Each Lent I am reminded of what St. Peter wrote, “With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (2 Pt 3:8).
St. Peter affirms that God's perspective on time is holistic and all-encompassing. God sees and acts within the entire scope of time at once. So, I thought, if God comprehends all time at once, then God sees my entire life as one event – what does He see?
The Church teaches that Lent is a time for Christians to engage in deeper reflection on their faith, to repent from sin and to renew their commitment to God. The Lenten season is also a time for catechumens—those preparing for baptism—to undergo a period of spiritual preparation, culminating in their initiation into the Church at the Easter Vigil.
But, Lent is not merely a time of personal reflection; it is also a communal journey for the Church. The liturgical practices during this season, including the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday, serve as a reminder of our human mortality and the need for repentance.
The entire Lenten liturgy then is designed to prepare the faithful, both individually and collectively, for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery—the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Ten years ago, during Lent, I made a “General Confession.” St. Ignatius of Loyola refers to the practice of making a whole life confession as a “General Confession.” He wrote of this in his work, The Spiritual Exercises; it involves a comprehensive examination of one's life, reflecting not only on the sins committed since the last confession but sins committed over one's entire life. For me, it was a daunting, yet eye-opening and cathartic experience.
My confession lasted for about a half hour, and during this experience, I was in a sense viewing my entire life as God sees it—all in one glimpse. Some of it wasn’t pretty! Not only were some things difficult for me to contemplate and relate to the priest, but more disturbing was the thought of how God viewed them. There was, however, the great consolation of having bared my life to the priest, in Persona Christi, and receiving absolution.
What was truly astounding was the way in which my sins formed a pattern. In seeing my life, all at once the way God does, I saw the repetitiveness of my faults. It was almost as if all I really needed to do in my life was just to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation only once, record it on my phone, and then play it back every time I went to confession!
By viewing this “panorama” of my life I came to see myself as I really am, warts and all. But, in addition to my blemishes, I saw that over the course of my life, I have tried as best as I could to renew my commitment to God. Despite my faults, failures, and flubs, I returned to God through the sacrament of reconciliation and sincerely tried to repent and sin no more.
It’s never been perfect, but I have always given it my “best shot.” As humans, perhaps that is all we can do—and God sees that.
By Deacon Ben LoCasto
Bookmark the link below and visit it often as you observe the wonderful season of Lent!
Feel free to share this link on social media.
NorwichDiocese.org/Lent