In the letter to the Hebrews we read about the tragedy of Esau in these words; ‘You know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, even though he sought the blessing with tears’ (Heb. 12:17).
What went wrong with Esau? He was late by a few minutes, or maybe even a few seconds, because the Scripture says that ‘Esau came in from his hunting when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of his father Issac’ (Gen. 27:30). A delay of a few seconds cost him dearly. He lost his birthright, and its blessings. Had he been in time, the history of the sons would have been different.
I am quoting the tragedy of Esau in the context of many among us intentionally delaying the chance to get the most precious of blessings; the grace coming through the sacrament of confession. Recently a priest shared his experience of seeing only a handful of people coming for confession during the Lenten retreat that was attended by hundreds of his parishioners. And their excuse? They were ready to go for confession, but Easter is approaching and a confession is mandatory before it. Then why another confession? After all, it is a matter of a few weeks only. They are all good Catholics determined to go for a good confession before Easter.
But…
Rewind to the year 2020. Many of those who postponed their confession to the final weeks of Lent in that year couldn’t simply do it. Covid-19 compelled our churches to close their doors before the faithful. And by the time they were opened again many who prolonged their confession had already left for a place where there is neither confession nor absolution.
So please do not delay your confession. We do not know when our doors for repentance are closed. We do not know when God demands back our soul (Lk 12:20). It could be during the middle of the night, or near dawn (Lk 12:38). Those who are found alert at that time will be blessed, says the Lord (Lk 12:38). We do not know when we will be called to meet the Lord. But we know one thing, that being in a state of grace is a precondition to enter the wedding feast of the Lamb.
Spiritual preparation must be an ongoing process and it is our personal responsibility. Remember that grace is not something that could be borrowed from others. Any attempt to procure it at the last minute – like the five foolish bridesmaids (Mt 25:1-12)- will see us abandoned in the darkness outside the kingdom.
‘There is a season for everything’ (Eccl 3:1). The season for confession is now, the time is right now. ‘See, now is the acceptable time’ (2 Cor 6:2) Dear brothers and sisters, please do not delay your confession as you are not sure what is in store for you tomorrow. The sacrament of penance is the ‘the second plank [of salvation] after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace’ (CCC 1446). If we miss this plank too, no greater tragedy could befall us. This is why many saints have compared delaying confession to neglecting a house on fire, thereby stressing the immediate danger to our soul.
‘Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near’ (Isa 55:6). Right now our Lord can be found so close to us in the confessional. Please do not miss your chance, because there is no bus to come after the last bus.
(www.v-catholic.com)
