The Grace of Confession

By Reverend Andrew J. Fisher

While I was growing up, my family made an annual pilgrimage to Baltimore to see one of the Orioles' baseball games. Usually late in the game, after people had begun to leave, my brother and I would slip down into the empty front row seats to watch the game. This gave everything a new perspective. There were no longer the loud and flashy distractions of fans yelling, vendors selling, or mascots running around to block our view of the game. At last, we could see the baseball game unfold before our very eyes, free of distractions, as it was intended to be seen and enjoyed.

Something similar happens in the sacrament of Confession. A person, now aware of sorrow and the effects of the sin in his life, seeks healing. To do this, he freely chooses to leave the world behind for a few moments and comes into the healing presence of God. The distractions of the world, temptations, pride, or outside pressures are no longer in sight. Alone with Christ, he becomes aware of a heavy heart opening itself up to healing and grace. Here the mystery of divine love can be seen and experienced as it unfolds before us. Even angelic tongues are not eloquent enough to express this mystery, where the humble sinner enters the confessional to rediscover divine mercy and new life. Once the old chains and way of life have been broken, this sacrament additionally offers us the grace of hope, conversion, and a new perspective on ourselves and on our relationship with God.

For the woman who has had an abortion, this sacrament is a unique conversion and restoration of perspective. Although she may have received this sacrament frequently in the past, this time it will be different. Abortion requires a painful honesty and searching, even before entering the confessional. Often the aftermath of this tragedy can be a clouded perspective of believing that God will never forgive this sin. In her eyes, she may lose hope of ever being with God and her loved ones forever. The peace and joy of going to Mass, prayers, and any discussion of God now may lead to a sense of inner emptiness and a running away from God. Sin always distorts one's perspective of God, self, and the world. Yet, Confession is the sacrament where God brings about the greatest and first step of healing--to regain an understanding of Our Lord's true and unconditional love.

The truth of God's love now allows the world to be seen in a different light. The post-abortive woman often lives a life of secret mourning without the blessing of family and friends for consolation. Such a world turned upside down leads one to ponder who really can be trusted. There may even be a refusal to admit the sin to one's self, instead hoping it would just go away. Sadly, denial never removes the fears and memories that come back in new ways and at unwanted times. Confession is the sacred moment when one rediscovers a truth that has been hidden by sin and distractions--that, with God, healing is possible, sins can be avoided in the future, and lives can be changed for the better.

Christ understood such deep wounds and loss of perspective when He promised: "Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Mt 11: 28 ).

The love of God is so perfect that He not only forgives sins, but also gives us the grace to do better. Confession becomes the new beginning, where the blindness of sin is removed and we see ourselves as God sees us. In this sacrament the truth of God's love, our self worth, and the assured grace to change the obstacles in our life become a clear reality. Truly, in this sacrament the woman who has suffered an abortion leaves behind a world of pain and sin, and then re-enters the world changed by grace with God's perspective of the present and the future.

As with baseball, history often repeats itself. Many great saints have changed from lives lived without Christ. God likewise offers the same conversion and new direction to all those who have had an abortion. The healing, the rediscovery of the sacredness of human life and the new perspective of God's love all begin when the distractions are cast aside and the humble heart is offered to Christ. God uses this wondrous sacrament to change the heart, soul, and perspective so as to give true healing and life: "As far as the east is to the west, so far does He remove our transgressions." (Ps. 103:12)

Contact Project Rachel
1-888-456-HOPE or 703-841-2504 or email projectrachel@arlingtondiocese.org

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