Thus says the LORD:
See! I will restore the tents of Jacob,
his dwellings I will pity;
City shall be rebuilt upon hill,
and palace restored as it was.
From them will resound songs of praise,
the laughter of happy men.
These pleasant verses from Jeremiah complement today's memorial of the priest, Saint John Vianney. We remember him especially for his hours in the confessional. People flocked to him from all parts of Europe. It was said he often reminded penitents of sins they'd forgotten, or failed to mention. But he did it with such kindness they were comforted, rather than shamed, by the disclosure.
In this priest people felt their "cities rebuilt" and their "palaces restored." From them resounded songs of praise, the laughter of happy men and women.
It is easy to forget -- and we have often forgotten -- how good and how pleasant it is to confess one's sins and be forgiven.
There is no one among us who has not sinned. We disappoint ourselves, our loved ones, and our God in many and varied ways. Our trails are strewn with good intentions and broken promises.
There should be no great shame in admitting I'm like everyone else and I fail as often as anyone. But we do pretend to be better than others and hope no one notices our failings. And, more often than not, they notice both our failings and our pretensions!
Both are forgivable. Plus the innumerable times when I said, "I should not do this, I don't have to do this." and I did it anyway.
We know they are forgivable for the Lord has forgiven us. As Jeremiah told us two weeks ago, he treads underfoot our guilt and casts into the depths of the sea all our sins.
The readiness to take delight in confessing one's sins requires a conversion in itself. It's one thing to drag one's feet into the encounter with a priest after putting it off for an impossibly long time; it's quite another to eagerly make that appointment and arrive ten minutes early. It may be impossible to imagine such a conversion.
But we know grace turns sour lemons into sweet lemonade. I think of Saint Francis's delight in caring for lepers. And my own pleasure in visiting Louisiana jails and befriending their unfortunate guests.
Confessing our sins we acknowledge God's Goodness, and that is endless delight for us.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.