Since I’m on retreat this week, I’m trying to give myself a little break from writing bulletin articles. Instead, I include below an email from a friend who only became Catholic last year at Easter. Over the course of the last couple of years, she has devoted a large amount of her time in prayer and in trying to grow in her awareness of what the Church teaches. Right now she’s learning a great deal about the Sacrament of Confession. She knows it isn’t easy, but she understands it pretty well:

This week I've had a couple friends come to me with things they are struggling with. They know that I'm not one who is easily surprised and am not one to be judgmental no matter how crazy their situation... not much phases me. I'm a good listener. So anyways... two different guys (both Catholic) have come to me and told me how they feel like such hypocrites. When I hear that I always laugh and reply “Well, who isn’t? We are human!” That tends to get a laugh out of them and opens the discussion up. The discussion seems to lead to the Sacraments. The Sacraments are really cool. There often seems to be this idea out there that we have to be "good enough" before we can come to God. Yeah, good luck with that one! That's just not realistic. That's what's so cool about the Sacraments... we aren't expected to be held up to some unrealistic standard... we are being helped every step of the way if we are willing to accept it. Of all the things I don't understand about protestants... this is the big one. Why would anyone want to protest the Sacraments? It makes no sense to me.

Since I’m on retreat this week, I’m trying to give myself a little break from writing bulletin articles. Instead, I include below an email from a friend who only became Catholic last year at Easter. Over the course of the last couple of years, she has devoted a large amount of her time in prayer and in trying to grow in her awareness of what the Church teaches. Right now she’s learning a great deal about the Sacrament of Confession. She knows it isn’t easy, but she understands it pretty well:

This week I've had a couple friends come to me with things they are struggling with. They know that I'm not one who is easily surprised and am not one to be judgmental no matter how crazy their situation... not much phases me. I'm a good listener. So anyways... two different guys (both Catholic) have come to me and told me how they feel like such hypocrites. When I hear that I always laugh and reply “Well, who isn’t? We are human!” That tends to get a laugh out of them and opens the discussion up. The discussion seems to lead to the Sacraments. The Sacraments are really cool. There often seems to be this idea out there that we have to be "good enough" before we can come to God. Yeah, good luck with that one! That's just not realistic. That's what's so cool about the Sacraments... we aren't expected to be held up to some unrealistic standard... we are being helped every step of the way if we are willing to accept it. Of all the things I don't understand about protestants... this is the big one. Why would anyone want to protest the Sacraments? It makes no sense to me.

The Sacraments are the perfect example of meeting someone exactly where they are at. They meet you exactly where you are at and are the source of healing. It's so cool that we aren't expected to do this alone. What a frustrating battle that would be to try to do this on our own. I've always heard about “Catholic guilt.” I don't understand that. I see it more as Catholic awareness. You may become aware of something, but how can there be a deep seated guilt when you have the Sacraments? The Sacrament of Reconciliation is so freeing... difficult, but freeing. Maybe that “Catholic guilt” would come from not being willing to accept the source of healing. Maybe it’s that scrupulous thing they talk about too... I’m far from being scrupulous. That seems to be defeating the purpose of the Sacraments.

My friend told me that he feels so guilty about having to go to Confession every week before receiving the Eucharist and so he has just started to not receive instead. I can't comprehend that. That seems to be missing the point. He is struggling and so in turn he is choosing to not receive the Sacraments. Isn’t that why they were given to us? I don’t think God wants us to torture ourselves like that. That's just trying to do it on our own when He is wanting to help us. That morning I woke up and knew I blew it and had to go to Confession before receiving was such a bad feeling, but at the same time it was really cool that I knew He was right there wanting to help me through that. I have a tough time understanding that love and forgiveness, but I know that’s what He wants. God is love. He wants to help me and will never abandon me no matter how many times I screw up.

I'm not one to tell people what they “should” do, but I find myself sharing that something that really helps me is spending time in prayer before the Eucharist in the Tabernacle. I don't feel “obligated” to spend time there... I just know I've found peace there and so I keep going back. It's the place I can go to fight, think, relax, listen... anything I need to do. I can just “be.” I spend time with Jesus. Just a few years ago prayer was such a foreign thing to me and I fought the idea of doing it, but when I realized I didn't have to filter myself and that I could just be me and talk with Him, I found out that it's the coolest gift I could have ever be given. The Real Presence is the coolest gift ever! I continue to spend more and more time there.

Alright... those are the random thoughts going through my head tonight. I just felt like writing. I'll shut up now.