Lately it seems that I cannot set out on any sewing project
without a screwdriver in my hand, but this last attempt took two. I am not kidding. After I figured out, once again, how to load
the bobbin into my sewing machine, I noticed the little plate under the presser
foot moving up and down as I tried to sew, preventing my stitches from landing
neatly on the cloth.
An hour later, after re-setting two screws and trying to
make another fit, I finally got back to work . . . just in time to get dinner
going.
You see, many years ago my grandma made me a crazy quilt for
my bed based on my promise to quit sucking my thumb—something I hope to one day
accomplish.
Therefore, as a young mom, I decided I would do what Grandma
did—I would make a quilt. It didn’t happen, but fortunately I had cut out most
of the pieces of material for a child-sized quilt and stored them away, so
today all I really need to do is figure out how the pieces go
together and begin sewing.
Although I am a detail person—just ask my kids about my
“attention to detail” mantra—I also try to step back and look at the big
picture and see how things connect. As
well, I am interested in how systems work, what the greater message might be in
any given situation, and how history is being written as things unfold around
me.
I find myself reflecting in that way a lot lately as I
consider the much-needed purging in the Church.
I find it interesting that this is taking place during the fresh push
for evangelization (big picture.)
Confession, contrition and justice must begin for evangelization to
become effective, but not for the purpose
of evangelization per se, but rather for the purpose of healing.
Confessing one’s sins is nothing new for a Catholic. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we
understand that contrition for our sins must be expressed to a priest (who in
every sacrament is in *Persona Christi, regardless of his personal sins. This is not a
dismissal of his sins but an awareness of the power of God to work beyond them.)
For more on the Sacrament of Reconciliation,
check out this GREAT video Understanding Why We Confess. (This website has TONS of information.)
When we bring our sins before God in sacrament, we ask for
forgiveness, but the ultimate purpose
is to heal our relationship with God and our brothers and sisters, with whom
our relationship is always hurt by our transgressions. The priest, in the *Person of Christ, also represents the
larger church to whom we need to be reconciled. Naturally, part of our confession is the
promise to try, with God's help, to sin no more.
Although we may not realize it, no sin is truly private, as
it hurts the entire Body of Christ; it affects our thoughts, attitude and
actions.
The Church-wide confession as of late is necessary for
healing to take place and for evangelization to move forward. We are in a painful moment in time, a very
dark place in history, but we can see already that it has the potential of
having the greatest cultural impact, both on the Church and within
society. It is as though we are entombed
on Good Friday, anticipating Easter.
Evangelization has been the Church’s mission forever. Jesus himself sent his disciples out on
mission to spread the Good News of salvation.
But when they went out, they took nothing with them. Exposed as they were to the elements and the
generosity of others, they had to go forth in humility. They met people along the way, proclaiming
the message, carrying humility in submission to the gospel with them.
The message was the same then as it is today, and it is what
allows the Church to continue moving forward, seeking forgiveness and healing
in the midst of this moral and spiritual crisis within some members of its body.
Can we continue the mission effectively and help direct the
culture toward God, even today? Can we
stitch the message of salvation firmly, back into our communities?
We must. Since Christ
is always victorious over evil, I am counting on it, and place my confidence in
God.
Janet Cassidy
Janetcassidy.com
“By virtue of sacramental
consecration, the ordained priest does not simply become a functionary. This
consecration does not set him apart to simply perform certain tasks in
the Church. No, by virtue of the sacramental consecration which the priest
receives, he is ontologically changed. He is configured to the Person of
Jesus Christ, Head and Shepherd, in a new way in his very being. "The
relation of the priest to Jesus Christ, and in him to his Church, is found in
the very being of the priest by virtue of his sacramental
consecration/anointing and in his activity, that is, in his mission and
ministry." Just as at Baptism and Confirmation the Christian is
sacramentally marked on the soul, so is the man who is ordained a priest marked
sacramentally and configured to Christ the Priest.”
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