Several weeks ago, I was called to visit someone dying. Nothing extraordinary. Every week, Fr. Jan and I receive such calls from families, nursing homes, hospitals, or hospice...This was a home visit far away from our church. The family had no connection at all with our parish. To maintain total confidentiality, I will call the dying person Gertrude (not the real name). Gertrude had not gone to any church for many many years. During her illness, she had rejected the visit of any priest. But God had a plan. In her youth, Gertrude had received all the sacraments. Then she got married in the Catholic Church and had all her children baptized and confirmed. But as the children grew up into adults, she stopped going to church. When I met her, she was still fully lucid but also reluctant to talk to a priest. However, God chose that key moment in her life to soften her heart...

We spent an hour together. We prayed together...in the end, Gertrude agreed to receive the Sacrament of RECONCILIATION. I told her that to be reconciled with God, she will have to confess all the major sins of her past life (since her last confession), she had to be sincerely sorry for them and to promise to God with His help to amend her life. Gertrude understood. After she received the Absolution of her sins, she felt a great relief: THE GRACE OF BEING FORGIVEN BY GOD. She was grateful to God. She had received the "TRANSFORMING POWER OF CONFESSION". JESUS had been waiting for her many many years. He is very patient. He welcomed her confession of sins with open arms ...

THE ACT OF CONTRITION is one of the most powerful prayers to God:

"O MY GOD, I AM HEARTILY SORRY FOR HAVING OFFENDED THEE and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell. But most of all, because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I FIRMLY RESOLVE with the Help of Thy Grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and TO AMEND MY LIFE. AMEN"

While I invite you to memorize the above Act of Contrition and meditate on what it means for you and how it helps you to transform your life, there are other wordings though meaning the same: SORROW for past sins AND promise of continued CONVERSION!

Thinking about Gertrude coming back to God so late in her life, one can ask: "if someone believes they are close to dying, is their last confession just " fear of hell " or "true conversion"? I have met people close to death who do not want to get "closer to God" and simply refuse to talk to a priest. I always explain that the Sacrament of anointing the sick is no longer called " The Extreme Unction " (given only to those dying) but "Anointing of the Sick and the Elderly”. After Gertrude found in her heart the Peace of Reconciliation with God, I told her that in addition she could receive this very special anointing of the sick: she qualifies on both counts being " gravely ill " and "elderly". Before I left, I did anoint Gertrude and she was also able to receive the Eucharist. Filled with Joy, she asked me if I could come back to visit her. Yes, she can call me any time. I believe in miracles, and God can decide to cure her physically.

GOD IS ALWAYS MERCIFUL. BUT DO NOT WAIT TO BE DYING TO ASK FOR RECONCILIATION WITH GOD...It may be too late. Nobody knows the day nor the hour when GOD will choose to call us back to Him.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WENT TO CONFESSION? When was the last time you entered a confessional seeking GOD's FORGIVENESS? When was the last time you felt the JOY OF BEING FORGIVEN?

Let us pray to GOD together with the Tax Collector in the temple: "BE MERCIFUL TO ME A SINNER" (Luke 18:9-14), parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

Let us ask GOD the GRACE to forgive everyone that has offended us since our last confession!

GO TO CONFESSION!


One in Christ,


Father Alain