From The Bishop

The Readings for the Third Sunday of Lent offer a wonderful opportunity to preach about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Gospel of St. John presents Jesus cleansing the temple. We too need to rid ourselves of those things that clutter our lives, especially sin. We need to spiritually cleanse the "temple of the Holy Spirit,” our souls. The best way to do this is to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The First Reading from Exodus presents us with the Ten Commandments. They offer us a means of determining where sin may be present in our lives. The Sacrament of Reconciliation allows us to share in the merits of Christ's sacrifice on the cross from which mercy and forgiveness flows. In the Second Reading St. Paul states, "The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." In our sin we are perishing and we are saved by the power of God which we find in God's forgiveness. The priest represents Christ in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and is given the power to absolve sins in His name. I ask that you please share with your parishioners the beauty and power of this sacrament. Help them to see that in all sacraments they will encounter Jesus. It does not matter how long it has been since their last confession they will encounter the love and mercy of Jesus. They will have an opportunity to be cleansed of their sin. Please extend an invitation to your parishioners to participate in the diocesan-wide celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday, March 17. Remind them that the Blessed Sacrament will also be exposed during that time for prayer and adoration.