Sacraments
Reconciliation/Penance
What we hear commonly called confession is one of the most misunderstood sacraments in the Church, and yet is by far one of the most healing.
Forgiveness is not foreign to us. Everyday of our lives, we seek to right a wrong we may have committed with a friend or family member, or we seek to right a wrong in our community or world. God also seeks us. God longs for us to enter into a conversion process of turning away from sin. All of us are in need of God’s embrace. All of us have been reconciled with God by the blood of Jesus Christ. And yet, probably our greatest fear is to confront those “stumbling blocks” which inhibit us from a life in Christ. The sacrament of Reconciliation/Penance aids us in the call to conversion of Jesus. Through the sacrament we obtain pardon from God’s mercy and are reconciled with the Church and community which have been wounded by our sins.
The sacrament of Reconciliation is offer twice a week at Newman: Tuesdays & Thursdays from 3:30 - 4:30 pm at St. Philip Neri Chapel or by appointment by contacting Fr. John Titus at 217-345-3332 or frjohn@saintcharleschurch.org.
Anointing of the Sick
Illness and suffering confront us all of the time: family members, friends, and our own colds and aches. It is definitely one of the times we come face to face with our humanity, our finiteness. Illness can turn us inward, sometimes even to despair. We will even use our prayer as a “bargaining chip” and when God doesn’t fulfill his end of the deal we walk.
The Lord Jesus is the physician of our souls and bodies. Throughout the gospels Jesus’ compassion toward the sick and his many healings are a wonderful sign that God cares deeply for his people. God does not abandon us in our sufferings. Jesus’ compassion runs so deep that he personally identifies with the sick “for I was sick and you visited me.” (Mt. 25:36). The invitation for us is to link our suffering with the suffering of Christ. The mission of us disciples to do as Christ did: to carry our cross, to heal, to embrace a life of service and compassion.
Fr. John is willing to anoint those who are tried by illness. The sacrament can strengthen anyone confronting illness or surgery. It is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Obviously it is appropriate for those who have inoperable cancer, but it is not a “sacrament for the dying”. Please feel free to contact Fr. John Titus at 217-345-3332 or frjohn@saintcharleschurch.org.