Welcome Home to Healing: The Sacrament of Reconciliation

“At that time Jesus said in reply,
‘… Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.’ ”

Mt 11:25a, 28–30

BISHOP
KEVIN J.
SWEENEY

These words of Jesus, revealing to us His compassionate, merciful, Sacred Heart, were on my mind as I thought about the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the fast-approaching Season of Lent, and our diocesan initiative that we call “Welcome Home to Healing.” This is the fourth year that it is my privilege to invite every Catholic in our diocese (and all Catholics) to consider being “welcomed home” by celebrating the Sacrament of Healing that we call “Reconciliation” — also known as “Confession” or “Penance.”

It could be said that Welcome Home to Healing is a “simple idea.” It has also proven to be a very good idea and a wonderful blessing for many individuals, families, and parishes, as well as a blessing for our whole diocese. When Bishop Serratelli initiated Welcome Home to Healing almost 15 years ago, he asked pastors and all priests of the dioceses to offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Con­fessions) every Monday evening during Lent, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. There was also an “advertising” or promotional campaign to let everyone know that Confessions would be available in every church in the diocese on Monday evenings during Lent. People responded to the invitation, and they have been responding in great numbers every year since — with the exception of 2020, during the beginning of the pandemic.

In my column last year, I asked readers to think about the last time they heard the “words of absolution,” the words the priest says after the person confesses his or her sins:

“God, the Father of mercies through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and poured out the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God grant you pardon and peace. And I absolve you from your sins in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

— Prayer of Absolution, Rite of Penance

Jesus is waiting for each of us, for each sinner, in this beautiful “Sacrament of Healing” to welcome us “home” to the gift of His healing, forgiveness, and peace that we receive when we hear those words said by the priest, acting “in the person of Jesus” in the celebration of the Sacrament.

In my column in 2022, I reflected on three themes:

1. Forgiveness brings healing.
2. God knows us better than we “know ourselves.”
3. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is not as much about “what I say” as about “what I hear.”

If you are interested, you can find those in my 2022 column here. In 2021, I asked a question:

Have you seen the video? If you have not seen the video for this Initiative, please watch it now or just “google” the words Welcome Home to Healing. I am convinced that you will want to share it with others; please do so!

The Welcome Home to Healing video is not (technically) a “Super Bowl Commercial,” but I watched it again on the morning of the Super Bowl (Sunday, Feb. 11), and it was the BEST “commercial” that I saw that day.

When I watched the video that morning, the first comment on the YouTube page said: There’s something so powerful about confession … this film says it all! The video was created and produced by Father Stephen Prisk, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock and diocesan Vice Chancellor, and Caitlin Ferrari, Communications and Information coordinator at our St. Paul Inside the Walls Evangelization Center. The video “stands the test of time.” In three minutes and thirty-six seconds, it offers an invitation to the Sacrament of Reconciliation — especially to those who have been away from the Sacrament for a long time, perhaps many, many years.

I have asked the readers of this column to “help” with sharing the “good news” about many efforts and ministries in our diocese, and I have asked you to help “extend the invitation,” especially to our young people, to consider God’s call in their life. As we enter, once again, with the whole Church into the Holy Season of Lent, I would like to ask each reader to consider three ways that you can participate in and help with our Welcome Home to Healing initiative:

1. Please consider celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation (going to Confession) yourself. I know that I “don’t need to ask” this of many readers because you know that this Sacrament is truly a beautiful gift that allows us to experience, in a powerful way, God’s Mercy and Love. Yet, there may be some readers for whom it has “been a while” since your last Confession. I will be praying in a special way for those of you who, for whatever reason, may hesitate to celebrate the Sacrament. If you have questions or are unsure for some reason, I encourage you to speak to a priest, and I trust that any of our priests will be able to assist you and, hopefully, lead you back to the Sacrament, to that “welcome home” and healing of this beautiful sacrament.
2. Watch the video and encourage others to watch it and let people know about the Welcome Home to Healing initiative. Please let others know that the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) is available every Monday evening (from Feb. 19 through March 25) in every Catholic Parish in Passaic, Morris, and Sussex County.
3. Pray and be grateful for our priests — in a special way during the Season of Lent. We thank our priests for all they do for us every day, but their availability to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation (hear confessions) on Monday evenings and on many other occasions during Lent and throughout the year is a wonderful blessing for all of us, and for the whole Church.

I will conclude with the words of Pope Francis:

“The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a Sacrament of healing. When I go to confession, it is in order to be healed, to heal my soul, to heal my heart and to be healed of some wrongdoing.”

(General Audience Feb. 2014)