The Gospel reading for today is from St. Luke 21:1-4. We all know the story: the rich giving their gifts and the poor widow who puts in only two copper coins into the treasury. After witnessing this Jesus says, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living that she had."

Until recently, when I had one of those "Aha!" moments, I always assumed that part of the lesson in what Jesus is teaching us in this Gospel reading was that those who were rich were in some way doing something wrong: that they were bad for not giving more. I think I always assumed this because Jesus had many hard things to say against the rich and the ruling class of His day. But, if we take the story as it is, we see that He isn't saying anything of the sort. Instead of tearing down the rich He is actually commending the actions of the poor widow. The rich were doing what they were required to do by giving back to God from what He had first given to them. And this is a good thing. But, the widow went a step further and gave all she had. It may not amount to much in the eyes of man but to God it is of great value.

When we give everything that we have and everything we are back to God then we are emulating our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus gave everything for us by becoming a man, teaching us the Truth, dying for our sins and conquering death for us by rising from the grave. We can do good by giving back to Him from what He has given us; like those who are rich in the Gospel story. But, we can do so much more for Him if we, like the poor widow, give Him everything. Therefore, the next time you are at Mass and about to receive Our Lord Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist, remember that through that Sacrament Jesus is once again giving you all of Himself. And then ask yourself, shouldn't you do the same for Him?

I know of a Catholic parish that is named Most Blessed Sacrament. The irony comes from the fact that the moment you walk in the front door you cannot find the Tabernacle.

The above picutre is of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in downtown San Antonio, Texas. There are many historic and beautiful Catholic churches in and around downtown San Antonio but this is my favorite. The primary reason is not because it is beautiful but because of the priest who is its pastor: Fr. Mario Marzocchi.

Fr. Mario has been my confessor, mentor and friend for the past 3 or 4 years, basically, ever since I first went to confession at St. Joseph's. He is a wonderful priest who is definitely not one of those namby-pamby types. So, if you are ever in downtown San Antonio visiting the Alamo or walking down the Riverwalk (St. Joseph's is very close to both) then I highly recommend that you stop in for confession and stay for the daily Mass. Confession starts at 10:45 and Mass is at noon.

But the primary reason for this post isn't to give accolades to Fr. Mario. The primary reason for this post is to talk about confession. I go to confession on a regular basis: at least once every 3-5 weeks. I am not letting you know this to pat myself on the back. I am making this public in the interest of practicing what I preach, or rather preaching what I practice, because I think all Catholics should go to confession on a regular basis.

The official rule of the Church is that all Catholics are obligated to go to confession and confess their grave sins at least once a year. (See the Code of Canon Law #989.) But 988.2 states that it "is recommended to the Christian faithful that they also confess venial sins." Notice, though, that it doesn't say you can only go once a year. Rather, that is our obligation. (Meaning that you must do it - a hint for those for whom it has been years since your last confession.) But why only go once per year?

Having grown up without confession as a Baptist I can say, looking back, that confession is a very crucial aspect that was missing from my Christian Faith. I am not saying I would now be a saint if I had confession while growing up, but I know that it would have helped me a great deal. After all, through confession we are given the forgiveness of post-baptismal sins. And we can be sure of that forgiveness based on Christ's promise to the Apostles, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven." (John 20:23a) If that is the case then why wouldn't we avail ourselves of this Sacrament on a regular basis?

But I think we can easily understand why some people don't - because it is painful to face our own sinfulness. Some people want to think that they are basically good and don't do anything that is really wrong. But if we are basically good then why did Christ have to die for us on the Cross? Christ died for us because all mankind was completely separated from God by a chasm that we could not cross over on our own effort. Therefore, if a particular man says "Well, I'm basically a good person", implying that he doesn't need to go to confession, then he is also in effect saying that Christ didn't need to die for him. And if that is the case then why would this same man call himself a Catholic or even a Christian?

But I believe most Catholics are aware that they are in fact sinners in need of forgiveness. And if you are a part of that majority and haven't been to confession in a few years, or even a few months, then why not go this week?