July 29, 2026

By Father William Muench
NCC columnist

This is Monday. Each Monday, here in this parish, we are open for confessions, the Sacrament of Penance, later in the afternoon. There are a few priests available. As the day goes along, I will be thinking about the fact that I will be hearing confessions this afternoon. As a spiritual preparation on my part, I plan to take a little time for prayer – a prayer of gratitude to God in thanksgiving that I will properly bring the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness to those who come to me. I thank God for this privilege as a priest and confessor.

I often encourage those who are planning to make a confession in this sacrament to prepare themselves well by praying in remembrance and gratitude of God’s many blessings that God has given to them over their lifetime. They have been blessed and loved . May they remember that God still loves them. Even as they examine their conscience, our God continues to demonstrate his care and concern for them all. God likes them even in their sinfulness.

So, as each of us prepares for confession, we will remember who we are. As we consider our failings, our sins, we will be aware of what we have to change, of how we should live better than ever before empowered by with God’s love and forgiveness – this God who loves us profoundly.

It is all about gratitude. Many spiritual writers remind us that a grateful heart realizes that everything we have is ultimately a gift from God. Every day brings God’s gifts: life, faith, forgiveness, the hope of eternal life. Gratitude changes the way we see ourselves – noticing God’s presence in what we have received. A grateful person will find peace and hope.

Recently, I found this: “Gratitude is not simply saying ‘thank you’ after we receive a blessing. Gratitude is a way of living – a daily recognition that every breath, every grace, and every hope for tomorrow comes from the loving hands of God. The grateful person sees God’s fingerprints everywhere. The sunrise becomes a promise, a meal becomes a blessing, a friend becomes a gift, even a trail becomes an opportunity to trust. Gratitude does not ignore life’s difficulties; it recognizes that God walks with us through them.”

So, I hope that each person who comes to me for confession spends time with God first and takes the time to recognize God’s great love for them – even in their failings – removing all fear, finding the forgiveness of the Lord. In gratitude, they will form a unique relationship with the Lord, so that they are ready to change as they continue to travel along the path to becoming a saint. I want them to never forget that God likes them.

A prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift of life, for the faith you have planted in my heart, for those who have loved me, for the blessings I recognize and those I do not yet see. Teach me to receive each day as a gift from your hand and to live with a heart that continually says, “Thank you.” Amen.