To review previous Pastoral Letters from the Bishop visit the archive.
| Pastoral Letters
To review previous Pastoral Letters from the Bishop visit the archive. |
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Bishop Manning's
Lenten Pastoral Letter
Catholic Outlook, February 2010
The
Season of Lent will begin on Ash Wednesday, 17 February, 2010. The Church,
once more, calls us to enter fully into this penitential season in response to
Our Lord's challenge that we "be converted, turn away from sin, and turn
to God".
Jesus Himself set the Lenten penitential standard at the beginning of His public life, going out into the desert to fast and pray for 40 days and nights.
For us, Lent is a time for conversion, a time to turn from sin and be faithful to the Gospel; a time to scrutinise our hearts to determine just how faithful we are to living the discipleship to which Jesus has called us.
What a pity that the whole of modern society would not enter into a period of scrutiny of itself, for it is a society which today warrants self-examination.
Everywhere there is economic stress, political division, and blame games targeting somebody or something. Greed and selfishness of rich countries, irresponsible leadership, and overwhelming egotism are good examples of people turned from God.
Rarely does one hear calls for nations to scrutinise their failures and moral lapses wherein each nation hides its soul. Yes, the whole world needs the spirit of Lent, for we are all sinners.
I have often wondered what Jesus looked like when He reappeared after His 40 days of fasting in the desert and His encounter with the devil.
Whatever his appearance, His message was pretty simple: "The time has come; the Kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel" (Mk 1:15).
We know immediately that this command is directed to us and we need to do something about it. We all need Lent, for we are all sinners.
What we can change are our attitudes and dispositions for then we will show that we are children of the heavenly Father by loving our enemies, praying for our persecutors, and being perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect.
Yes, we all need to be challenged, converted and reconciled, and Lent is a time of grace when we are invited to open ourselves, in a particular way to the Father's mercy, to see Lent 2010 as the acceptable time, the Day of Salvation, a time to be reconciled to God, who calls us to a renewed path of life.
Sacrament of Penance
If we are going to open ourselves to the Father and seek conversion there is
no better way than through the Sacrament of Penance. This sacrament helps us
experience the authentic freedom and true peace which is the fruit of
reconciliation with God, with one another, and with ourselves.
Let's look at how the Sacrament of Penance helps us to respond to the Lenten call to repentance:
Firstly, we examine our conscience to determine how well our lives compare with God's Word and the life of Jesus Himself, who is our teacher and model.
Then follows the act of contrition, a clear and decisive rejection of the sin committed, together with the resolution not to commit the sin again. True conversion and contrition commit us to a radical change of life. At the same time, they enable us to discover our true identity, which has been distorted by sin.
The individual confession of our sins to a priest shows our personal conversion. By confessing our sins, we entrust ourselves to the mercy of God who forgives. Our confession acknowledges that sin is a deeply personal matter and forces the sin out of the secret recesses of the heart where it has first done its harm.
By confessing our sins to the priest, sin is placed outside the arena of pure individualism, and its social character is emphasised as well. Through the priest, the minister of penance, the ecclesial community, which has been wounded by sin, welcomes anew the repentant and forgiven sinner.
Then the priest, who acts in the person of Christ, speaks the prayer of absolution through which the contrite and forgiven sinner encounters the power and mercy of God. It is Christ acting through the priesthood who accomplishes the mystery of forgiveness.
After the confession of sins, the priest will impose a penance, which may be in the form of prayer, or works of charity. The penance is a sign of the personal commitment the person has made at this moment to begin, with the help of God, a new life in God's grace;
Finally, we thank God for the gift of His mercy. This action acknowledges that our reconciliation with God, and with others, comes from a merciful God. The expression of gratitude arises in the heart of the penitent who has truly encountered Jesus Christ in a very personal way.
As we begin the Season of Lent, I earnestly invite you, my dear people, to take advantage of the generous forgiveness and mercy of God, which is available in the Sacrament of Penance.
