The importance of Reconciliation

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The first reading today from Exodus is that wonderful story of Moses and the burning bush. It tells us something of the relationship that we as human beings have with God. It is a familiar story and one that has been told time and time again. But, what does it tell us.
It tells us a few things, first of all is tells us of the nature of God. Here is a very different God probably from maybe the pagan gods especially those of the Egyptian people. There was one God and he is not frightened to get himself involved.

The history then of our relationship with God is one of love. This comes out very strongly in our psalm that the Lord is compassion and love he is slow to anger and rich in mercy.
In the gospel we have a call to repentance to turn again to God who is compassion and love.

Today we have that same call to repentance, in our minds we know that we have a God who is compassion and love. We have a God who loves us and wants the best for us. Intellectually we are there but what about our hearts are we really able to accept that the Lord is compassion and love and that he is willing to forgive us. 
Here the pinch many people today do think that coming to the sacrament of reconciliation is worth it anymore or they have become frightened of what might be said this is particularly true of the past many have had a bad experience in the past and so just do not bother with it all.  So sadly the sacrament is either very under used or in some places not used at all.

On Friday of this week I spent the whole day up at St Philip Howard hearing confessions and witnessed on countless occasions the wonder of those healing words of forgiveness. Knowing that whatever a person had done was now forgiven is a wonderful experience. I urge you all this Lent to avail yourselves to the sacrament here those words for yourselves and be forgiven and be touched by the healing and loving hand of God.  

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