My daughter recently received the sacrament of confession for the first time, and it reminded me of the beauty of this gift given to us by Jesus. I am very fortunate to belong to a parish which emphasizes the importance of confession; the sacrament is available here every day and twice on Saturday, and our pastor never tires of emphasizing the value of this great means of repentance and reconciliation.

Yesterday, the Pope urged us all to frequent this sacrament, noting how our sins separate us from God like leprosy separated one from his community in Jesus’ time. And as yesterday’s readings showed, it just took the touch of Jesus to heal this man and restore him to fellowship with others.