Beginning Again

Beginning Again

In the past many months we’ve heard the chants of ‘4 More Years’ more times than I can count, and now that the election is over, and indeed we will see four more years, I trust and hope in God to lead our representatives in a way so that they may fulfill their duties honorably and with nobility.

I, now, turn my attention to another momentous occasion featuring the number 4.

As a Catholic mother, leading and forming these five little souls, I must not be preoccupied with things of the past, but focus on things of the present and future, their preparation for the next step in each of their spiritual journeys.

In four weeks, something very special will happen. My fourth child will experience the grandness and endless mercy that only God can give. In 4 weeks, my 4^th child will come forth, with her penitential heart and seek a forgiveness like no other….a supernatural cleansing of her soul.

And as I, her contemplative mother, sit back and reflect on the grand sacrament of Reconciliation, something dawns on me too, the absolute necessity of humans to have a self critique and opportunity for absolution. We are not perfect, will never be. We make mistakes, we forget, we neglect, we let our passions rule us, our emotions take us over and at times, we even can hurt those we love the most.

I am encouraged by my fourth one, my little Entertainer, whose simplicity is a unique and precious gift in addition to the many graces she will attain. She reminds me of the awesome ability, after confession, to start again, to dust oneself off, let it go, and begin anew.

Even the greatest saints had to start again, to let go of past mistakes acknowledging God’s mercy….finding peace and consolation not only in his grace, but the act of forgiving oneself. How we need to hear those precious words of forgiveness, to move ourselves to a place where our own guilt and remorse is let go. It’s not an easy thing at times to forgive oneself, even if God has forgiven us in the sacrament of Penance. We hash things over and over. We remind ourselves of our failings, our faults, and relive the experience hoping for some other outcome, when in the end, we still find ourselves, imperfect and not enough.

It is here, where we lean on God in a special way, to forgive ourselves, to let go. Confession has a way to not only heal our souls, but our conscious, calm our minds, hand whatever it was over to Him, and in one swoop, clean up the mess we had made.

Confession is a fresh start, a new beginning. While recent elections showed our nation clearly divided on many issues, and perhaps mistakes were made during these fierce debates and dialogues all across the country…..perhaps now is the time to join in the repairing of the nation, mending those broken fences.

How do we begin again without a self-reflection on how we went astray?

Did we not treat our fellow man with respect, even if our political, religious and other beliefs weren’t the same? Did we judge them, mistreat them or slander them?

Now, the election may be over, but the work has just begun….not only for our President who must now figure how to unite us all, but for each one of us as well. We all can begin again: a time to forgive, let go, move forward. It can be a time for reconciliation and healing for each one of us, to see how we have failed, God, others and yes, ourselves.

Let us build the bridges of relationships once again, and show the love and charity that God, I am sure, desires to see from each one of us. It is in love that unifies us. It is in this unique charity where our whole nation can come together. But it begins at home. It begins at our own kitchen table….mending the broken bonds between our own friends and family.

As the Moms, let us begin there, teaching our children the infinite value of the ‘I’m sorry’ and the supernatural grace that comes with the ‘I forgive you’.