2.
We need
you to be dynamic about the faith and the Sacraments.
This point is similar to the
first but deals more specifically with the 7 Sacraments of the Church, for
which you have such a privileged role with each.
What a treasure you have been
given to baptize children, offer the Mass, stand in the Person of Christ to
forgive sins, confirm young adults in the faith, witness the vows of couples
who enter the Sacrament of marriage, anoint those who are ill or facing
surgery. And all of this is possible
because of your own baptism, your own First Communion and moments of
Reconciliation, and the laying on of hands by the bishop to ordain you a
priest.
Our Sacramental life is a
beautiful reality, and one which we should celebrate.
It seems a great irony that the
parishes that offer Confession multiple times per week have long lines of
penitents waiting to receive the Sacrament, while the parishes that limit
Reconciliation to half an hour before Saturday vigil Mass are the ones with an
empty confessional.
Why is that? We show the importance of the Sacrament of
Reconciliation when we give it time, prominence and frequent mention. When the laity know the gift they have been
given, they are more likely to want to receive it.
This is simply one
example. But if you are dynamically
passionate about the gift of the Sacraments, the laity will grow to understand
what a gift has been entrusted to them.
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