He Doesn’t Remember

A Reflection on Confession

Whenever I’ve been asked to speak about the sacrament of reconciliation, a story inevitably comes to mind—a story that has personally inspired great confidence in God’s mercy through confession.

There was once a religious sister who was receiving revelations from God, and the bishop wanted some kind of proof that these visions were legitimate. So he told the sister to ask God what the bishop’s most recently confessed sins were. When the sister returned to the bishop, he asked, “Well? What did God tell you?” “He said he doesn’t remember,” responded the sister. Thus the bishop came to realize that the sister truly was receiving revelations from God.

Now I’ve heard this story told both about Saint Mother Teresa and Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, so it’s possible the account is fictitious. However, even if the story is made up, the point it conveys is a real one. It’s the point that Paul makes when he notes that love does not “count up wrongs" (1 Cor 13:5).

Instead of keeping tallies as to the wrongs we’ve done, the Father rushes out to us as the father to the prodigal son. This is the encounter we get to experience in the sacrament of reconciliation.