Para la versión en español, haga clic aquÍ.
Last Wednesday evening, my family and I attended our parish’s Penance Service. This is something we try to do every year during Lent. When we got out of the car and were walking through the parking lot, my 15-year-old daughter said to me: “Mom, I’m afraid. I don’t like going to confession.” I smiled and simply told her: “You will be fine.”
To get to our church, you must walk through a long hallway that has doors for different rooms and a big TV monitor that is usually turned off but that, on that day, had a picture of Pope Francis listening to a young man make his confession. The words “Do not be afraid of confession” were next to the image. My daughter looked at me with a big smile on her face. She didn’t say anything, but I’m sure she felt those words were directed at her.
When we entered the church, there was a long line to get to Father Eric’s confessional. We waited for our turn, and my daughter was the first one to go in. While she was inside, I was praying that she could experience God’s mercy and tender love during her confession. After the rest of us finished, we prayed for a little while and started walking back to the car.
We were still inside the building when my daughter told me: “I will have to do my penance when we get home.” I replied, “Why didn’t you do it while we were praying in there?” She said, “After hearing my confession, Father Eric asked me what makes me happy. I told him that playing my guitar makes me happy. He told me that my penance was to play my guitar and to thank God for giving me happiness.” What a wonderful way to help a 15-year-old girl feel God’s love!
We pray to God that we can experience his mercy during this Lenten season, so we can celebrate with joy the Resurrection of his Son during the upcoming Easter time.
Image credit: Philippe NOISETTE/CIRIC
I love this story!!
I´m so glad that you enjoyed it. It was a great experience and I just had to share it!