Jul 17 Thu
Does the Penitential Rite at the beginning of the Mass help us to put our relationship with our Father God in order?
Let us take a good, honest look at our own lives. How is it that sometimes we can’t find those few minutes it would take to finish lovingly the work we have to do, which is the very means of our sanctification? Why do we neglect our family duties? Why that tendency to rush through our prayers, or the holy sacrifice of the Mass? How are we so lacking in calm and serenity when it comes to fulfilling the duties of our state, and yet so unhurried as we indulge in our whims? You might say these are trifling matters. You are right, they are, but these trifles are the oil, the fuel we need to keep our flame alive and our light shining.
Now that we are before God, let us begin by being sincere,
I have sinned through my own fault...
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done,
and in what I have failed to do.
This act of deep repentance, in which the hand strikes the breast, is an ancient biblical gesture. It brings consolation to the sinner in his racking sorrow; for is it not written that the humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds and that he shall be heard before the Most High?
The Church in heaven and the Church on earth are witnesses to our sin, and we beg their brotherly help in interceding for our pardon. First, the Blessed Virgin Mary, who never sinned, because “to Jesus we always go, and to him we always return, through Mary.” Then, we ask all the angels, who fought against the pride of the rebellious ones; all the saints, who were also sinners; all Christians on earth to pray for us so that we be truly sorry for our sins.
The missal carries three forms of the penitential rite. At the end of each, the priest takes refuge with his brethren in the mercy of God:
May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
The Penitential Rite of the Mass is not a sacramental confession; therefore, it does not bring immediate remission of mortal sins. Forgiveness of mortal sins has to be obtained in the sacrament of penance. It is also important to remember that a person who has committed a mortal sin cannot go to Communion unless they go to confession beforehand. But the Penitential Rite, if it is said with true contrition, helps to obtain pardon for present venial sins, as well as to stir up new sorrow for past sins that have already been forgiven. In this way, it helps us to purify ourselves and so to take a better part in the Holy Mass.
“Amen”, we answer, while our soul overcomes the shame of contemplating our impurities before God’s splendor.