Second Sunday of Lent
March 2, 2026 Bulletin Column Father De Celles
CONFESSIONS EVERY DAY IN LENT. Fundamental to a fruitful observance of Lent is the reception of the Sacrament of Penance (also called “Confession” or “Reconciliation”). I am very happy to say that you can go to confession at St. Raymond’s every day during Lent. So, please: go to confession!
Making a Good Confession. I hope you’re familiar with small pamphlet called “Making a Good Confession: A Brief Examination of Conscience and Guide to Going to Confession,” which can be found by all the doors of the church and near the confessionals. I hope you find it helpful in preparing for a good confession. Below follows is the introduction to that pamphlet.
“How do we make a ‘good Confession’? We begin by prayerfully, and with honesty and humility, looking at our lives to recognize the sins we’ve committed since our last Confession, i.e., we make ‘an examination of conscience.’ In particular, we need to look for mortal sins, i.e., sins that involve all three of the following criteria: 1) grave matter, 2) full knowledge of the sinful character of the act, and 3) complete consent. If any one of these is lacking it is not a ‘mortal sin,’ but may be a ‘venial sin.’
“‘Grave matter’ means the act involves some very serious moral evil, found either in 1) the act itself or 2) the intention behind the act. Grave matter can be difficult to identify, but not always.
“Note that some sinful acts are grave matter when they involve circumstances that are serious or very important, but are not grave matter if they involve only small or trivial things. These acts that can be either grave or not are said to ‘admit of parvity’ (smallness). Many of the sins listed below would ‘admit of parvity,’ unless the word ‘serious’ accurately describes them. For example, a lie is always a sin, but lying under oath is grave matter while lying about whether you like someone’s outfit is not grave matter.
“Also, in Confession you must distinguish the ‘kind’ of mortal sin committed: be clear about what the sin was, but avoid graphic or long explanations. So it is not enough to merely say ‘I had bad thoughts’ or ‘I acted inappropriately,’ rather one should be more specific, e.g. ‘I had lustful thoughts,’ etc.
“You must also give the number of times you committed particular mortal sins. Sometimes this is very difficult or even impossible to remember, in which case, try your best give the priest some idea of the frequency or number; e.g., ‘at least once a month for several years,’ etc.
“Besides mortal sins, we should also consider confessing (but are not required to confess) vices (sinful habits) or other venial sins that are particularly problematic.”
ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. As always, we have Exposition and Adoration on Wednesdays from 9am to 7pm. But during Lent our Fridays Exposition and Adoration will be extended throughout the evening and throughout the night (“Nocturnal”) until just before the Saturday morning 9am Mass. (We pause Adoration for the Stations of the Cross at 7pm).
Doing a holy hour every week is a great penance for Lent: it’s a form of prayer, and it’s a sacrifice (of time—and sleep, if you do it during the late-night hours), and it can be a form of almsgiving if you use it to pray for people.
“What do I do in Adoration?” There really aren’t many rules for what you do at Adoration. Basically you come, sit or kneel quietly, and pray. You can just sit there and talk to Jesus, and listen to Him. And you can pray your Rosary or other prayers you know, or from a good Catholic prayer book (they’ll be some prayer books in the church if you want to use those). Or bring your Bible or some other good spiritual book (even and interesting biography of a saint) to read between prayers. But mainly come and be with Jesus.
An hour sounds like a long time, but it’s not really, if you split it up between praying the Rosary, reading, and just talking and listening to Jesus. As St. John Vianney once said, “Him looking at you, and you looking at Him.” It’ll do you a lot of good, and joined with all the prayers of your fellow parishioners adoring over the 24 hours it will be great for our parish and the whole Church.
Please Sign Up. We need at least 2 adorers to volunteer to commit to be present for each hour of scheduled adoration, so that Our Eucharistic Lord will not be left alone at any time. So please visit our website to sign up and take 1 hour. But even if you don’t sign up, please come to adore at any time.
THURSDAY NIGHT “LENTEN SERIES.” Please join us this Thursday at 7pm in the Parish Hall as I continue my Lenten Series entitled, “The Mass Explained.”
Last week we focused on “The Mass in Scripture.” This week we will look at the “The Mass from the Last Supper to Today.” Most Catholics only scratch the surface of understanding the Mass, but I hope this series will help you to come to a deeper understanding and a more fruitful experience of the Divine Liturgy.
Here are excerpts from two Early Church writers that will be included in this week’s discussion.
“The Didache” (“The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles”): Ch.14. “But every Lord’s day gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure. But let no one that is at variance with his fellow come together with you, until they be reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be profaned. For this is that which was spoken by the Lord: In every place and time offer to me a pure sacrifice; for I am a great King, says the Lord, and my name is wonderful among the nations.”
St. Justin Martyr, “The First Apology”: “Ch. 65. There is then brought to the president of the brethren bread and a cup of wine mixed with water; and he taking them, gives praise and glory to the Father of the universe…and offers thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy to receive these things at His hands. And when he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all the people present express their assent by saying Amen.
“….And when the president has given thanks, and all the people have expressed their assent, those who are called by us deacons give to each of those present to partake of the bread and wine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving was pronounced…
RECEIVING COMMUNION. Pope St. Paul VI on the benefits of receiving Communion on the tongue: “This method of distributing holy communion must be retained…it expresses the faithful’s reverence for the Eucharist.… it is part of that preparation that is needed for the most fruitful reception of the Body of the Lord. This reverence shows that it is not a sharing in ‘ordinary bread and wine’ that is involved, but in the Body and Blood of the Lord…”
Oremus pro invicem. Fr. De Celles