Comments on: In What I Have Failed to Do

By: Bill Przylucki

Bill Przylucki — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:32:49 +0000

I love this post for two reasons. It cuts to the core of what Christianity is all about, and it makes me feel better that I’m not the only born-and-raised Catholic who doesn’t know all the words because my home parish just didn’t do that part.

By: Lacey Louwagie

Lacey Louwagie — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:08:54 +0000

This reminds me of a sermon my parish priest gave a couple years ago, about Lazarus being ignored by the rich man on whose doorstep he lay (Luke 16). The priest made a point of illuminating the fact that the rich man wasn’t denied heaven because he was so mean to Lazarus; the story says nothing about him spitting up on the man, kicking him as he passed by, belittling him, etc. Instead, he was denied heaven because he had the power to help Lazarus — and he didn’t. This fact was very sobering to me, and I do still think about it often. I agree that we often congratulate ourselves prematurely for not committing the “doing” sins, and I appreciate your reflection on this powerful prayer.

By: Becky Schwantes

Becky Schwantes — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:26:54 +0000

I love this, Jessica. The Confiteor is one of those really old but incredibly wonderful prayers that is rich enough for us all to get something new out of it each time we pray it. When I coordinate RCIA or Confirmation programs and need to lead a discussion about the church’s understanding of morality, I ALWAYS give the participants a copy of the Confiteor for us to pray and then delve into. I think the whole of our understanding about how we should live our lives as Christians in relation to God and humanity is wrapped up in this small but powerful prayer.

Thanks for your reflection. Perhaps I will try to mouth “watermelon” over and over again next time my parish recites it to see if that mantra helps me get anything new out of it!