Each week in Lent, SSVP Scotland’s Spiritual Advisor, Sr Maria Robb DC, will offer a weekly reflection.  Take a few moments to reflect on Sisters words as we continue our journey.

SSVP Lent Reflection 2024 (Week 2)

How easy is it to say “Sorry”?
” Oops! Sorry. ” “Sooo sorry.” ” sorry for you loss. ”
“Sorry” trips off our tongues so easily, but do we FEEL sorry?
And how do I feel when people say “Sorry” to me?

In the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, the Our Father, we ask the Father to forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us! In other words, I’m asking the Father to forgive me in the measure that I am forgiving, and there may be people or events in my life that I find it hard to forgive. For some of us, the person we find it hardest to forgive is ourselves.

Lent is that time of year when parents, teachers and catechists are busily preparing children to receive the  Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. Many of us hold back a little from this beautiful Sacrament of God’s love and forgiveness. Perhaps this is because we focus the Sacrament on ourselves….what I’ve done wrong, what I need tell the priest.
Like all sacraments, reconciliation is an encounter with our loving God, our loving Father.
When we shift our focus from ourselves and what we have done wrong and focus instead on our loving Father and the grace and peace he wants to give us, we see this beautiful Sacrament of Reconciliation as a Sacrament of LOVE, where we allow ourselves to be loved by the Father who gives us he grace to forgive and love ourselves and others.

Lent is a season that especially invites us to forgiveness…..to forgive and be forgiven, so let’s give example to our children preparing for 1st Reconciliation, and show them that 1st Reconciliation is followed by second, third, fourth……

One priest I worked with would encourage the parents of children receiving 1st Reconciliation to come themselves to the Sacrament the same evening their child received it. He  would say quite bluntly, “And if you haven’t been to Reconciliation since you made you 1st Reconciliation, don’t worry. I’ve been lots of times and I’ll guide you through it!”