On this 4th day of the novena, we reflect on the theme of DB, being instrument of God’s compassion and forgiveness to the young expressed concretely in the sacrament of confession. The church too reminds us of the feast of St Paul’s conversion. It is right and fitting that these two themes should come together on this day as we also conclude the unity octave. True unity will come through only if people are ready to be compassionate, to be understanding and be ready to forgive and be forgiven, ready to change one’s heart and life, and everything.
The readings of this evening invite us to reflect on these following lines: having a forgiving attitude towards oneself and towards one another: forgiving past hurts, unconditional love and acceptance of one another and concern for one another. Paul’s conversion shows how the most difficult person has the possibility of becoming the greatest saint.
DB became a great instrument of compassion and forgiveness especially through the ministry of the sacrament of confession or reconciliation or penance. That is why he is called the Apostle of Confession because of his lifelong dedication to this special ministry. At the age of 9, he was given the mission of transforming the wild animals into gentle lambs. And the great means to achieve this was through this beautiful sacrament of penance or confession. Don Bosco's great zeal and love to the formation to the youth of his day summed up in his own words "Kindness under all conditions and an open chapel with facilities for confession and communion.”
Don Bosco's advice to young people was to make frequent and sincere confession and to put into practice their resolutions, for he would often say "By their fruits you shall know them" (Mt 7, 16). He abhorred the taking of the sacrament of Confession for granted.
On 8 Dec 1841, when he met Bartholomew Garelli in the sacristy, one of the questions he asked was: Did you make your first communion? which implied, did you make your first confession as well?
During DB’s time, the priests would hear confession only in the churches. But DB was felt that this was limiting God’s compassion and forgiveness especially to the young. He got the ecclesiastical approval to hear confessions in the playground, in streets, in carriages, in trains, on river banks – anywhere.
DB became a great instrument of compassion and forgiveness when he made available for his boys the beautiful practice of the monthly ‘exercise for a happy death’ which in today’s terminology we call ‘monthly recollection’. We feel a dread at the thought of ‘death’. We recall Dominic Savio’s motto: ‘Death but not sin’.
Let me share with you some concrete ways in which one can experience compassion and forgiveness in one’s life.
i)First and foremost is the ‘a deep awareness of one’s sinfulness’: unless one is aware of this, one cannot proceed to the path of conversion which is exemplified in the prodigal son, in Paul, and in the life of DB. He would often tell his boys: ‘Avoid sin like a plague’. He had this caption put up in his oratory: God sees me… so that the boys would be aware of God’s presence and avoid sin.
Compassion and forgiveness, conversion and change of heart have meaning and relevance only in the context of being aware of sin. Only if we are aware that we are sinners, can we avail ourselves of God’s compassion and forgiveness.
ii) After one is aware of sin, one requires the will to change, to convert, to ask for forgiveness. This is called ‘metanoia’ – a total change, inside out. We receives God’s compassion and forgiveness in the sacrament of confession.
BUT what is the stark reality of this sacrament today?
It is really unfortunate that today there are long lines for communion, and short lines for confession. This is the result of relativistic mentality of our generation. The problem is more grave than we think. The great danger (we may even call it ‘true danger’) is that many priests themselves are unavailable for this. Administration takes up almost all the time, energy and what nots.
Wayback in 1946, in Boston, Pope Pius XII admitted that the “most grave sin in the world today is the loss of sense of sin”. And history shows that this has taken place throughout the Church’s life: greater/lesser sense of sin. Pope John Paul II was very emphatic about this ‘loss’ in his various writings on confession. Even the present pope Benedict XVI laments and warns: ‘We are losing the notion of sin’, as attendance at confession plummets.
Therefore, when there is no sin at all, compassion and forgiveness do not find any place in our life.
Let me now share with something from an article from Time Magazine, 24 Mar 2008, p.60, an essay written by Nancy Gibbs entitled: ‘The New Road to Hell: The Vatican reflects on its mortal sins for the modern age. Want salvation? Pick up your trash.’
She writes thus:
Our catechism teaches us that there are 7 deadly sins: pride, gluttony, melancholy (which was dropped in the 17thc in favour of sloth), lust, greed, envy and anger. Anger gives rise to violence; gluttony to waste, pride to every manner of tragedy and hurt. They were judged sufficient for the past 15 centuries, ever since they were catalogued by Pope Gregory the Great, with an assist from Thomas Aquinas and Dante.
The culture celebrates what once it sanctioned: parents encourage pride as essential to self-esteem; (a group of self-rising French chefs has petitioned the Vatican that being a gourmand is no sin). Envy is the engine of tabloid culture. Lust is an advertising strategy; anger, the righteous province of the aggrieved. Most days I’d give anything for some sloth. Moral philosopher Mae West observed: ‘To err is human, but it feels divine’. She also advised: ‘When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I never tried before’.
Now there is the broader range of sins from Vatican for the modern age. Gianfrano Girotti, the no 2 Catholic official in charge of confessions and penitence told the Vatican’s newspaper: ‘You offend God not only by stealing, blaspheming or coveting your neighbour’s wife,’ but also by polluting, cloning, taking drugs, promoting social injustice or becoming obscenely rich. Where the standard sins are individual failings, in a global culture, sin is social. ‘Attention to sin is a more urgent task today’, Girotti said, ‘precisely because its consequence are more abundant and more destructive’.
Realm of biotechnology was especially dangerous, which reflects church teaching that destroying an embryo equates with murder. But the original mortal sins had as much to do with attitudes as with acts. Greed might lead to theft, lust to adultery, but the sin began in the heart. Yet modern research does not seem wicked to many suffering patients or the doctors who hope to cure them; the church’s sins is their salvation. Likewise the accumulation of excessive wealth: leave aside the historical irony of this charge issuing from the Vatican. What do we make of Bill Gates, the great acquisitor, who as a philanthropist, is now arguably the greatest individual force for good around the world? Does it not seem as if he has grasped the eternal somewhere along the way?
The writer adds 7 other modern age deadly sins:
i) genetic modification,
ii) human experiments such as cloning,
iii) polluting the environment – adding to global warming,
iv) causing social injustice,
v) causing poverty,
vi) becoming obscenely wealthy and
vii) taking drugs.
Dear friends, may this feast of the conversion of St Paul and the DB novena make us aware that there are deadly sins existing in our world and that we need to change our life and receive compassion and forgiveness from the Lord.
I place on record Fr Alu for sharing his thoughts with regards to this theme on Conversion which is well articulated and worthwhile to be reflected upon.
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