Of course, one of the major themes of our pilgrimage has been the jubilee indulgences that we have been receiving. In a way, you can think of these indulgences as the promissory notes from our Gospel today. Indulgences are the remission of temporal punishment for any sins that have been forgiven through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In a partial indulgence our measures owed may be reduced from one hundred to fifty. In a plenary indulgence, it is reduced to zero
measures owed.
Here is a practical example some of you have heard me use in the past. When I was a kid, my brothers and I played a lot of baseball, which generally translated to a lot of broken windows.
When a window was broken, we were generally forgiven relatively quickly. Even though we were forgiven, the window still needed to be fixed. The forgiveness of our parents did not somehow fix the window. Either we needed to pay to have the window replaced or we were granted an indulgence by our parents if they paid to have it fixed for us.
The grace from the Cross is applied through the Sacrament of Reconciliation in terms of
forgiveness for the fault of our sins. The grace from the Cross can also be a remedy for what we owe for the temporal consequences of our sins. When we receive that grace through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, it is called an indulgence.
We will talk more about indulgences as we progress through this pilgrimage.
As we discussed yesterday, it all starts with Baptism. It is through Baptism that we are birthed into the Sacramental life of the Church. Like the victim on the road to Jericho, we have been brought to the Inn (which represents the Catholic Church) to be spiritually fed the Sacraments until Jesus returns.
However, living in the Inn means that we are living by everything Jesus teaches through His Holy Catholic Church. There are certainly times in our lives when we are tempted to think we know better than the Church. That temptation may lead us to choose to break one of the Ten Commandments or choose to not follow one of the Precepts of the Church.
Objectively speaking, when we make that choice, we have committed a mortal sin. At that point, since we are no longer in a state of grace. We are no longer living in the Inn. Because we are no longer in a state of grace, we have been effectively cut off from the grace of God.
We are no longer in a relationship with God, until that relationship has been repaired in the
Sacrament of Reconciliation.
There is a really moving scene from the show, “The Chosen”. Mary Magdelene had effectively left the Inn. She had returned to her sinful way of life, in the wilderness. Jesus sends Peter and Matthew to find Mary in order to bring her back. When she comes back, she is very hesitant to approach our Lord as she is filled with guilt and shame. Our blessed Mother Mary holds her hand, encourages and strengthens her, and leads her into a private room with Jesus where her
contrite heart meets the Sacred Heart. Jesus gives her absolution, pardon, and peace. Jesus embraces Mary Magdalene like a father embraces a child.
That is what happens when we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we return to the Inn. We are robed by the Father with grace. Through the priest, we sacramentally encounter Jesus in the confessional just as Mary Magdalene encountered Him in that private room. We receive absolution, pardon, and peace from Jesus.
Through the voice of the priest, we hear Jesus say “I absolve you of your sins!” We are brought back into the Inn to be cared for, once again, by the innkeeper, living out the sacramental life of the Church. Our life of grace is restored. Our relationship with the Father is restored. We can be at peace.
Frequent Reconciliation can give us grace to grow in virtue so that we may avoid more serious sins in the future. If nothing else, frequent Reconciliation grows the virtue of humility in thatadmitting our faults humbles us. Humility fueled by grace is perhaps the greatest weapon we have against the wiles of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Hopefully, each of us was able to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation prior to our departure.
If not, or if you need to receive the sacrament again, let us know.
Another, often overlooked aspect to this, is the resentment and unforgiveness that we may be carrying. It was Saint Augustine that said, “Resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” The reality is that resentment damages our relationship with God and, in the process, unsettles us spiritually, psychologically, and even mentally and sometimes physically. Resentment and unforgiveness can also become entry points that lead to spiritual bondage, similar to Mary Magdalene in our Gospel reading. We will discuss that more tomorrow.
For today, it is sufficient to say that we need to truly proclaim our forgiveness to others in our lives and perhaps even to God and ourselves.
The poor in spirit are blessed through forgiveness and reconciliation.
Thanks be to God!
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