We are a joyful community of disciples proclaiming the Good News and inviting all people to encounter the love and mercy of Jesus Christ.
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the Holy Spirit.”
(Acts 7:51)
Purification
One of my great joys of being a Deacon is when I lead a service for our second graders, just before they are to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. Standing in our beautiful chapel, I ask them if it would be okay if I spray-painted my name on the walls, or if I threw garbage all over the floors. Thankfully, they all respond with a resounding, “No!”, and then one of them will point out that I would be making a mess of God’s house.
Then I tell the students that when we sin, we are doing the same thing to our souls.
When we were baptized, we received the Holy Spirit and became a temple of God! So when we sin, we deface our soul and God’s temple, which we must strive to keep pure.
Praise God, we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation. When we sin, God gives us the gift of the Sacrament so that we can return to that purity which He desires of us.
If you have opposed the Holy Spirit and fallen into sin, don’t wait—receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation as soon as you can. You will probably feel a burden lifted from you as you exit the Confessional.
Whether it’s been days, weeks, months or years, don’t wait anymore!
Then I tell the students that when we sin, we are doing the same thing to our souls.
When we were baptized, we received the Holy Spirit and became a temple of God! So when we sin, we deface our soul and God’s temple, which we must strive to keep pure.
Praise God, we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation. When we sin, God gives us the gift of the Sacrament so that we can return to that purity which He desires of us.
If you have opposed the Holy Spirit and fallen into sin, don’t wait—receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation as soon as you can. You will probably feel a burden lifted from you as you exit the Confessional.
Whether it’s been days, weeks, months or years, don’t wait anymore!
Is my soul in need of purifying?
Heavenly Father, I am a temple of the Holy Spirit. Guide me to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation so that I may be returned to purity. Amen.
Reflection by:
Deacon Mike Sweeney is a Deacon and Music Director at St. Stephen in Riverview. He was Ordained in the Archdiocese of New York, serving in upstate New York prior to moving to Riverview with his wife Deanna. He is the founder of the Shrine of the Holy Innocents in Saugerties, NY, a Shrine dedicated to babies unborn and babies born too soon. He is a contributor on Spirit FM, and has worked on numerous public relations campaigns over the years.