before assigning the recitation of the rosary as a penance.) Then the priest will pronounce absolution. The priest will extend his hand toward you and if you are confessing in a face-to-face situation he may place his hand  on your head, and pronounce the words of absolution,

"I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

The priest uses the personal pronoun "I" because he is acting in persona Christi. Jesus forgives sins and it is Jesus who is acting through the priest.

Step 5: Thanksgiving and Penance

First, take a moment to spend more time in prayer and thank god for the gift of forgiveness and mercy.

Psalm 103

Bless the LORD, my soul; all my being, bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, my soul; do not forget all the gifts of God,
Who pardons all your sins, heals all your ills,
Delivers your life from the pit, surrounds you with love and compassion,
Fills your days with good things; your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The LORD does righteous deeds, brings justice to all the oppressed.
His ways were revealed to Moses, mighty deeds to the people of Israel.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger, abounding in kindness.
God does not always rebuke, nurses no lasting anger,
Has not dealt with us as our sins merit, nor requited us as our deeds deserve.
As the heavens tower over the earth, so God's love towers over the faithful.
As far as the east is from the west, so far have our sins been removed from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on the faithful.
For he knows how we are formed, remembers that we are dust.
Our days are like the grass; like flowers of the field we blossom.
The wind sweeps over us and we are gone; our place knows us no more.
But the LORD'S kindness is forever, toward the faithful from age to age.
He favors the children's children of those who keep his covenant,
who take care to fulfill its precepts.
The LORD'S throne is established in heaven; God's royal power rules over all.
Bless the LORD, all you angels, mighty in strength and attentive, obedient to every command.
Bless the LORD, all you hosts, ministers who do God's will.
Bless the LORD, all creatures, everywhere in God's domain.
Bless the LORD, my soul!

Prayer of Thanksgiving by St. Gertrude

O Almighty and merciful God, whose mercy is boundless, and the riches of whose goodness are infinite, I give Thee thanks with all my mind and heart for the amazing and exceeding goodness which Thou hast now shown me in so graciously pardoning all my sins and restoring me to Thy grace and favor. Blessed me Thy Divine compassion, O my God, and blessed me the incomprehensible love of Thy beloved Son, which constrained Him to institute so gentle and so mighty a remedy for our sins. Wherefore, in union with all the thanksgivings which have ever ascended to Thee from truly penitent hearts, I sing aloud Thy glad praises on behalf of all in Heaven, on earth and in Purgatory, forever and ever. Amen.

As soon as possible after receiving absolution, perform the penance that has been assigned. Alll of the prayers I have listed are just suggestions. There are others out there. You don't really even need to do anything other than say "Thank you" to Our Lord, and perform your penance but these are often the prayers that I use....

Prayer before Performing the Sacramental Penance by St. Gertrude

Since I have so grievously insulted Thee, O most tender and loving God, by my many sins and negligences, I am now ready to make perfect satisfaction to Thy Divine Justice to the utmost of my ability. To this end I will faithfully and most reverently perform the penance appointed me by my confessor in Thy Name. Would that I could perform it with such great devotion and love as to give Thee an honor and delight greater than the insult and outrage of my sins! That this may be so, I unite and blend my penance with all the works of satisfaction which Thy beloved Son accomplished during the thirty-three years of His life on earth; and in union with His fastings, His watching, and His prayers, I offer this my penance and my prayer. Look, therefore, O most loving Father, on me, Thy most bounden debtor, now prostrate before Thy feet, desiring to make Thee adequate satisfactions and reparation for all the insults and injuries I have offered Thee, and grant me strength and the grace to say this prayer according to Thy most holy will. Amen.
(Perform sacramental penance)

O most loving Father, I offer Thee my Confession and my satisfaction in union with all the acts penance which have ever been offered to the glory of Thy holy name; beseeching Thee to accept it, and to render it availing it through the merits of the Passion of Thy beloved Son, and through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of all the holy Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors and Virgins. Whatever has been lacking to me in sincere and earnest preparation, in perfect contrition, in frank and clear confession, I commend to the most loving Heart of Thine only begotten Son, that Treasury of all good and all grace, from whose overflowing abundance all debts to Thee are fully acquitted; that through It all my negligences and defects in the reception of this most holy Sacrament may be fully and perfectly supplied, to Thine everlasting praise and glory, and that Thou mayest effectually absolve me in Heaven, even as Thy minister has, with Thine authority, absolved me here on earth, through Christ our Lord. Amen.



Step 6: Pray for Your Confessor

It's a difficult job. Confessionals are not usually comfortable places and he's in the confessional a lot longer than the penitents are. It's difficult to listen to the weaknesses of others and not dwell on your own. So pray for your confessor. Because I said so....

A Prayer for One’s Confessor

In asking of Thee, O my God, the graces of which I am in need, can I, without ingratitude, forget before Thee, him whom thou has chosen from among Thy ministers, to reconcile me to Thee by the sacrament of penance, justly called the second plank after shipwreck? Deign, I beseech Thee, O my God, to adorn his soul with the virtues befitting the functions of the awful ministry with which Thou hast invested him. Grant him the faith of St. Peter, the charity of St. Paul, the firmness of St. Chrysostom, the evangelical liberty of St. Ambrose, the lights of St. Augustine, the piety of St. Bernard, the zeal of St. Charles Borromeo, the mildness of St. Francis de Sales, and the humility of St. Vincent de Paul. Guide him Thyself, O Lord, in all his actions, that after having been here below a prudent and faithful dispenser of Thy mysteries, he may hereafter receive from Thy bountiful hands, the bright crown Thou hast promised in a blessed eternity, to the priests who shall have consecrated their lives to bring back their fellow creatures from the ways of error, and to conduct them in the paths of justice and peace. Amen.
Posted by Red Neck Woman at 22:19:09 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Monday | May 28, 2007

Memories of My Confirmation

Our homilist yesterday asked us to remember our Confirmations as he spoke about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Consequently, I spent some time in uncomfortable remembrance. You see I was a reluctant convert. I knew God had led me to the Catholic Church (probably to "fix" what was wrong with them don't you know?...sigh...yes, I was that arrogant.) and I was getting confirmed mostly because that's what I was "supposed" to do. I was confirmed with a class of teenagers who were being confirmed as part of the normal Catholic growing up process and the adult in charge gave me a choice of being confirmed in alphabetical order with the rest of the class or being confirmed last. I picked last. When I got to the bishop he looked at me and said "We've been waiting for you for a long time." I was not amused. I also told my mother-in-law that there was to be absolutely no "big deal" to be made about this because I was already Christian thankyouverymuch. I was determined not to have anything to do with excessive Saint veneration and I figured choosing whatever Saint was already associated with my middle name would do quite nicely thankyouverymuch. Quite frankly looking back at my disobedient and ungrateful attitude, I am surprised God did not strike me dead instead of granting me the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

But as bad as my attitude was I didn't reject the Sacraments outright. I was at least honest enough at that point to be saying (halfheartedly....didn't want to be a total hypocrite don't you know) "Lord I believe, help Thou my unbelief." I am also living proof that if we don't want the power of the Sacraments working in our lives we had best seal the doors, and pile furniture up against it because if we leave even a tiny crack for the Holy Spirit to pour out Grace into our lives that's exactly what is going to happen. No matter how undeserving and how ugly we are, Our Lord is willing to bestow grace upon grace upon us if we are even slightly willing to receive it. I may not have been a grateful recipient of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit poured out on me at my Confirmation but Our Lord honored the Sacrament and bestowed them anyway.

I also sat and contemplated "choice" of a Saint for my confirmation name. At the time, I did enough research to discover that Anne (my middle name) was the grandmother of Our Lord and the source I read indicated that she was sometimes considered a patron of teachers because she was obviously such a good teacher for Our Lady. At the time I was intending to attend college to become a teacher at the time so it seemed as good a choice as any. I didn't see much value in researching my choice much further. Since then as I have become increasingly unhappy with my attitude regarding my Confirmation and my cavalier attitude toward choosing a confirmation saint and on Sunday I sat musing on it all.

Our Lord was good enough to ignore my bad attitude and unrelentingly insist that I stay put in the Catholic Church. The Sacraments conferred grace in spite of my reluctance. And as I sat and meditated, I realized just how much of a Saint Our Lord's grandmother is (rimshot). I've never paid much attention to her, at first because although I might be Catholic, you weren't going to get me to jump off the deep end with those Catholic extremists and have my own personal Saint and then the shame of it all was a little more that I care to face on a regular basis. But I think she's been interceding for me in spite of me. Isn't that JUST like a good grandmother? It turns out she's not an official patron saint of **teachers but then it turns out that I wasn't headed for an official classroom but motherhood and a homeschool classroom. Coincidence? Or just another example of how God pours out Grace in spite of ourselves? Probably time for a long overdue "Thank you."

**St. Anne is the patron of the following: Adjuntas, Puerto Rico; Brittany; Canada; carpenters; childless people; Detroit, Michigan; equestrians; France; grandparents; homemakers/housewives; lace makers; lost articles; miners; mothers; Norwich, Connecticut; old-clothes dealers; poverty; pregnancy; Quebec; Santa Ana Pueblo; seamstresses; stablemen; sterility; Taos, New Mexico; turners; Marsaskala

Posted by Red Neck Woman at 00:12:00 | Permanent Link | Comments (4) |

Thursday | April 19, 2007

Have You Told Your Children How Important the Sacraments Are To You?

I read a remark in a book the other day that has me pondering. The author suggested that perhaps one of the reasons for a shortage of vocations to the Priesthood and religious life is that increased participation by the laity in all aspects of the church has lead young people to ask themselves "If I can do all of this, why should I make the extra sacrifice to consecrate my life to the Lord in the Priesthood or religious life?"

So have you told your children not just how much you value the priests and sisters that serve our church, but how grateful you are for the Sacraments that were given to us by Jesus to be bought to us  only in the hands of His priests? Do your children see how much you value the Sacrament of Confession? Mass and the Eucharist? Have you talked to them about your Confirmation and what it meant to you? Our children aren't going to want to be priests if we don't make it very clear to them that the ministry of the Priesthood is invaluable to us and that nothing can replace it.

And while I am on my soapbox, let me just make out a list of books for you to read-aloud (yes read-aloud to them....how else are you going to discuss these things with them?) to your children that will encourage a love of the Priesthood and the Sacraments:

Blessings From the Battlefield by Thomas R. O'Brien: collection of stories from Catholic military chaplains.

Why I Become a Priest

The Shadow of His Wings: The True Story of Fr. Gereon Goldmann by Fr. Goldmann: The story of a young German seminarian who was drafted into the SS and ends up being secretly ordained during WWII. (May be too intense for younger children.)

Christ in Dachau by John Lenz: The experiences of the many priests who were interned in Dachau in WWII. The sacrifices and risks they took to continue their recitation of the Divine Office and to say Mass are inspiring. (May be too intense for younger children.)

Pretty much anything by Mary Fabyan Windeatt. Even if a priest isn't the main character, chances are there is an inspiring one in there somewhere. Her books help to cultivate a love for the church and for the Sacraments in general.

For younger children: The Weight of a Mass by Josephine Nobisso. Highly recommended gift for First Communicants.

Some movie suggestions:

Molokai: The Story of Father Damien

I Confess

The Scarlet and the Black

St. Patrick: The Irish Legend

John Paul II

The Ninth Day 

And look these over too. (Pretty please.)

Suggestions for Promoting Vocations.

Posted by Red Neck Woman at 00:10:43 | Permanent Link | Comments (5) |

Monday | April 09, 2007

Sacrament

I was looking this morning for some good websites that might give and overview of Holy Week for those who are new to it (and those who are not but had NO IDEA what a busy week this is in the Catholic Church) and I found this reflection from the Bishop of Limerick on last year's Chrism Mass:

There can be no celebration of the Eucharist without a priest. That is not because of any particular merit on the part of priests. It is because we have received the sacrament of priestly Ordination. Some years before he became Pope, the present Holy Father said in this context: “Sacrament means: I give what I myself cannot give; I do something that is not my work; I am on a mission and have become the bearer of that which another has committed to my charge”. RATZINGER, J., Called to Communion, Ignatius Press, 1996, p. 115.

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