First Sunday of Lent (B) 2020

INTRO:
First Sunday in Lent (B)

INTRO: Years ago in my first years as a priest, I was hearing school kids confessions…

Children were coming to me FACE TO FACE and I watched this third grader…. Really prim and proper… hands folded in the best expression of holiness … smiling … and sits down.

We made the sign of the cross together and I welcomed her and then asked; “what are your sins?”

She began with this nervous look and says:

“Well, I was MEAN to my mom… and then she sort of giggled and said: A LOT!!!!”

The next “sin” was hitting her brother… also A LOT!!!

Apparently she was instructed to mention to the priest how many times she sinned.

Jesus says today…his first words to the people as he begins his public ministry…

“Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

What I make of that is…it’s the first Sunday of lent and MY first WORDS should be to you…. Like Jesus’s..

“REPENT & GO TO CONFESSION THIS YEAR!”

BIG QUESTION IN MANY YOUNG AND OLD PEOPLES MINDS….

WHY??

Let me see if I can explain…

Those of you at home and those of you here in church……You registered in the parish and CATHOLIC PARISHES are “communities”.

You registered into a COMMUNITY of brothers and sisters. You didn’t register to be by yourself in church.
So there is supposed to be a recognizable bond with the persons in front of you and behind you. We are a community. We are family. We are brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Saint Paul taught that… the family is many parts but ONE BODY and when one part of the body “sins” the ONE BODY is broken; the community has a fracture.

So as a catholic our concerns should be to try and keep that ONE BODY whole and un-fractured.

In a beautiful way you go to confession NOT JUST FOR YOURSELF, but, for the community to be whole again, to be ONE BODY!!!!

CONCLUSION

So, this year REPENT, help yourselves and our community to be ONE BODY.