Yesterday I said that Christianity and mostly the Catholic Church can save America. And it is true. The Catholic Church has something that nobody else can offer - it is a sacramental life. The two most leading sacraments are the Sacrament of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. Why are they so important?
Let's look at Penance first. This sacrament has five elements that, unfortunately, many Catholics do not remember. It begins with the examination of conscious. This is a moment when a person has to stand in the truth about oneself. This truth actually shows the work of Satan and as a consequence he is uncovered and visible with his ugly and evil behavior. The second is contrition, the sorrow for what was done wrong. This element helps us to recognize that our wrongdoings are against God and our neighbor and we are truly sorry for them. The third is the will of repentance. It is not enough to admit that we committed sin, but we have to reject it, be disgusted with it. The fourth is the honest confession of our sins. Many people do not like it because of pride. Confessing our sins makes us humble and truly looking for the mercy of God. The fifth is restitution. It is not enough to confess the sins. We have to fix what was damaged and repair what was broken in us and others. These five steps of the Sacrament of Penance help us to realize that we have to take responsibility for our actions and change them according to the moral law. This is the ultimate way of being a better person and a better neighbor.
The second sacrament is the Eucharist. This is the most precious treasure we have. Jesus Christ is dying for us and at the same time he shows us how much of a price has to be paid for our sins. Only those who are free from any sin can come and receive Holy Communion.
For years those two sacraments were presented as therapeutic and social events. Many people have completely forgotten what is really happening in them. We have to bring back the true meaning of those gifts. They are not to make us feel better about ourselves. They are to understand what we have to do with our life and that every time we do something wrong somebody else suffers - the entire Church is suffering together with our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, our job is to make those sacraments important again, to respect them, and venerate the truth that is in them. It begins when we are little and continues through our entire life.