Penitential Rite, Drumbo Carryduff, 23rd December 2010
Lord Jesus, you decided to make yourself present for us under the appearance of bread. What are you saying to us by doing that?
This is what I am saying to you: ‘My people I’ve made myself small and available for you. An everyday thing. Even a child can understand bread. I have become bread to be eaten by you because I want to feed you, again and again, with my life, with my love for you. I first came to live in you when you were baptised and I am now present as bread to be eaten by you, so that you will allow me to strengthen my presence in you.
My presence as bread before you in the monstrance tonight is my guarantee that I continue to love you with an infinite love. By becoming flesh in Mary’s womb I have entered into your world of flesh. I am part of you. I am present in the world of everyday things. No power on earth, no sin can stop the fact that I with you, living in you, loving you. I am the Son of God made Man, the Word made flesh, Emmanuel, God with you.
Tonight in the Sacrament of Reconciliation I want you to know my love for you, my deep, deep love for you personally; I want you to know my forgiving, healing, accepting love for you.
I want to heal you from bring bogged down in brokenness; from being untrue to yourself; from being preoccupied with where you have gone wrong and from your sense of shame. I want you to know my accepting love for you because, sadly, at times, you act as if your sins could be stronger than my love for you.
Let my love for you be the starting point of your life. You don’t have to be afraid of me. That’s silly and a waste of time and energy. You don’t have to be anxious about getting it right. Anxiety makes you centred on yourself and not on my love for you.
When you were at your worst I have loved you. No matter how far you fall you will never stop me loving you. Open up and accept my love. It’s a free gift- a free gift from God himself. You can’t earn it. You can’t demand it. You can’t manipulate it. You can’t force it. You can’t attain to it. It’s already given. It’s a free gift.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation this evening is a celebration of my forgiving, accepting love for you personally. All I want to do is to enable you to be free to receive love and to give love. I want you to be free to look me in the eye and say, ‘I love you.’
Just tell me about yourself, how you are bogged down in confusion, brokenness, in being untrue to yourself, in stripping away your own dignity and the dignity of others, and in being unloving, in being controlled by anger and bitterness,in being bogged down in guilt and shame. My love for you melts all that away forever, so that you will be freed up to embrace life with joy and enthusiasm. ‘The glory of God is man fully alive, fully human – the glory of God is woman fully alive, fully human.’
Just direct your attention to me and go talk to my priest and he will give you my absolution.
You may think that I am being too soft, not hard enough on the sinner. But I am God, not man, not woman. I am a God of love, the source of all love and you are made in my image and likeness.
Fr. Martin Kelly
