Friday, March 4, 2022
Feast of Saint Casimir of Poland
"Betwixt the stirrup and the ground
Mercy I asked, and mercy found."
Dear Friend,
It was the morning of D-Day. June 6, 1944. Father Francis Sampson, Chaplain in the 101st Airborne Division, found himself in a French farmhouse, ministering to the wounded. His makeshift aid station was soon surrounded by Nazi soldiers. In fact, they were SS. They set up a machine gun to finish off the American wounded. Fr. Sampson, bravely attempting to call them off, was captured and was about to be shot himself when a Catholic German officer intervened to save his life.
Recounting this harrowing episode, Fr. Sampson recalled how he had tried to make the Act of Contrition but was so nervous that all that came to him was a Grace Before Meals, “Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts!” Regardless of the words, Fr. Sampson’s prayer was answered and his life was spared along with those of the wounded American servicemen.
Pictured top Father Francis Sampson, Chaplain in the 101st Airborne Division, in later years; immediately below is an image of Father Sampson offering Holy Mass for US servicemen in 1943.
So, what’s the moral of this true story? That we should all try to memorize the Act of Contrition, even if we don’t always remember it! That’s I want to talk about in, this, Week 9 of Disciples Together on the Way.
Many of us learned an Act of Contrition as children in preparation for our First Reconciliation. The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church offers the traditional Act of Contrition as follows:
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen.
A newer translation from the Rite of Penance is similar:
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In his name, my God, have mercy.
"Starting Sunday, I want each of us to recite nightly the Act of Contrition. It is my hope that in doing this we will memorize this prayer,"
While one may formulate his own act of contrition, the theology of these traditional formulae is rich and worthy of a brief reflection.
To begin, recall that if we want God to forgive our sins, we must be sorry for our sins; We must be contrite. Contrition is itself a working of grace. Perfect Contrition arises in our hearts when we detest our sins because we do not want to offend the One we love. Imperfect Contrition arises not from love, but from a fear of eternal damnation. While our contrition may be motived out of fear in the early stages of discipleship, the goal for a disciple is to hate our sins out of love for God. Indeed, the greatest gains in the struggle against sin are made when the love of God in our hearts is stronger than the allure of sin.
Next, while we cannot guarantee we will never sin again, we must at least have The resolution to cease committing that sin. This resolution must also include avoiding those situations that I know can lead me to sin. For example, we must not go to a bar if we have committed the sin of drunkenness.
Finally, why is praying the Act of Contrition helpful in growing as disciple? Because by our contrition, we open ourselves to God’s fatherly and merciful heart. After his infidelity with Bathsheba, King David prayed another act of contrition, Psalm 51, which concludes: “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” We would do well to follow David’s example of offering our contrite hearts to the Lord each day.
Hence, my challenge this week: Starting Sunday, I want each of us to recite nightly the Act of Contrition. It is my hope that in doing this we will memorize this prayer.
See you next week as we continue our pilgrimage as Disciples Together on the Way. Until then, may God bless you throughout this coming week, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Assuring you of my prayers, I am sincerely yours in Christ,
+ Earl Boyea
Bishop of Lansing
Bishop of Lansing
P.S. Here's this week's message in video form. Do feel free to share it with family and friends and encourage them to join us as Disciples Together on the Way. They can text ONTHEWAY to 84576 to sign up or click here to register. It’s that easy!
Watch: Here are some of the sights and sounds of the Diocese of Lansing’s recent Made for Mission Conference which brought together over 800 clergy, religious, parish staff, teachers and other lay faithful from across the diocese in order to pray, listen and discuss the next steps in the diocesan Realign Resources for Mission process.
“The goal of Made for Mission is to get the whole diocese on board with breaking out of a ‘maintenance mindset’ and actually flowing into a ‘mission mindset’ and then, once we get those people into the pews, helping them to grow in that relationship with Jesus,” said Father Jim Rolph, co-host of the one-day conference which took place February 24 in Howell. To read a full report on the conference, click here.
Watch: Diocese of Lansing seminarian Peter Randolph says an unshakable desire to bring Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist to a world in desperate need of His divine love is what motivated him to take his first steps upon the path to the sacred priesthood.
“In my last semester [at Ave Maria University in Florida], I was serving Mass and I just remember looking out at the congregation and seeing a bunch of my friends and feeling like, ‘Man, I just have such a love for these people, how can I best show my love for them?’" says 23-year-old Peter who hails from the parish of Christ the King in Ann Arbor.
"And what better way than to give myself over like Jesus did on the cross but, of course, for me, that would be at the altar.”
“In my last semester [at Ave Maria University in Florida], I was serving Mass and I just remember looking out at the congregation and seeing a bunch of my friends and feeling like, ‘Man, I just have such a love for these people, how can I best show my love for them?’" says 23-year-old Peter who hails from the parish of Christ the King in Ann Arbor.
"And what better way than to give myself over like Jesus did on the cross but, of course, for me, that would be at the altar.”
Peter is now studying at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. Please do keep Peter in your prayers in the months and years to come. Saint Charles Borromeo, patron of seminarians, pray for him.
Read: With smiling seminarian, Jon Bokuniewicz, on the front cover, this month's edition of FAITH Magazine, the official publication of the Diocese of Lansing, is dedicated to the launch of the Diocesan Services Appeal 2022.
Funding the increased number of Diocese of Lansing seminarians is just one the many ways DSA helps to bring Jesus Christ and His Holy Church to people in this part of Michigan. This year's appeal is inspired by Saint Paul's exhortation to the Hebrews: "Stir up one another to love and good works," (Hebrews 10:24).
Funding the increased number of Diocese of Lansing seminarians is just one the many ways DSA helps to bring Jesus Christ and His Holy Church to people in this part of Michigan. This year's appeal is inspired by Saint Paul's exhortation to the Hebrews: "Stir up one another to love and good works," (Hebrews 10:24).
"Brothers and sisters, the Catholic Church – through our parishes, our Catholic Charities agencies, our Catholic schools, and dozens of other ministries – provides vital care and service to all Christ’s people in the Diocese of Lansing.," explains Bishop Boyea.
"I ask you to join me, and join together, in contributing to DSA. With your support, and stirred by the Spirit, we’ll help one another to share God’s love and carry out the work of our Church in the year ahead. These many good works unify us, disciples, together on the way!"
"I ask you to join me, and join together, in contributing to DSA. With your support, and stirred by the Spirit, we’ll help one another to share God’s love and carry out the work of our Church in the year ahead. These many good works unify us, disciples, together on the way!"
The DSA is an annual appeal, meaning gifts are used to sustain the ongoing, day-to-day work of the Church in our Diocese. Your contributions are put to work, right away, in a multitude of ministries and activities. The dollars are not invested or reserved for future use. Click here to find out more.
