Thirty-Third Saturday of Ordinary Time

"Into what tribulation have I come, and in what floods of sorrow am I now! Yet I was kindly and beloved in my rule." But I now recall the evils I did in Jerusalem, when I carried away all the vessels of gold and silver that were in it, and for no cause gave orders that the inhabitants of Judah be destroyed. I know that this is why these evils have overtaken me; and now I am dying, in bitter grief, in a foreign land."

Sometimes we don’t realize the evils we’ve done to others. We are blinded by our sins, our selfishness, our goods, our fame, and all sorts of worldly things. We only see the terrible things we’ve done in hindsight. Our reaction to this revelation of our own misdeeds can either be like Antiochus where we blame all the evils that have befallen us on our sins or we can try to make amends for what we’ve done and failed to do. We can tell those we have wronged, especially God, we are truly sorry for our failures. We can make good confessions with humble and contrite hearts. We can accept absolution from our priests and do penance for our sins. We can firmly promise to avoid those temptations that lead us into evil. Knowing we have done wrong should not paralyze us, but rather it should lead us to renew ourselves through the sacrament of reconciliation.

What evil things have we done to others? Have we sought God’s forgiveness for these sins? Have we made amends for our failings with those we have harmed?

O Lord, help us to make good confessions with humble and contrite hearts.

Amen.