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February 05, 2007
God's Mercy
Archbishop Wuerl has penned his first pastoral letter as Archbishop of Washington: God's Mercy and the Sacrament of Penance. (pdf)
It is excellent - no surprise coming from Archbishop Wuerl, who has written some fine catechetical materials. He leads the reader through the nature of sin, the reality and power of redemption through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, and then step-by-step through the sacrament:
The Catechism reminds us that the sacrament of Reconciliation must be seen within the context of conversion. "Jesus calls to conversion. This call is an essential part of the proclamation of the kingdom..." (1427). And even if our conversion is ongoing and only partial, we are still subject to the effort that will some day reach completion. The Catechism points out that after he denied his Master three times Saint Peter's conversion "bears witness" to Jesus' infinite mercy (1429).
The importance of the sacrament of Penance is that it really does restore and renew our baptismal holiness. A Catholic who has committed grave sin is obliged to ask forgiveness for it in this sacrament. Once we do this and receive sacramental absolution, we are restored again to holiness - to an innocence before God. So powerful is the grace of this sacrament that the Rite of Penance reminds us that "frequent and careful celebration of this sacrament is also very useful as a remedy for venial sins. This is not a mere ritual repetition or psychological exercise, but a serious striving to perfect the grace of baptism so that, as we bear in our body the death of Jesus Christ, his life may be seen in us ever more clearly" (Introduction, 7).
He then outlines steps to strengthen his people's understanding and practice of the sacrament, which include a catechetical dimension and a pastoral one as well:
We lead by example. By frequent reception of the sacrament of Penance, priests become a living sermon on the importance of the sacrament to the faithful. I remember being strongly impressed when, as a young person, I heard one of our parish priests speak about his going to confession - with regularity.
In order to highlight both the importance of the sacrament of Penance and its availability especially in the coming Lenten season, every pastor is asked to review the parish confession schedule to ensure the adequate availability of the sacrament of Penance to the faithful. I am also asking the deans to work with the priests of their respective deaneries so that we can provide a series of deanery-wide reconciliation services to which the faithful of the deanery will be invited and at which I will join a large number of our priests in hearing confessions.
In addition, during this Lenten season, beginning with the Wednesday of the first week of Lent until the Wednesday of Holy Week, priests will be available in every church throughout the Archdiocese from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in order to hear confessions. The name given to this pastoral initiative is "The Light Is On For You,” highlighting that the light will be on churches throughout the Archdiocese as a beacon of hope, reconciliation, and absolution.
Such an archdiocesan-wide concerted effort at sacramental Reconciliation has two obvious positive benefits: the administration of the sacraments to those who come to the penance services and the public witness to the importance of this sacrament.
To facilitate this effort I have asked the secretariat for pastoral life to work with the College of Deans to see that appropriate and useful material is made available to the parishes in anticipation of these deanery-wide reconciliation services.
Conclusion
As we complete these thoughts on the sacrament of Penance, we might well reflect that the deepest spiritual joy each of us can sense is the freedom from whatever would separate us from God and the restoration of our friendship with so loving and merciful a Father who receives each of us with all the forgiveness and love lavished on the prodigal son. Renewed, refreshed and reconciled in this sacrament, we who have sinned become a "new creation." Once more we are made new. It is this newness of spirit and soul that I hope all of us experience this Lent.
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Comments
I love the "The Light Is On For You" idea. i hope it spreads and is well attended by the faithful in the Archbishops diocese.
Posted by: Michael in ArchDen at Feb 5, 2007 9:06:45 PM
"We lead by example."
Absolutely! I thank God for the convenience I have had here at the parish, with Fr. Pohl in residence, which enables me to seek the Sacrament of Penance regularly, every two to three weeks, and sometimes more frequently. You'd be surprised how many people think that priests don't have to go to confession. IMO, we priests should be leading the charge into the confessional.
Posted by: Fr. Brian Stanley at Feb 5, 2007 9:19:31 PM
This may or may not be wonderful, but it's all useless until and unless he enforces Canon 915.
Posted by: PMcGrath at Feb 5, 2007 10:21:34 PM
While I agree with his premise, I must say what courage he has in print! His actions are not nearly so fearless when it comes to matters of life and death as we saw from his meek defense of the unborn which only goes as far as his cheap talk and ink will take him. I base this opinion on the fact that he took no public action against the grave public scandal of Nancy Pelosi, a rapid proponent of abortion-on-demand, using the Mass in his diocese as a political victory event.
How much time did he spend on this latest document (yawn!) that 99% of his flock won't read and most of his priests won't bother to preach on. I don't care how brilliant his writings are when only a tiny fraction of Catholics will benefit while his silence scandalizes thousands. He preaches only to the converted. A nice, safe choice to preserve the status quo.
Posted by: restoration at Feb 6, 2007 8:30:17 AM
I don't care how brilliant his writings are when only a tiny fraction of Catholics will benefit while his silence scandalizes thousands.
"Thousands" is "a tiny fraction of Catholics."
I might be more solicitous of the well-being of those who say they are scandalized by Archbishop Wuerl if they didn't seem to enjoy it so much.
Posted by: Tom K. at Feb 6, 2007 8:46:29 AM
How much time did he spend on this latest document (yawn!) that 99% of his flock won't read and most of his priests won't bother to preach on. I don't care how brilliant his writings are when only a tiny fraction of Catholics will benefit while his silence scandalizes thousands. He preaches only to the converted. A nice, safe choice to preserve the status quo.
Posted by: restoration at Feb 6, 2007 8:30:17 AM
Amen!
Preaching to the choir becomes an end in itself unless and until the action that implements to words occurs...the true teaching on the sacraments cannot be divorced from the demonstration of public leadership. It's time for all bishops in this country to stand arm in arm against abuse of the Eucharist. As Henry II of England said before being publicly chastised for the death of Thomas Becket...it is time for us all to do penance!
Posted by: Brian John Schuettler at Feb 6, 2007 8:51:15 AM
The archbishop writes beautifully but so what? Preaching to the choir is the easiest church job in the world.
Posted by: dymphna at Feb 6, 2007 9:15:32 AM
I will play a slight contrarian here. I don't think Abp Wuerl's failures vis-a-vis Speaker Pelosi are terribly noticed by most Catholics in the pews, however much we notice them here and elsewhere.
On the other hand, I do think that requiring his priests to make more of a committment of availability of the sacrament can make more of a difference in those Catholic's daily lives, if the priests follow through and make that availability a visible, tangible reality in their parishes.
Posted by: Liam at Feb 6, 2007 9:21:07 AM
I don't think Abp Wuerl's failures vis-a-vis Speaker Pelosi are terribly noticed by most Catholics in the pews, however much we notice them here and elsewhere.
But that is exactly the problem - not noticed, therefore being pro-choice Catholic is not a big deal.
His standing firm against her reception of the Eucharist sure would be noticed.
Posted by: c matt at Feb 6, 2007 9:40:26 AM
Restoration, PMcGrath, Brian John,
Why doesn't it satisfy you that he encouraged Nancy Pelosi and other pro-abort politicians to confess their sins? I think encouraging his flock to go to Confession is a great idea. I find him to be rather squishy sometimes, too, but a bishop promoting this particular Sacrament deserves more respect than that.
Posted by: Jeannette at Feb 6, 2007 10:07:36 AM
Every priest I know chuckles at the use of the phrase "preaching to the choir" referring to something utterly redundant and unnecesary. There is probably no group in any given parish so very much in need of powerful preaching as the choir. And no group that's harder to reach. (Well...maybe the ushers...)
fr. jim stehly
Posted by: Fr. Jim Stehly at Feb 6, 2007 10:44:19 AM
Forget the sacrament of penance. Forget the Catechism. Indeed, why don't we just forget the Creed while we're at it. We all know it's completely meaningless until the Catholic Church merges with the American Republican party. Good to see you folks have your priorities straight.
Posted by: Morning's Minion at Feb 6, 2007 10:44:28 AM
"This may or may not be wonderful, but it's all useless until and unless he enforces Canon 915."
While there is a tendency for us to want our Bishops to start cleaning up Catholic politics/polititians like Wyatt Earp (guns blazing), they have a pastoral obligation to at least make an attempt at catechesis and counciling before excommunicating the Pelosies of the world.
It's like the problem federal employee that a supervisor knows needs to be fired. Even though the supervisor knows that he has enough reason to fire the guy, he still needs to establish a paper trail.
Even if Abp Wuerl is utterly, fully, morally convinced of the apostacy of Pro-abort Catholic polititians, he still needs to cover all his bases (with regards to his pastoral responsibilities) before he acts.
This is especially true in Washington where he needs to remove any possible basis for the left's inevitable charge of the Catholic church
"politicizing" religion.
While only time will tell if I'm right, I think the Archbishop deserves a more charitable read.
TK
Posted by: Tom at Feb 6, 2007 11:03:00 AM
DC has had good initiatives in the past, too, including a "Come Home for Christmas" campaign. Posters in the subway listed city churches with addresses, metro stops, and confession times.
It's so important to make Confession attractive, and to remove any obstacles that keep people from it.
Incidentally, that's a good reason for a priest to wear his clerics in public--on a train, plane, at the grocery store. Of course it might be the occasion for some long and unwelcome conversations. But, what if you're the only priest someone has seen in a long time, and they're ready to confess?
Posted by: Ephrem at Feb 6, 2007 11:36:32 AM
"I might be more solicitous of the well-being of those who say they are scandalized by Archbishop Wuerl if they didn't seem to enjoy it so much."
Spot-on observation, something which might provide good material for the sacrament of penance. If the 1% were even paying attention. At the very least, I'd suggest taking your scandalized sensibility to your spiritual director and see what a spiritual guide has to say about the state of your soul.
The "scandalization" is limited to the Catholic blogosphere which seems hell-bent (literally) on fanning the fumes of its own indignation. Get over yourselves, people. Nominate somebody for Most Courageous Anti-Wuerl Post instead.
Posted by: Todd at Feb 6, 2007 11:41:33 AM
As much as it pains me to side with two deans from St. Blog's College of Faint Hearts, I think some of the criticisms of the Archbishop are uncharitable. Archbishop Wuerl is a brilliant catechist who's written a terrific pastoral letter about sin and the sacrament of Penance(!). When was the last time your priest or bishop discussed either topic?
Moreoever, he's been the archbishop of Washington for, what, 18 months? He'll have plenty of opportunities to revisit the subject of Catholic politicians and the culture of life.
Posted by: Rich Leonardi at Feb 6, 2007 12:21:07 PM
"Why doesn't it satisfy you that he encouraged Nancy Pelosi and other pro-abort politicians to confess their sins? "
Maybe because the babies are dieing and every day he and the other bishops refuse to make it a BIG Newspaper, television and from the pulpit deal more babies will die?
6 million Jews died in the Holocaust.
Over 40 million babies have died due to legalized abortion.
Is that a courageous enough anti-Wuerl post Todd?
Posted by: TerryC at Feb 6, 2007 12:24:48 PM
Wow. Do you ever wonder if there isn't something tremendously evil going on when Catholics rip each other up over a post on Confession?
Posted by: Sara at Feb 6, 2007 1:52:17 PM
Not really, Terry.
First off, newspapers and televisions are the realm of the laity. As a pro-lifer, I don't need the input of bishops or clergy to do my duty in society and promote pro-life choices, pro-life messages, and the like. Why are we relying on bishops if we're so disgusted with them?
Next, the Christian example in the pro-life movement has sometimes been sorely lacking. If you and others treated this issue with more calm confidence and less shrill criticism of other pro-lifers, maybe your view would be taken more seriously. As it stands, you don't like MM and me not because we're pro-choice, which we're avowedly not, but because we don't align with your view of what a pro-lifer should say and how they should act. Sounds to me more like a picky cafeteria patron.
Yes, forty million is a catastrophe. And yes, tens of thousands marching for life is exhilarating. Neither number is much under our control. Much harder to talk an individual person out of having an abortion, or making the needful sacrifices to care for the desperate. It sounds to me the anti-Wuerl cadre is more talk and less action. Sometimes if you don't have anything positive to contribute, it's better to just hold one's tongue.
Posted by: Todd at Feb 6, 2007 1:52:19 PM
It sounds to me the anti-Wuerl cadre is more talk and less action.
It goes without saying -- almost -- that such an accusation begs the question of what action the "avowed" pro-life accusers actually take themselves.
Posted by: Rich Leonardi at Feb 6, 2007 2:09:24 PM
I've been in 2 parishes where people went to Confession a lot. Both of them had multiple Confession times and PUBLICIZED them.
One was St. Mary's in Annapolis, a Redemptorist parish. They had confession every morning between the two daily Masses. If I remember correctly, the priest who heard Confession said the second Mass.
The other is the parish where I sing in Alexandria, VA. They have Confession every day, and, most days, several times. The priest shows up at the scheduled time. If no one comes to confess, he leaves. But the opportunity was there. They also have a Sunday morning time for about a half hour between Masses. This is very well attended.
What does not work well is the "4:00-4:15 pm on Saturdays and anytime by appointment" system. The practice just fades away as though it were irrelevant to the life of the parish.
Posted by: Ephrem at Feb 6, 2007 3:30:34 PM
I am happy to see that the Sacrament of Confession will be made more readily available. Some priests might not like that! (I know a few...)
This is a step in the right direction inspite of whatever else is going on.
I would like to see every diocese encourage this and have an extra time for confession at least through Lent. Personally, I would like to see confession times every day before the daily Masses. In some places that happens.
45 minutes on a Saturday for a huge parish--and it is enough!!!! Few come to the Sacrament but if it were made more available and perhaps preached on, more would come. The result? More souls going to heaven!!! More souls seeking holiness and living holy lives instead of just being confirmed where they are at because 'God loves you".
I like the idea. It is a start.
Ave Maria!
Posted by: Ave Maria! at Feb 6, 2007 3:32:43 PM
"It goes without saying -- almost -- that such an accusation begs the question of what action the "avowed" pro-life accusers actually take themselves."
The usual stuff: we donate money, supplies, and time to Birthright, we quietly support women in difficult circumstances who consider abortion. A long time ago I talked a close friend out of having an abortion. I could write more letters to politicians, I suppose--nice ones, that is, avoiding calling them heretics and Satan's spawn and the like.
Mind sharing what you do that's out of the public eye, Rich? Isn't that what St Blog's is all about: giving ourselves a nice pat on the back?
Posted by: Todd at Feb 6, 2007 4:05:53 PM
"As it stands, you don't like MM and me not because we're pro-choice, which we're avowedly not, but because we don't align with your view of what a pro-lifer should say and how they should act."
At the very least Todd, pro-lifers should not vote for pro-aborts. That should be the absolute minimum. If all who profess Catholicism in this country did that in 2008, legal abortion would end in this country in 2009.
Posted by: Donald R. McClarey at Feb 6, 2007 4:19:34 PM
"This may or may not be wonderful, but it's all useless until and unless he enforces Canon 915."
Ah yes - the Sacrament of Penance offered every evening for Confession during Lent - God's mercy and all that liberal PC crap, and all of Archbishop Wuerl's teaching and preaching, all of it - is useless, worthless, and beneath contempt because Madame Speaker can receive communion in the Archdiocese.
This is the perfect parody of the mentality of the typical madtrad combox know-it-all arm-chair quarterback/bishop. And some of you wonder why your letters to the chancery go into the circular file.
Posted by: Patrick Rothwell at Feb 6, 2007 4:23:06 PM
