"Be gentle with yourself consists of realizing your faults, failings, and weaknesses, and dealing with them appropriately. God doesn't want us to beat ourselves up. He wants us to press on and try again. In the words of Saint Francis de Sales, "Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about redeeming them - every day begin anew." (Page 145)
When is the last time you went to reconciliation? Reconciliation is a wonderful opportunity to "clean the vehicle" of our heart. I love his description of cleaning the car and how we lose that sensitivity to keeping it clean over time. Reconciliation is all about verbalizing what we want to change within ourselves. It's amazing how empowering it is to say aloud to another person that we were wrong and we want to change and knowing that person - the priest - will hear us without judgement and coach us. We all need to take the time to re-center our hearts to God, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation gives us that chance.
Father Steve is in the Reconciliation room every Saturday at 4:00pm. During Lent there will be a communal reconciliation service on Sunday, March 26 at 3:00pm - all are welcome. Father Steve will have other times available during Lent - watch the bulletin or call and schedule a time with him. Would you rather not go to Father Steve for some reason? Father Larry offers reconciliation at St Luke's on Saturday mornings from 9am to 10am - what a neat way to start your weekend, individually or with your family!