Ash Wednesday 2010

This year my Lenten Wednesdays will emphasize basic catechetical themes -- Confession, Sacraments, Creed, and Lord's Prayer. Today, for Ash Wednesday, we began appropriately with Confession. I read a portion of Martin Luther's Large Catechism, in which he addresses the need for Confession. I appreciated his reminder that the Reformation maintained the practice of Confession but shifted the focus from the abrasive scrutiny of the soul in pursuit of every transgression (large, small, and minute!) to an emphasis on the liberating freedom of forgiveness. It is a powerful gift of God to release us from guilt, worry, and animosity between ourselves and other Christians.