Forgiveness

Come and Meet Jesus at the Wedding Feast

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Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

A reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 22:1-14

There once lived a poor couple named Joseph and Anna. Their clothes were worn, their table was simple, and their hands were rough from years of work. Yet every morning they thanked the Father for another day. They spoke to Jesus as a trusted friend, asked the Holy Spirit for guidance, and shared whatever little they possessed.

One day, an invitation arrived from the king: “Come to the wedding feast of my son.”

They were filled with joy—until they looked at their clothing. Joseph’s coat was patched, and Anna’s only dress had faded. “We are not worthy to enter the king’s house,” Anna whispered.

Still, they decided to go. “Perhaps,” Joseph said, “the king wants our presence more than our appearance.”

At the palace entrance, they saw guests dressed in silk and jewels. Embarrassed, the couple began to turn away. Then the king’s son came toward them. His hands and feet bore wounds, yet his face radiated joy.

“Why are you leaving?” he asked.

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Making Christ Present in Ordinary Days

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Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

Last weekend, my wife Anne and I were joined by our three children: our son Stephen and our daughters Katie and Mary; who all flew in from out of state to help my mother move into my sister’s home. She is suffering from ALS. Together, we fed her, listened to her stories, helped her settle in, and reminded her that we love her and that she is not alone.

There was nothing dramatic about most of what we did. We unpacked boxes, prepared food, listened to familiar stories, and offered a steady hand when her own strength was failing. Yet those ordinary gestures became holy. Through our words and actions, we practiced the fruits of the Holy Spirit. We made the love of Jesus tangible.

This experience helped me hear today’s Scriptures differently.

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Born Again in the Spirit

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Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

Dear Brothers and sisters,

Perhaps we know someone like Thomas—or perhaps part of his story is our own.

Thomas had made choices that hurt those he loved and carried him away from God. Though he continued with daily life, his heart felt empty. He wondered whether God could still want him.

Then a friend noticed his pain. Instead of judging him, the friend listened, helped him, and prayed for him. This kindness gave Thomas hope. He began to pray again: “Jesus, if you are still there, help me.”

In time, Thomas returned to Mass and made his first confession in many years. As he heard the words of absolution, a heavy burden began to lift. In the Eucharist, he met Jesus not as a distant figure, but as a living and merciful friend.

His life did not become perfect overnight. Yet through kindness, prayer, and the sacraments, his wounded spirit began to heal. Thomas discovered that Jesus knew everything about him and still loved him. By God’s grace, his spirit was alive again.

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Jesus, Our Faithful Friend

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Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

Reflection on the Sunday 25th Week in Ordinary Time Readings

When I was a young boy, my grandfather told me that Jesus was his best and faithful friend. I did not understand. How could someone we cannot see become our closest friend? Still, his words remained with me.

As I grew older and turned to Jesus in prayer, I began to understand. I discovered that Jesus was also my faithful friend. Whenever I called upon Him, He reminded me that I was not alone. His presence quieted my mind and brought peace to my heart. The more I received His love, the more I wanted to share it.  To me, the presence of Jesus is a grace from God—a gift I hadn’t earned, but one that met me exactly where I was.

Years later, my grandfather was nearing the end of his life. I visited him in hospice and, sensing this might be our last time together, called my brother to come and be with us. We sat beside his bed, sharing memories, telling stories, and laughing. Although our grandfather could no longer speak as he once had, we knew he was listening. In our hearts, we could almost hear him laughing with us. 

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From Heart to Heart: Forgiven to Love as Christ Loves

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Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

Reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 18:21-35

Dear Brothers and sisters in Christ,

A man once decided to volunteer at a hospital. His work was simple: he visited patients who had no family or friends coming to see them. On his first day, he entered one room after another, sitting beside people he had only just met. He listened to their stories, held trembling hands, prayed with those who welcomed prayer, and offered encouragement to those who felt forgotten.

He spent the entire day with strangers. Yet by evening, they were no longer strangers. Their gratitude—the relieved smile, the quiet “thank you,” the light returning to a lonely face—was more than enough to bring him back the next day, and the next.

Whenever he left a room, he tried to leave something of Jesus behind: the light and love of Christ flowing from his heart into the heart of the person he had visited. He would offer a smile and a word of hope. Then he would say, “I love you as Jesus loves you.”

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The Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul Explained

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There are saints whose lives feel instantly approachable. Thérèse with her quiet trust, Joseph with his hidden faithfulness, Martha with her anxious hospitality that still looks suspiciously like my kitchen on a Tuesday night. And then there is Saint Paul, the former persecutor of Christians who needed nothing less than a divine flash of light to turn his life around.

At first glance, celebrating a man literally knocked off a horse by Jesus Himself can feel disconnected from our own slow and ordinary spiritual lives. Most of us do not encounter blinding lights or audible voices from heaven. Our conversions usually happen in coffee-stained prayer journals, in hurried acts of contrition, or in the quiet determination to try again after another failure. Yet the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, celebrated each year on January 25, may be the most reassuring feast on the Church’s calendar precisely because Paul did not begin as a saint. He began as a mess, and God loved him anyway.

Grace Doesn’t Ask Permission

The Acts of the Apostles introduces Saul of Tarsus not as a seeker or skeptic but as a man actively “breathing threats and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord.” He is not wandering toward God with doubts or half-formed prayers. He is charging in the opposite direction, armed with authority and convinced that he is doing holy work by destroying the Church.

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3 Things I Learned about the Sacrament of Confession

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on November 4, 2019.

According to the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus, “Raising children is an uncertain thing; success is reached only after a life of battle and worry.” Written over 2,000 years ago, that advice remains ever relevant and new. Parenting feels like a daily battle. Frustrations brew, chaos ensues, and bedtime routine feels like WWIII.

More often than not, my anger gets the best of me. Fatherhood takes a lot of work. Some days I make excuses to not put in the work. Failure and faux pas have become habit. I desire a reset. A new beginning. I want to do better. Become something better. Become someone better for me kids.

Thankfully, I don’t have to look [or travel] that far for the remedy.

The Sacrament of Confession provides Catholics an opportunity to be forgiven and restore one’s relationship with God and their neighbor. St. Isidore of Seville wrote, “Confession heals, confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin, all hope consists in confession; in confession there is a chance for mercy.”

This school year my oldest child receives his First Confession and Eucharist. Next week he will receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. My wife and I have been going through the religious education lessons to prepare him for an understanding and proper disposition to receive the sacrament of healing. In teaching him the basics about this sacrament, I too, actually learned something about Confession.

The Simpler Is Better

Albert Einstein famously quipped, “If you can’t explain it to a six–year–old, you don’t understand it yourself.” It definitely takes a talent to be able to articulate the complexities of the Catholic faith to young minds. This is something I struggle with a bit, but I am getting better.

Simple is better

Less is more. I never actually understand that phrase until after going through these lessons with my son. Sometimes discussion about the sacraments can get bogged down with technical jargon or bias. Essentially the main questions kids and new converts to the faith wonder include:

  • What are sacraments?
  • Why are sacraments important?
  • How do I receive the sacraments

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1131, “The sacraments are efficacious [effective] signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us.” To put it is more basic terms, a sacrament is a visible sign of God’s invisible grace. By receiving the sacraments, we grow closer to God.

A Brief History of Sin and Salvation

Adam and Eve disobeyed God. This disobedience caused sin to enter into the world. Sin separates us from God. God sent His only Son Jesus to restore that relationship through his death on the Cross. Before Jesus’ Ascension he promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide the Apostles. On Pentecost the Holy Spirit met the Apostles and gave them the ability to preach the Gospel.

Sacrament of Confession

The Apostles, the first bishops, ordained their successors. This Apostolic succession continued throughout history. Jesus gave Peter and the rest of the Apostles the authority to forgive sins (see John 20:1-23) and consecrate the Eucharist. Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the successors of the Apostles (bishops) ordain men as priests. Jesus Christ works through those men in the Sacraments of Confession and Eucharist.

We explained to our son that Jesus is working through the priest.  When he will confess his sins to our priest it will actually be Jesus that he will be talking to and it will be Jesus who forgives sins. The priest is an instrument by which God works through.

Mercy

Another lesson I [re]learned in preparing my son for the Sacrament of Confession, is that everyone is in need of God’s mercy. “Even the pope goes to confession!” I told my eight-year-old. I went on to tell him about Saint Pope John XXII who received that sacrament daily.

Although the sacrament of Baptism cleanses us from original sin, humans still have the ability to freely choose to love or to not love God. Choosing to not love God or others results in sin or separation. As a father, I am definitely reminded of my need for forgiveness. Patience does not come naturally. This virtue gets tested daily, hourly, and sometimes every minute in the Chicoine household.

Being able to tell Jesus through the priest of my failures as a parent, husband, friend, worker, and neighbor is an incredible gift. Even more incredible is God’s mercy of absolving me from my past sins.

Reaping the Fruit of Our Sacramental Marriage

The third thing I learned about the Catholic faith while teaching my son about Confession is that the Holy Spirit delays certain gifts and gives them at key times in our life. My wife and I received the Sacrament of Matrimony in 2010. We took [and still take] our faith seriously. The primary purpose of marriage is to help the spouses grow in holiness.

Fruit

According to the Catechism paragraph 1661,

The sacrament of Matrimony signifies the union of Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church; the grace of the sacrament thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life (cf. Council of Trent: DS 1799).

In my post, Toddlers: An Adorable Trace of the Trinity, I wrote, “A fruit of the sacrament of marriage is children…I think of my children as the best gift that God has given me personally to grow in virtue daily.” Kids test your love. They give you opportunities to grow in understanding, patience, kindness, generosity, forgiveness, and gratitude to name just a few virtues. Educating our children about the faith provides my wife and I chances to rekindle our love for the Church and Christ.

before and after confession meme

If you are experiencing doubt, impatience, anger, resentment, worry, or other vices I strongly encourage you to examine your conscience and ask God for forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession.  Build up the Body of Christ and seek God’s mercy!

Related Links

What is the Sacrament of Confession

Why I Love the Sacrament of Confession

Afraid of going to confession? Pray this prayer for courage

How the Sacrament of Confession is Prefigured in the Old Testament

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