Fifth Sunday of Lent: Where Mercy Meets Us
Lent is drawing to a close. We have entered the desert. We have faced the reality of sin. We have looked upon the Cross. Now the Church places before us a final, urgent question: Where do we actually encounter the mercy of Christ? Not in theory. Not in vague hope. But concretely — where does forgiveness happen? The answer is clear and unmistakable: In the Sacraments.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus does not forgive sins from a distance. He speaks directly. He touches. He restores. “Your sins are forgiven… go in peace” (cf. Holy Bible). That same authority has been entrusted to the Church.
After the Resurrection, Jesus breathes on the Apostles and says, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them” (cf. John 20:23). This is not symbolic. It is a real gift — a real power — given so that His mercy could remain accessible in every age. This is why the Sacrament of Confession is so essential. Confession is not simply a conversation. It is not counseling. It is not self-expression. It is an encounter with Christ, who absolves, heals, and restores.
In that moment, grace is given.
Sin is forgiven.
The soul is made new.
And yet, many avoid it. Some stay away for years. Some carry the same burdens quietly. Some convince themselves they will go “eventually.” But Lent is not meant for “eventually.” It is meant for now.
There is a second Sacrament that stands at the center of our lives as Catholics: the Eucharist. If Confession restores us, the Eucharist strengthens us. In the Eucharist, we do not receive a symbol. We receive Christ Himself — His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. The same Lord who died on the Cross gives Himself to us as food.
This is why we must approach the altar worthily. To receive the Eucharist while knowingly remaining in serious sin is to contradict what we are receiving. But when we come prepared — with a clean heart and living faith — the Eucharist becomes the source of transformation. The Christian life is not lived on our own strength. It is sustained by grace. As we approach Holy Week, the Church invites us to return fully to the sacramental life.
Go to Confession.
Return to the Eucharist with reverence.
Do not remain at a distance.
The early Church spoke with clarity about this. St. Cyprian of Carthage famously taught that one cannot have God as Father without having the Church as Mother. Why? Because it is through the Church that Christ continues to act — to forgive, to feed, to sanctify.
Lent is ending. Easter is near. Do not let it arrive as just another Sunday. If we have walked this journey seriously — if we have repented, embraced the Cross, and returned to the Sacraments — then Easter will not feel routine. It will feel like new life.
Because that is what it is.
In Christ,
Fr. Joe Connelly