Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter
As a part of my novitiate formation experience with the Jesuits, I had the opportunity to work with a group of students in elementary school for their first Confession and first Communion preparations. One day while we were discussing the Sacrament of Confession, one of the students sheepishly asked me the question, “What if God doesn’t love me when I tell him what I’ve done wrong?” With that simple question, the young child summarized succinctly a fear that many of us share, though we are often too sophisticated to be so honest with ourselves. When we have sinned, frequently we can feel an interior reluctance to approach God in prayer, or we might find ourselves putting off going to Confession until we have our lives in better order. We can feel the pull to keep our soul’s wounds within the darkness because it can be a dreadful thing to admit our faults, especially before a God who is so perfect in every way.
But, when I heard that child’s question, I gave him a gentle smile, explained a little about God’s infinite love, and reassured him that he did not need to worry about being rejected. Then the child regained peace. Similarly, in the Gospel today, Jesus himself wishes to reassure us by promising, “I will not reject anyone who comes to me.” And so, even if our lives feel like a mess or even if we perhaps feel that the immensity of our sins is too great, God assures us of his unbreakable fidelity toward us. And, especially in the Sacrament of Confession, Jesus extends the healing for which souls deeply yearn. Like the young student in my class, we too can have peace; for Christ Jesus will never reject those who approach the throne of grace where our God of mercy dwells.