Forgiveness understood

In the early hours of this evening, children gathered with their parents in one of the neighbouring churches to celebrate the Sacrament of God's forgiveness for the very first time. As these newcomers to the sacrament of mercy approached, there was nervousness, fear and perhaps other emotion bubbling beneath the surface, but what was taking place was much more than they could possibly comprehend.

The miracle of divine forgiveness takes us mortals entire lifetimes to comprehend, and even when we think we've got it figured out, there is always a deeper level at which we must appreciate the value of the gift shared with us.

On this particular occasion, the children's parents were also invited to avail themselves of the opportunity to celebrate God's forgiveness. This, I found out, came from a request first voiced by one of the parents a few years ago, and continued annually since that time. What a wonderful example for children to see their parents also practicing what they preach.

Reconciliation is often the most difficult of sacraments for us to approach because at its core, it forces us to face the fact that none of us is perfect. The very act of admitting our weakness and recognizing that we must ask for forgiveness puts us in a very vulnerable position. Perhaps this is part of the reason why, in a culture where weakness and vulnerability are frowned upon, we find it most difficult to admit that this is so. However, to do otherwise would be to deny our humanity, and the truth that only God is in charge: in effect playing God ourselves ... but wasn't that what got us in trouble in the first place?