by Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann
One of the best descriptions of the Catholic Church’s understanding of the sacrament of reconciliation I heard articulated by the late Dr. Carl Piepkorn, a former professor at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis. Piepkorn described sacramental confession as the opportunity to preach the Gospel to the individual.
We cannot understand Jesus if we do not understand ourselves to be sinners. We have no need for a savior if we do not first understand that we have something (sin) from which we need to be redeemed. When we approach Jesus in the confessional, surrendering our sins with honesty, humility and trust, Our Lord is able to forgive us and liberate us from those things that enslave us and prevent us from experiencing the peace and joy God desires for us.
In the confessional, it becomes clear that Jesus did not come just to give some global type of general forgiveness for all humanity. Jesus came to forgive me from my sins. Our Lord came to remove the obstacles that can prevent us from experiencing Our Lord’s unique and personal love for each of us. Moreover, confession makes clear to us that Jesus does not love us because of our perfection. Our Lord loves us even in our brokenness and weakness.
For our experience of the sacrament of reconciliation to be most fruitful, we need to make a good examination of conscience. We need to be able to identify and name our sins. You can go online and find many good tools for examining your conscience.
In the Gospel, Jesus gave his disciples the two great commandments: 1) to love the Lord your God with your whole heart, soul and mind; and 2) to love your neighbor as yourself (Mt 22: 36-40). In St. John’s Gospel, Jesus raised the bar for his apostles for the second commandment: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (Jn 13: 34).
It is spiritually a very good practice to end each day with a brief examination of conscience. It should begin with reflecting on all of the blessings of the day. Thank God for all the ways you experienced his presence and love. Then, consider if you allowed anything to be more important that day than loving God with all your heart, soul and mind.
In one sense, every sin is a sin against the Old Testament’s First Commandment: You shall have no other gods before me. Think about whether you have other gods that you value more than the one, true God. What do you make more important than spending time in prayer, in conversation with God? It could be watching television, movies, sports, surfing YouTube or playing video games. Ask yourself the question: What material things, experiences, pleasures or relationships, do I make more important than time with God?
Secondly, ask yourself: Have I loved others the way that Jesus loves me? Jesus gave his life on Calvary for me! Have I made satisfying my own wants and desires more important than caring for others? First consider how you have loved those in your own family and closest friends. Then, expand this reflection by considering how you have loved those who do not have a familial claim or with whom you do not have a special friendship, but have a special claim on your heart because they are poor, sick, hurting or forgotten.
If you are serious about your Catholic faith and your friendship with Jesus, it is a good practice to go to confession once a month. If you do an examination of conscience every night, identifying the areas where you need to grow in fulfilling the two great commandments of Jesus, then you will discover many sins that you need to surrender to Jesus monthly to allow yourself to be changed by his mercy and grace.
The most important single thing we can do for a fruitful Lent is to take advantage of the sacrament of reconciliation. In that sacrament, we experience the Gospel of Jesus being preached to us in the unique circumstances of our lives. When we expose ourselves to receiving Our Lord’s mercy in this sacrament, it will also naturally make us more merciful toward others.
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the former archbishop of Quebec and prefect for the Congregation of Bishops, several years ago gave a retreat to the bishops of the United States. The cardinal shared with us that early in his time as archbishop of Quebec, he convened a meeting of priests, religious and lay leaders.
In his address to the leaders of his archdiocese, he said that what the church most needed was not more priests. He qualified this by saying that Quebec certainly needed more priests, but this was not the most important need.
He continued by saying that what Quebec most needed was not more consecrated religious women and men. Again, he qualified this by saying that his archdiocese desperately needed more religious Sisters, Brothers and priests, but again this was not the most important need.
The cardinal next said that what Quebec most needed was not more lay leaders. Again, he acknowledged that his archdiocese needed more laity that were active and involved in the life of the church, but this was not the greatest need.
Cardinal Ouellet said that the greatest need of the Archdiocese of Quebec was more sinners. He explained that the church needed more individuals who knew that they needed Jesus, who knew that they needed a redeemer.
I believe that the greatest need for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas in 2025 is also more sinners. We need, beginning with your archbishop, individuals who know they need the forgiveness of God, who know they need a savior. Without this awareness of our sinfulness, we cannot understand the Gospel or the mission of Jesus.
When we receive the merciful, unconditional love of Jesus through the power of the sacrament of reconciliation, we become transformed by mercy. It is this encounter with the healing, merciful love of Jesus that has the power to set our hearts afire with love.
I urge you to make a sincere, heartfelt confession this Lent. Allow yourself the privilege of having the Gospel of Jesus preached to you! Our Lord has come to liberate us from all that enslaves us and binds us, in order that we can be his ambassadors of reconciliation in the world.
