Lent is a time to delve deeply into our lives during this season of penance and to give a thorough look at what our values are and how we live them out each day. Learn about this way of living “within the dialogue of salvation,” as the church has done since its earliest days, in this series on repentance from our partner, Catholic News Service.
Our response to the Father’s love and forgiveness
Repentance is an encounter with an honest assessment of ourselves and a deep trust in what God can do in us, for he is always reaching for us. It is a process, something we return to over and over again.
Prayer of repentance
Lent presents Catholics with an opportunity and an obligation to examine where their lives are modeling the Lord’s example and where they are failing to help bring about the kingdom of God.
Repentance in the early church
For the first 800 years of the church, those who had fallen into grave sin, which was abnormal, would for a prolonged period seek the prayers of the community. Sins were confessed to the bishop, but penance was a public affair.
PREVIOUS: Our response to the Father’s love and forgiveness
NEXT: Confessional is a place of forgiveness, not threats, pope says
Why is this priest wearing a hat in church? Since the picture shows a confessional, it is reasonable to assume that he is in fact in church. I was always taught that it is disrespectful for a man to wear a hat in church and it disturbs me when, on occasion, I see one either deliberately, or thoughtlessly disregarding the practice.
If memory serves, the photo was taken during an outdoor event for young people, perhaps a World Youth Day. Since the priest was sitting outside for hours hearing young people’s confessions, I think most would agree he was entirely appropriate to don a hat. — Editor