Pastor’s Letter: February 22, 2026

Pastor’s Letter: February 22, 2026

20 Feb 2026 | Posted by: chadmin

Dear St. Philomena Parish Family,

Blessed Lent to you all! I pray your Lent will be fruitful and that it will truly help your hearts grow deeper in union with Jesus. As we enter into Lent, I find myself feeling thankful, especially that we have such a wonderful Savior! I am also thankful for everyone on our wonderful committee who helped work on the launch of our Changing Lives St. Philomena Tuition Assistance Campaign. Thanks to those who provided testimonials and thanks for all who turned in pledge cards over the past couple of weeks. I was especially edified by a couple of our school students who turned in pledge cards with gifts of $5 and $3—I really appreciate their generous spirit! If you missed turning in a card last weekend, this is still a great time to do that. A couple of people asked after weekend Masses if gifts to the School Endowment and Matching gifts from work can be given at any time…yes, I am joyful to say we are able to receive gifts towards our School Endowment any time—whatever works best for your situation. I will plan to share an update on the Campaign once we process through the pledge cards.

As we move into Lent, typically we focus on Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving—three long proven ways to grow in our union with Jesus. Since I shared a reflection on those last year (and since we have been reviewing the Sacraments), I thought this year we could spend some time on another great way to grow—the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession/Penance…isn’t it interesting that this Sacrament has several names? Our Catechism gives a great overview of the Sacrament (CCC 1422-1470) and over the next few weeks we’ll dive deeper into this great source of grace.

The Catechism begins by saying, “Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion.” Don’t worry is that sound complicated—we can break it down piece by piece.

First of all, this sacrament goes by several titles because one title really isn’t enough to cover all that this sacrament does. Some common names are:

• Conversion – first step in returning to the Father
• Penance – consecrates the steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction
• Confession – confession of sins is an essential element
• Forgiveness – which God gives through the priest’s absolution
• Reconciliation – gives the love of God who reconciles and exhorts us to reconcile with one another.

Why do we need this sacrament anyway…isn’t baptism enough? St. John says if we have no sin, we deceive ourselves (1 Jn 1:8) and Jesus taught us to pray “forgive us our trespasses” (Lk 11:4, Mt 6:12). Our new life by baptism doesn’t abolish the frailty and weakness of human nature, nor our inclination to sin. Jesus calls us to conversion (Mk 1:15)—this is for those who do not yet know Christ and the Gospel, but also is an ongoing process for believers who at times fall astray, (think of St. Peter and his return after the threefold denial—Jn 21:15-17; Lk 22:61). Conversion is first of all a work of the grace of God…who gives us the strength to begin anew, (think of the parable of the prodigal son—Lk 15:11-24). The process can begin when (through God’s help) we recognize that something is fundamentally wrong with our actions and we then make an amendment of life. This interior conversion urges exterior expression.

Another important question—What is sin anyway? Sin is before all else an offense against God, a rupture of communion with Him. At the same time it damages communion with the Church, the Body of Christ. Sin is not just between “me and God.” There are social consequences of sin—that is one part of why we go to a priest (more on that to come). Christ has given us this sacrament as a way to recover the grace of baptism for those who have lost this grace through serious sin.

Sin: offense against God—thought, word, deed, or omission against the laws of God.  To commit a sin we know something is wrong and freely choose to do it anyway.

Two kinds of sin: Mortal sin and Venial sin

• Mortal sin involves grave matter and is more serious. It cuts off the life of grace in us and requires the sacrament of confession to restore that life.
• Venial sin involves less serious matter; it doesn’t separate us from grace but weakens us and opens the door to more serious sin. Venial sin can be forgiven through confession, but also (as we have mentioned before) through sacramentals such as Holy Water.

In the weeks ahead we’ll cover some common questions about reconciliation and look at practical tips that will hopefully help us more fully receive the graces of this wonderful Sacrament. Know of my prayers and blessing this week!

In Christ,
Father Luke