Sacrament of Reconciliation

March 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. As we begin the season of Lent, please allow me to share some thoughts with you.

God’s desire for us is exactly that: God desires us. He has created us so that we will enter into a relationship with Him now and which lasts into all eternity. We choose whether or not we will enter into this relationship. We choose whether or not Jesus is worth following. We chose whether to live our life in accord with God’s will. Jesus made a very sobering statement in the Gospel when He stated: “Therefore, everyone who acknowledges Me before others, I will acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before others, I will deny him before My Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 10:32-33) The choice is always ours to make. God will not impose Himself on a heart which does not want Him. He will always respect our free will.

We acknowledge God before others by the way we live our daily lives: by what we say and do, by the way we treat others, by the values we live by. Lent is an opportunity to examine our lives and to see if we are living lives which acknowledge Him before others. During Lent we can take stock of our lives through prayer, fasting, generosity, spiritual reading, spiritual advice, examination of our actions, and sorting out our hidden motivations.

If we are honest, each one of us can identify where we are failing to live in a way that acknowledges God before others. We sin. Lent is the time for us to repent of our sins, turn back to God, change our lives, and become the person God calls us to be.

Lent is truly a gift to us. It is a time for us to heal our relationship with God. One way we can do this is to use the Sacrament of Confession. I urge each of us to admit our sins and to go to Confession this Lent. Let us not allow anything to keep us back from our repentance and God’s forgiveness. The stakes are too high. Our eternal salvation is at stake. Let us use this time wisely. Let us make the most of this time mindful that we are created for eternal life. May God bless you and your loved ones.

Sincerely in the Lord,

Most Reverend Thomas J. Rodi

Archbishop of Mobile