If God cannot heal our most painful sufferings on earth,and provide a heaven whose joys far outweigh our every tear, then He is not a just, merciful and powerful God. But if He is who He says He is,as I believe Him to be, we truly have no idea of the bliss and glory He has lovingly prepared for us in that blessed life where our joys shall have no end.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession of sins to a priest) by the Catholic Church has often been considered as outdated in the years that passed. Many say that there is no more need for it since God can hear our prayers wherever we may be.
Based on my personal experience however, the value of an authentic Confession had often been underrated. While it is true that God can hear our prayers wherever we are, even before we utter a single word, we need this kind of verbal release of the things that continue to bother our conscience. We need to be able to tell someone, a person who is there for us, who listens and understands what we’re saying. And we need to hear that we are forgiven for all the shameful things we did or thought we did so our guilt could finally be healed.
For some people, a Counsellor or a Psychologist acts out such a part. It is to such a person that we vent out our fears, our anger and our shame. For others, there is a confidant or a friend who is sincere and mature enough to handle the things we wanted to pour out of our hearts. But if you’re a Catholic, why not avail yourself of this sacrament to help you heal not only your emotions, but more importantly, the wounds of your soul? Confession is a God-given way to healing so we can find wholeness once again.
“I never reject a contrite heart. Your misery has disappeared in the depths of My mercy.” – Jesus, The Diary of Divine Mercy
Redemption is not taking away the pain as though nothing bad has ever happened. It is not like recommending amnesia to one who has suffered a broken heart.
Rather, it is giving value to our pain, healing us and making good out of the bad, such that things become way better and much more beautiful than we ever expected them to be!
Holiness is not closing one’s own eyes to avoid seeing the imperfection of the world. It is not an escape nor a pretension. Holiness is having one’s eyes opened wide such that one not only sees what’s wrong in the world, but one also sees what could make it right.
There are times when we may think God does not hear us, or that His answer is already delayed. There was a time however when I’ve realized a purpose for that seeming DELAY or WAITING TIME in my life: He wanted me to reach a point where I’m totally uncertain what to do next so that my inner fears and wounds could be exposed for healing.
After that, I also realized I wasn’t really waiting for God’s answer. I wasn’t really waiting to know God’s will. I wanted to avoid certain things and situations that could bring back hurtful memories and my real prayer is that God’s will may coincide with bringing me out of such situations as well!
The delay was in truth also an answer for me, so that I may be able to face my fears and that I may be healed from them.
Delays therefore may only mean that we are asking for the wrong things, or that we do not recognize yet how God has already started to answer our prayers.
“But the time is coming quickly, and what I show you will come true. It may seem slow in coming, but wait for it; it will certainly take place, and it will not be delayed.” – Habakkuk 2:3, GNT