I got another call from the principal. I think she has me on speed dial.

Yesterday was all-school Reconciliation day at my kids’ Catholic school. That means every Catholic student goes to confession. It also means that my son had the opportunity to repent. My son. The child who once thought the Pope was really tall because I called him our highest priest.

If you don’t know about the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “Sin is before all else an offense against God, a rupture of communion with him. At the same time it damages communion with the Church. For this reason conversion entails both God’s forgiveness and reconciliation with the Church…”

That means you have to get your mind right with both entities. Though some will argue that God and the Church are one entity, that is a discussion for another blog post on someone else’s site where people like to argue.

A lot of people think confession is an archaic tradition, but I find it really therapeutic. It’s a time for a lot of self-reflection and re-centering, though I can’t say that my 10 year old son sees it through my, more mature, eyes.

Most kids (and some adults) hate going to Reconciliation. It’s embarrassing and humbling, and a lot of children don’t know how to handle those feelings. Apparently, though, not my kid. According to the principal, he went to two confessions, with two different priests, and was on his way into see a third one when he was “caught.”

He says it was because he couldn’t decide who to talk to, but I think he was either trying to get extra forgiveness or split up his sins so he didn’t look as bad.

Follow

Email