As we entered the first week of Lent, I noticed that my parish, the Basilica of San Albino, has a Lenten Reconciliation Service. Have you never heard of a Lenten Reconciliation Service? Well, allow me to tell you about the ones I’ve attended.
The short version is a Lenten Reconciliation Service, a Catholic service in which people confess their sins to a priest and receive forgiveness. It’s also known as a Lenten penance or communal reconciliation service.
What can you expect at a Lenten Reconciliation Service? I’m glad you asked.
Six major things happened from the ones I’ve attended in the past. The first is scripture readings.
There are short readings from the Bible that speak about conversion and repentance. Common scriptures read often include passages from the book of Isaiah about repentance and turning back to God, like Isaiah 55:6-7, Isaiah 1:16-18, or Isaiah 53:4-6, alongside other verses from the Gospels like Luke 15:11-32 (the parable of the Prodigal Son) which emphasize God’s forgiveness and mercy; essentially focusing on themes of conversion, sin, and reconciliation.
Next would be a moment of reflection. In the past, the priest would give a short talk on sin and the importance of confessing sins. Lent is considered a time of penitence, where we are encouraged to reflect on our shortcomings and seek forgiveness from God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession). This allows us to start anew with a clean slate and renewed focus on our faith before Easter.
After the priest’s reflection, there is the examination of conscience. During this communal examination of conscience, the priest leads us to reflect on our sins to know what to confess.
We are not stating our sins out loud for the community to hear. During this examination of conscience, we listen to the priest lead us through the examination while we mentally catalog what we must confess.
The next step is individual confession. A Lenten Reconciliation Service is intended to afford us time as a parish community to recognize our sinfulness and turn back to God, seeking His forgiveness and mercy. The best way to seek forgiveness and mercy is through confession.
When I attended these services, there were generally quite a few priests there to hear confession. After confession comes the next step, absolution.
Absolution is the remission of sin or punishment due to sin granted by the Church. Absolution proper is the priest’s act of freeing man from sin in the Sacrament of Penance. But it’s not the priest who grants absolution, but Jesus Christ.
In confession, the priest acts “in persona Christi” (in the person of Christ) when hearing confession, meaning the priest is acting with the authority given to him by Jesus to forgive sins.
After absolution and the act of contrition comes penance.
After confessing your sins and receiving absolution, the priest will assign penance. Penance is an act you must perform to actively demonstrate remorse for your sins and work towards spiritual healing and a restoration of your relationship with God. Generally, penance involves saying some specific prayer, charity, or self-denial act. The penance given is a tangible step towards living a more Christian life after receiving absolution.
Why would you want to attend a Lenten Reconciliation Service? To seek forgiveness and mercy from God, turn back to living a life that reflects God’s love, and deepen your relationship with Jesus.
If you’ve not been to confession long, this is a good time to begin anew. After confessing and performing your penance, you will again be in a State of Grace.
Also, don’t worry about confessing; the priest will gladly guide you.
Check with your parish or diocese to see which Church near you is holding a similar service and when.
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