Pastor’s Letter: March 15, 2026

Pastor’s Letter: March 15, 2026

13 Mar 2026 | Posted by: chadmin

Dear St. Philomena Parish Family

A joy-filled 4^th Sunday of Lent be with you all! As we will mention at our Masses, the Rose vestment this weekend carries a note of joy. According to the Order of Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours and Celebration of the Eucharist, “The Fourth Sunday of Lent is traditionally known as Laetare Sunday, so-called from the first word of the antiphon at the Introit.  Laetare (“Rejoice”), taken from the Latin translation of Is 66:10-11, sets a tone of joyful anticipation of the Easter mystery, as does the permitted use of rose-colored vestments…”

I have been feeling especially joyful this Lent…perhaps because the weather has started to feel more spring-like…perhaps because of the many wonderful fruits of our life here at St. Philomena! Continuing our series on Reconciliation, we have more to feel joyful about this weekend, including the gift of the Lord’s mercy for us in this great Sacrament. This week, we have a few more questions about the Sacrament of Forgiveness to help grow our understanding:

What are the two main parts of the Sacrament?

1. Conversion through the help of the Holy Spirit (contrition, confession, and satisfaction)
2. God’s action of forgiveness and restoration through the Church.

What are the effects of the Sacrament? That is, what will it do for me?

1. Union with God
2. Reunion with fellow members of the Church (we are the Body of Christ…if one member suffers, all the members suffer…if I am hurt by my sin, we are all hurt by it. If I hurt another by my sin, all the members of the Body suffer the injury).
3. Merits of good works are revived

What is the Sacramental Seal? What is said in the Sacrament is sealed there; no priest can ever reveal what is said. There are no exceptions and there are very severe penalties for breaking the seal. Contrary to what you may have seen on television or in the movies, even in a court case there are no exceptions!

What are the Acts of the Penitent? What should you bring to the Sacrament?

1. Contrition—sorrow of the soul for the sin and detestation of the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again. (There are two kinds of contrition:  perfect—arising from love…or imperfect—    arising from fear or practicality…I’m sorry for my sins because I love God and don’t want to hurt Him OR I’m sorry because I don’t want God to be upset with me and/or I don’t want to miss out on Heaven.) One of the best parts of this sacrament—God will work with whatever  contrition we bring! The sacrament can take an imperfect contrition and make it perfect. What a gift!
2. Confession of sins—even on a human level disclosure of sins frees and helps our reconciliation with others. We face our sins and take responsibility for them. Confessing to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament—all mortal sins in degree and number (as far as possible), lesser sins that contributed or bother the heart in some way can be presented as well, so as to obtain special help regarding these sins. The Church gives us an obligation to confess serious sins at least once a year. Certainly as often as needed is most preferred, since anyone aware of serious sin should not receive Holy Communion without first receiving the sacramental absolution. Regular confession of less serious sins can help us form our conscience, fight against evil, and progress in the Christian life. Receiving God’s mercy often helps us be merciful with others.
3. Satisfaction—motivated by charity, one wants to “make good” for sins. We do what we can to repair the harm done by our sins (return stolen goods, repair a reputation damaged by our words, etc.) The penance can be one or more of the following: prayer, an offering, works of mercy, service of neighbor, voluntary self-denial, sacrifices, and a patient acceptance of our daily crosses. These penances help us to be closer to the heart of Jesus.

What is the penance all about?

When Catholics perform penances, it doesn’t mean that we believe that we must pay some price for God’s mercy. God’s mercy is a gift that cannot be earned (Eph 2:8-10). The only “price” we have to pay is a repentant heart.

The introduction of the Order of Penance says “True conversion is achieved by satisfaction (an act of penance) for sins, by amendment of life, and also by the reparation of injury” (#6). So, the act of penance which the priest gives us in the confessional should ideally do two things—help heal us of the sin and, in some way, help us make up for the damage or disorder which our sin has caused.

Commonly, the confessor tries to “fit” the penance, so that it can really help. For example, someone who hasn’t been loving and respectful at home might be asked to pray for his/her parents or to help around the house without being asked. Praying for people can help us think twice later when we are tempted to sin against them. So, we could say performing the penance is a way to help us build up good and virtuous habits. The true Christian’s hope is that at some point (hopefully soon) these good habits will take over and replace any current sinful habits.

Next time, we’ll look at the Order of Penance and how to make a good confession! Know of my prayers and blessing for you all!

In Christ,
Father Luke