Reconciliation

Scripture says that the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to his disciples and greeted them with peace. He breathe on them  and said-" Receive the Holy Spirit If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained." John: 20:22-23

AND AGAIN

And I tell you, you are Peter and on this rock, I will build my church and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:18-19

"As the Father sent me, so have I sent you" John 20-21..its certainly appears that Priests, as appointed shepherds of God's earthly pastures has the grace to absolve  sins in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ , continuing on his mission of " saving lives",  on this very sorry planet of ours.

This  is the season of Advent when we prepare for the coming of Salvation ; the keys to the Kingdom of God....and yes, we do need to sanctify and purify ourselves, so that we are made worthy to be in His presence and welcome Him into our lives. But dear God, You know the magnitude , the depth we have fallen and it is really not so easy to confess our sins, to another person  even though He is your appointed Shepherd here on earth and yet, we do need to be freed of all the toxins that had  defiled us. 

Confessions  are really not easy to pour forth... some come and  rattle off ....from a pre-prepared text...some .for the sake of appearance, but of course, we have the luckier ones  who are able to see their faults clearer and so, they are able to make heartful confessions ...BUT others, who makes up a huge chunk of us sinners, have  alot of issues and baggages and really, they are not so easily dislodged...nor could they be released in that short few minutes.  Before  the actual process of confessing could begin, those who really needed  the release, have to examine self, acknowledge their shortcomings... let go of  their bitterness, their anger, their unhappiness first, for  confessions  to be  meaningful. Otherwise, it would only be a flow of anger and bitterness and that's probably one of the reasons, why many refrain from going for confessions. There has first to be contrite, awareness of faults and wrong doings ,  forgiveness of self  and others, and then, only then, will they be able to heart-fully  confess of their sins , that they be dissolved and absolved.

This Writer remembers her first confession.....she made sure, she did not go to her own parish priest because she was full of anxiety...what to do, what to say..., you know...the various  steps  and when it was her turn...she was tongue tied...just like when a speaker faces a crowd and suddenly all went blank...and all she could managed was, "Father, I have sinned. I know I have sinned,  but I can't remember the specifics. I ask for forgiveness" Now what confession is that? So it will be the same for the majority of the people who finds the process of "telling it out a little difficult", especially if there is a time constrain. And that's one of the reasons,  why healing and wellness business is so thriving and  sunrise . And that's one of the reasons, why Holy Hour and Healing used to be so popular with some of us. They help you towards the process of healing and release. 

Have a good confession people, everyone, without exception  has issues.