In confession, God and the Church s ministers are prepared to hear the worst sorts of things from the best sorts of people and not look away. But, however you approach this discipline, look for the joy and gratitude of being forgiven. We are friends again. Unless we accept that part of confession, we make God a liar. Penance is not punishment for our sins.
Penance is gratitude for our pardon.
It is life changing to reveal to God who you really are and have God respond, like the mother in our opening story, by seeing the possibility in you. Set some goals and commit yourself to some disciplines this Lent. The only people with no regrets are those who never attempted something beyond them. And we are here because some part of each of us wants to believe that there are, indeed possibilities in each of us that God alone can see and bring to fulfillment. The Transfiguration story is always read on this Last Sunday after the Epiphany, just days before we being our Lenten observance.