Catechetical Moment: New Beginnings

I want you to imagine playing golf. You set yourself up carefully at
the first tee. You slowly bring your club back, feeling the energy
build. You swing… the ball sails into the air… wait, no it doesn't…
clunk… it sails into the tree 10 yards down the fairway and ricochets
into the rough.

Mulligan! Do over! Take another shot.

In today's first reading we hear about a "new covenant" which God has
written on our hearts. It is a time of new beginning, a chance for
the people of Israel to begin again after having failed to live up to
their covenant with God.

We celebrate this new covenant in Jesus at this liturgy. But we all
know that sometimes we fail to live out the promise we celebrate. We
have to admit that sometimes our decisions have sent our relationship
with God clunking into a tree. We need a mulligan, a "do over."

On Tuesday night at 7:30pm we will gather together to renew this
covenant through adoration and benediction. Through songs, readings,
and stillness we will prepare ourselves for Easter. We will also have
the opportunity to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation. This
sacrament renews us by wiping away all of our past failures. It
renews our heart and reconciles us with the God who loves us. It
allows us to "do over," to begin again as beloved children of God and
take another shot at living out the promises we celebrate tonight.

Next week is Holy Week. Wouldn't it be nice to enter it freshly
renewed in God's grace? I would urge all of us to take advantage of
the opportunity to end our Lenten journey by celebrating the sacrament
of Reconciliation. The opportunity is here… 7:30pm, Tuesday night.
Come and begin again!