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| Deacon Luke Powers |
There is a saying in the seminary: “As the seminarian, so the priest.” While I have thought about this phrase many times during my years in formation, it has recently taken on a new light.
In this final year before priesthood, I have begun practicing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Of all sacraments that we practice in the seminary, this may be the most daunting.
There is a rite, or rubrics, to follow in each sacrament, but in Confession, there is a great variable present — namely, the penitent.
This may seem obvious, but the only person I have ever heard confess is myself!
I have my own particular way of approaching our Lord to receive his mercy, and so does every other person.
To be invited, even called, to bring the love and mercy of the Trinity to the penitent is a great gift.
This call I do not take lightly; rather, I desire to approach every penitent in the same manner that Christ himself does.
The life a man is living in seminary will greatly reflect his life in priesthood, and I believe that the way a seminarian approaches our Lord in Confession will be revealed in who he is as a confessor.
If I want the people of God to run into the arms of our Lord, then I must run with them.
Approaching Reconciliation in this context has helped me move beyond just my own needs to see this sacrament as an even greater gift, one that brings restoration to the Body of Christ.
It is truly humbling to see priests go to Confession before they themselves step into the confessional.
I have seen this most profoundly here in Rome when our own Holy Father Pope Francis publicly received this Sacrament of Penance in St. Peter’s Basilica.
I hope to imitate the Holy Father in serving as a bridge of compassion for our people and not a wall blocking God’s grace.
Deacon Luke Powers is a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Madison and is currently studying in Rome.