From the desk of the pastor for March 23, 2025

The Lord be with you! Once we are serious about growing in grace, we need a way to judge our progress. Having a daily examen and going to Confession regularly will do just that.

Although we cannot sense grace directly - it is invisible - we can judge its effects. As we discussed before, consolations are not the primary effect of grace, but they are the first effect that we look for. Especially when we begin to journey more deeply, consolations are a great way to see where God is guiding us. Over time, however, it is common for God to reduce these consolations leaving the soul confused or at least unsure of what to do next.

The daily examen has proven invaluable to many saints in revealing what they must do. Although different theologians have different questions, I prefer the following. First, how did God bless me today? Second, how did I sin or resist God today? Third, what action can I do tomorrow to love God more? We might also add a fourth question, where did I encounter the Cross? The examen is meant to help us name what God has done, acknowledge what we did rightly and wrongly, and from these insights decide how we are to change.

Along with the daily examen, regular Confession is an essential part of discerning God’s will in our lives. We need guilt! More precisely, we need to learn to feel remorse for our actions correctly so that we can empathize with others. Thus, guilt is both personal and communal, which is one reason why all of us have to confess to a priest. In entrusting ourselves to God through the priest, we show God our willingness to change and our trust in Him. Moreover, the priest is able to give us valuable insights into our motivations that we often miss. Also, it is a great consolation to hear that we are forgiven and know that we have been.

How often should we go to Confession? We must all go at least once a year - it is a serious obligation after all. I recommend that we go seasonally or monthly unless our confessor tells us otherwise. Going weekly certainly helped a number of saints, but the Church is not asking us to do that. Almost as importantly as going regularly is going to the same confessor. When we find a priest who works well as our confessor, keep going! If we go to two different confessors, we will often get three different opinions.

Amending our lives is a true gift from God. By examining ourselves daily we see ever more clearly how God is present to us and how we have been absent to Him. Likewise, by going to Confession regularly we open our minds and hearts to the Holy Spirit. May we all desire to grow into the saints that God desires.

In His Sacred Heart,

Fr. John