“May the Lord be in your heart and help you to confess your sins with true sorrow.” What prevents us from doing that? We won’t confess our sins unless we are convinced of the reality of God and the possibility of a personal relationship with Him. Vaguely identifying as Christian is not enough. It must affect the way I live my life. A well spent Advent nourishes this sense of reality. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” God exists; God cares; God gets involved. Very soon we meet Him in the Crib. We will meet Him at the end of time. We want to do so prepared and at rights with Him.
Do we believe this God offers us forgiveness? Jesus tells us this is the reason why His Precious Blood was poured out on Calvary – “for the forgiveness of sins”. The very first thing He did on meeting His apostles that Easter Sunday evening was to share with them this ministry of forgiveness: “As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you … If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” The life and ministry of Jesus are all about the forgiveness of that which separates us from union with God.
The kingdom of heaven is at hand: spending Advent well – Catholic Herald
The kingdom of heaven is at hand: spending Advent well – Catholic Herald
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