Lenten Confession: Christ's Reclaiming of Your Royalty

CONFESSION DURING LENT

 Side note: This was is a reflection packet given to my students during Holy Week that they could use during a long penance service. I will provide links to the different resources I mention later.

As you prepare your hearts during this Holy Week, you are being given a great opportunity to approach God’s “Tribunal of Mercy” in Confession. This is your time to experience His mercy and love both in Confession and with Him in the Eucharist while reflecting on all that He has done to save you from sin and the worst kind of unhappiness.

Read through these sections and write down your answers to the questions or your reactions and thoughts to each reflection. Allow the Holy Spirit to move in you as you read and write.

1st THINGS FIRST
It is so important to remember that in our faith we are loved by God. Once we really know this we show that we know it by our response: loving Him in return. We don’t naturally or easily love something just because we are told to love. It’s hard to love a brother just because our mom or dad says, “you have to love him, he IS your brother.” Instead, we usually experience love from someone and love them back. For example: If your older brother travels far to see you and spends a lot of time with you it might be easier to want to love your brother, and you certainly won’t have to be told to love him either.

Therefore, it makes sense that when we try to love God without first experiencing or knowing His love it can be hard, in fact, frustrating may be the better word. We should try to reverse our order and let God do the loving first and then we can receive it and give it back. The truth is any love we can give comes from God first. For “God is Love.” (1JN 4:16)  and  “We love because he first loved us.” (1JN 4:19) While we may not always “feel” the love of God it is always present. Sometimes we have to love when it doesn’t make sense. Take some time and effort to seek to understand how much God loves you. Read on.

DOES GOD REALLY LOVE ME?
If you have ever wondered, “Does God really love me?” right now is your time to consider the facts. Open your missalettes to April 1st and reread the Gospel which is the Passion Story. While you read consider your question of “Does God really love me?” and remember that every abandonment you read about (Apostles not being able to stay awake, shouts against Him, etc.) and every physical pain He underwent (Scourging with broken glass, nails, splintered wood, and whips; crowning with a helmet of thorns crushing into His skull, forehead and neck, etc.) was all done for you. He is not angry with you for this suffering, but instead embraced His suffering because you needed it. You were enough for Him to suffer through it all.

Reflection 1: Imagine His eyes blurry, burning, and clouded with blood and sweat. They are gazing at you from above where His tattered and torn body is hanging upon a Cross. It’s strange because these eyes aren’t angry with you even though you were among the crowds yelling, “Crucify Him!” by your sins, and doubts. Instead, His eyes gaze at you with love, affection and the message of how cherished and precious you actually are at this very moment.

HOW DO I LOVE HIM BACK?
“We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.” (1JN 4:16)

Reflection 1: Jesus knew His death was coming. He knew the horrible things He would suffer. It would have been one thing if everyone around Him was helping Him, encouraging Him, and cheering Him on, but instead He could not even get His apostles to care enough to stay awake with Him while He was in so much sorrow and agony that He sweat blood. Do you keep watch with Jesus or do you find it hard to stay with Him? Do you become weary and tired and give up rather than continue to do the right thing? Do you abandon others in their sorrow?

Reflection 2: Even our First Pope could be a dope.

In the reading of the Passion in your missalettes find the part where Peter tells Jesus that He would never deny Him. Then read about how Peter does deny Jesus. What is your initial reactions to this? How does His cowardice make you feel?

Peter is passionate about the fact that he would follow Jesus, His closest friend, even to death. However not much later He can’t even admit knowing Jesus. How have you been like Peter in your own life? Do you want to do good things and then fail in the moment? Do you consider yourself holy but then look at your actions and realize how much you fail in the heat of the moment like Peter?

But...even after Peter’s failure there is mercy. Read this passage from John 21:

Jesus and Peter.* 15When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,* “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”* He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16He then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” [Jesus] said to him, “Feed my sheep.i 18* Amen, amen, I say to you,j when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”k

Remember that Peter had said he would follow Jesus even to death? Remember how he messed that up? Remember how he didn’t only mess up once but three times? How many times did Jesus ask Him if He loved Him in this passage? Could it be that Jesus is showing Peter His mercy? Giving Him a second chance to get it right this time? Could He be Helping to set Him straight in His mission to go on from his initial cowardice into heroic courage? He said he would follow Jesus even to death. Peter did die for Jesus on an X shaped Cross. His sins did not define him and he turned from them and towards real love that doesn’t just “talk the talk” but actually “walks the walk.”

(Nerd note: Fires are not often mentioned in the New Testament...It is interesting that in both stories Peter is next to a fire: At his denial: “They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter sat down with them.”  When He is asked by Jesus after His resurrection if He loves Him: “When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.” Some people wonder if this was a way to help Peter understand that this questioning was a second chance to get it right this time.)

CONFESSION IS OUR ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS AND HIS LOVE

After reflecting on God’s love for us and our love for him, and all that we have done or failed to do, we go to meet Jesus. Do you feel like an apostle who didn’t care that their best friend and Messiah was sweating blood? Or do you feel like Peter who wants to love Jesus but fails miserably? Either way Jesus understands. While He was on earth He experienced these moments of rejection by people and He has experienced yours too. But, that takes absolutely NOTHING away from how much He loves you. He’d do it all again for you.

So, here is your moment to trust. When we go to Confession we take all of our sorrow and guilt and we hand it over to the man we have hurt most. And always, without fail, no matter how terrible you think you are He will offer you forgiveness. Not the kind with strings attached, but real forgiveness. Jesus even spelled it out for us when He would appear to St. Faustina, a young Polish nun in the 1930s. He told her to tell all of mankind about His mercy especially in confession.

Read Message for All Catholics: “Jesus is in the Confessional” in your packet. What parts bring you the most comfort? What parts help you not to be afraid to confess your sins? What parts surprised you?

Remember, when going to Confession, you can ask Father questions, you can say what you need and you can leave knowing that it was always Jesus with you listening and responding to you.

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE BASED ON LOVE

First, if we truly love God and give Him our trust we will follow all of His laws out of love. Jesus never taught anything unless it would make us deeply happy, we can trust that all of God’s laws are for us and not against us.  Read and reflect on the sheet that begins with Prayer Before Examining Your Conscience.

Second, read Examination of Conscience: The Law of Love in your packet.

AMEND MY LIFE. AMEN.

In confession in our Act of Contrition we make a promise to amend our lives. What does this mean? Consider the difference between Peter and Judas. Peter proclaims that He would never deny Jesus yet he doesn’t only deny Jesus he does it 3 times! Judas sells Jesus to the chief priests and helps Jesus get handed over to be killed. Both committed some pretty nasty sins. One is our first Pope and a great Saint, the other is not.

Their difference lies not in the degree of their sins, or who was worse, instead it all comes down to how they responded. Peter broke down and cried but went running back to Jesus. Judas, afraid of his sins and without trust in his heart, killed himself and did not believe that God could bring hope and peace to him after his sins.

Your commitment to avoid sin and try to live a better life does matter. Sure you will mess up, God knows that too, but if you can imitate Peter and keep trying even if it takes you a long time God can promise hope, happiness and heaven. How will you avoid sin and try to do better now that you have received God’s mercy?

Jesus Please...Personal Prayer Class Activity

Catholic school kids are really used to saying intentions to their teacher and either following it with a Hail Mary, we pray to the Lord, or some other response. What they are less used to is praying in their own words to Jesus for what they need, what they are thankful for, or simply just for what they want to say. It's something my students were a little awkward about at first. So, I decided we needed some practice. I knew once I introduced it they would eat it up, and that's exactly what happened.

I took my students down to the chapel in our school where we have Jesus present in the tabernacle. I reminded them that we were in front of Jesus, Himself. In some classes I had them close their eyes to picture Jesus and let the Holy Spirit enter into their imaginations. Then I explained that we were going to say what we wanted to pray about directly to Jesus. I reminded them not to say their petition to me and told them if they were struggling they could simply start out their prayer with, "Jesus, please..."

I started out with an example that blended things on my heart with examples of thanksgiving, random thoughts, and petitions so that my students felt comfortable saying whatever they wanted. We started out by going in order so that each student got practice talking to Jesus in this personal way. Then I let them keep going. Each class loved it. They talked to Him out loud asking Him to keep them close in the future, prayed for traveling relatives, the poor and more. They were truly bringing their whole selves into their prayers. I'll give you examples below. At the end I thanked Jesus for caring and hearing all of us and we left and went on with our class. It was incredibly powerful and I could tell all of my students had just had an encounter with Jesus. Even my students who struggle to take things seriously couldn't help but be wrapped up in awe at getting to speak like this in front of their class directly to Jesus. It definitely was an experience of heaven on earth.

The coolest part might have been that at the end of both classes one student in each asked if we could make this a weekly thing. It changed the whole dynamic of the rest of our class. Students seemed more united in the most Christian sense of the word. I could tell they all felt bonded in Christ...which is pretty hard to describe.

Here are some examples of their amazing prayers said outloud:

Jesus, please help us to remember that you want our happiness, so this Christmas when we open our presents help us to remember the happiness we feel makes you happy too.

Jesus, please help my mom who struggles to provide for me and my siblings on her own. Help her with money and with her stress.

Jesus, please help us to remember that you didn't make any of us equal but instead gave us unique gifts and we all deserve to be loved by you.

Jesus, please keep us united and close to each other and to you.

Jesus please help us in our finals and our stresses.

I could go on and on. The prayers were personal about members of our community suffering cancer, about grandparents they hope get to heaven, about recent deaths, they prayed for each other by name and put their hands on the backs of each other to acknowledge it. The coolest image we discussed afterward was how it was like we were the saints in heaven in front of God together praying for those who weren't with us...ya that struck me pretty hard since we are currently studying saints.

Grace was there!

Love Your __________ Neighbor

Objective
This lesson helps students to identify where weak spots are in their heart as far as loving their neighbor and helps them to see their call to love all people no matter what.

Bible verses 
Mt 5:44 "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you"
Mk 12:31 "Love your neighbor as yourself"

Virtue
Charity- loving someone no matter what.

Description
Love your enemies sounds great in paper, but put it into practice in the reality of gossip, grudges, resentment, competition, or even a middle school classroom and you've got a real challenge. That's why I created this lesson for my students as something to do to strengthen the virtue of charity in our classroom.

We started out by sitting in a circle (VBRD style) and I introduced the idea that there are always people in our lives that are especially hard for us to love. I gave an example to the class first. I told them that arrogant adults can be really hard for me to be patient with or to be charitable toward. Then we passed around a talking piece for each student to share who they struggle to love. They really enjoy this part because EVERYONE has a personality trait or group of people that is a personal pet peeve in this area. Students said everything from obnoxious, mean, stuck up to anti-God, poor, or ugly. They were surprisingly honest.

After they got it all out there I brought it back in by reminding them that, hey, guess what? this shows an area of weakness on our part, not on the part of the people we just complained about. I also reminded them that we all have parts of ourselves that are hard to love but we still want love. (In some classes I add more questions like what part of yourself may be hard to love? or How do you show love to these people even when it is hard?)

One striking example I'll share is that one of our Mexican born students who immigrated to the United States shared that she has a really mean, racist neighbor who she finds very hard to love because of how he treats her. This was a hard but perfect example to use with the class. We acknowledged that his behavior is in need of changing but that she doesn't have any control over his choices. Instead, she has control over her own. She can choose to show him love even if it doesn't feel like he deserves it. Then we talked about how if we start picking and choosing who deserves love we are not imitating Christ's love for us or the many sinners He chose to die for.

Next, I have them listen to the song If We Are the Body by Casting Crowns using this link. They watch the words and take turns going up to write two adjectives on the board pictured below. Essentially it is a board that says: Love Your ___________ Neighbor and they fill in the blank. I let each student write two adjectives while they quietly listened to the song and journaled on what they were getting from the song and the lesson.

Their responses were awesome! One student wrote about how important it is not to pick and choose who should be loved and how Jesus would die for anyone of us but we can't just be loving toward each other. Another student shared how the activity helped them realize that the Body of Christ really has a job in this area and that she needed a reminder. We closed up the lesson with a reading of the verses above.

I decided to make the poster a permanent item in our classroom since it is such a good reminder to students to love those they don't really like to love. They use it in examples all the time and it is a great reminder while they deal with the normal drama of middle school.

In some classes we talked about the difference between liking and loving. In others we tied it into the unchanging dignity of everyone. You can tie this into all sorts of lessons and bend it in whatever way God asks of you.

Grace was there!