In his lenten Pastoral letter the Bishop of Shrewsbury, The Rt Revd Mark Davies, invites us to put this question to ourself: How long is it since I was last at Confession? The Holy Father reminds us: “it is Jesus Himself who awaits us in this great and beautiful Sacrament: have courage and go to Confession!”
“’Do not be afraid of Confession!’ Pope Francis says in his simple and direct teaching. ‘When one is in line for Confession,’ he reflects, we feel those things which weigh on our hearts; ‘but when one finishes Confession one leaves free, grand, beautiful, forgiven, candid, happy. This is the beauty of Confession!’ This is the Sacrament which Christ gives us for our salvation; for the forgiveness of sins after Baptism; and to enable you and me to reach the holiness, the perfection of charity which is the goal of our Christian lives (Lumen Gentium 40). So, what is it that holds us back from this Sacrament? I think I know from personal experience what can hold us back. Confession is the moment when I have to put aside all illusions about myself and about the state of my Christian life and be ready to say ‘Father, these are my sins.’ It would be so much easier to say: these are someone else’s sins and faults! But, no; this is where I have gone wrong!”
To download Bishop Davies’ Pastoral Letter please use the link in the top right-hand corner of this article.
