Graces we need to have our sins forgiven

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,

When our good Lord Jesus offered Himself to God our Father while on the Cross, He asked that we may have the graces we need to have our sins forgiven. The grace of the Cross for us is that we can be forgiven. Our Father desires us to follow the example of His Son, Jesus, and in His Name, seek the forgiveness of our sins. The two main ways we seek assurance for the forgiveness of sins is the Baptism (which forgives the guilt of Original Sin and, if it be present, the guilt of personal sins) and the Sacrament of Confession. After one is baptized, it is exceedingly important to go to Confession regularly. I recommend once a month. The key is to remain in the state of grace or friendship with God and be committed to growing in His love each day.

Another very good practice is to make a daily examination of conscience. This is best done at the end of the day. First, pray for the help of the Holy Spirit to see your day as God sees it; Second, recall your day – any sins against God and neighbor – also recall any blessings you experienced; Third, ask for forgiveness from God and thank Him for His goodness found in that day; Fourth, ask for grace to grow in His love the next day. The examination of conscience does not replace regular Confession, rather this daily practice will make it easier to make a regular Confession.

This week I share with you an inspiring sermon by St. Andrew of Crete on the Victory of the Cross of our Lord Jesus:

“We are celebrating the Feast of the Cross which drove away darkness and brought in the light. As we keep this Feast, we are lifted up with the crucified Christ, leaving behind us earth and sin so that we may gain the things above. So great and outstanding a possession is the Cross that he who wins it has won a treasure. Rightly could I call this treasure the fairest of all fair things and the costliest, in fact as well as in name, for on it and through it and for its sake the riches of salvation that had been lost were restored to us.

Had there been no Cross, Christ could not have been crucified. Had there been no Cross, Life itself could not have been nailed to the tree. And if Life had not been nailed to it, there would be no streams of immortality pouring from Christ’s side, blood and water for the world’s cleansing. The legal bond of our sin would not be cancelled, we should not have attained our freedom, we should not have enjoyed the fruit of the Tree of Life and the gates of Paradise would not stand open. Had there been no Cross, death would not have been trodden underfoot, nor hell despoiled.

Therefore, the Cross is something wonderfully great and honorable. It is great because through the Cross the many noble acts of Christ found their consummation - very many indeed, for both His miracles and His sufferings were fully rewarded with victory. The Cross is honorable because it is both the sign of God’s suffering and the trophy of His victory. It stands for His suffering because on it He freely suffered unto death. But it is also His trophy because it was the means by which the devil was wounded and death conquered; the barred gates of hell were smashed, and the Cross became the one common salvation of the whole world.

The Cross is called Christ’s glory; it is saluted as His triumph. We recognize it as the cup He longed to drink and the climax of the sufferings He endured for our sake. As to the Cross being Christ’s glory, listen to His words: Now is the Son of Man glorified, and in Him God is glorified, and God will glorify Him at once. And again: Father, glorify Me with the glory I had with You before the world came to be. And once more: “Father, glorify your Name”. Then a voice came from Heaven: “I have glorified It and will glorify It again”. Here He speaks of the glory that would accrue to Him through the cross. And if you would understand that the cross is Christ’s triumph, hear what he himself also said: When I am lifted up, then I will draw all men to Myself. Now you can see that the Cross is Christ’s glory and triumph.”

Through the intercession of Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, St. Joseph, St. Michael, and St. Paul, may our Lord Jesus grant us in abundance the blessings of the Triumph of His Holy Cross!

In Christ through Mary, Fr. Kasel