To prepare Benedict for receiving his First Communion and Confirmation, Alison and I thought he should go to Reconciliation the week before. It’s not a hard sell for Benedict. He’s seen me go regularly for years, and every time I invited him to come, he always accepts.

Our pastor was away on vacation, leaving only the Associate whose primary responsibilities are care for the Hispanic community in our parish. In fact, he speaks very little English at all.

I knew this ahead of time, and tried my best to prepare Benedict. This was only going to be his third or fourth confession, and I wanted to make sure that he knew to go through the sequence as normal. Even though he may not understand the priest’s words, it was still a valid sacrament.

Benedict has prayed at bilingual Masses, so he understands that there are equivalent prayers in other languages, but this was his first real experience of the universal Church. In a confessional at the back of his parish, he received the loving mercy of Christ, and didn’t understand a word that the priest said. That is a really cool thing.

Tags: Sacraments