The Joy of Reconciliation

There are so many things in life that put a smile on your face. Whether it's a Boston Celtics victory, a kiss from a loved one, or beautiful weather, life has so many things that really give you an extra hop in your step.
Tuesday ended up being one of those days. After months of my Rite of Initiation Class at St. Joseph, I got to experience my first confession.
I know confession is not something most people look forward to, and I can't blame them (and will probably feel the same way at some point down the road). Having to admit all of your terrible faults is not fun. But the general consensus that I got from most people is that, despite not looking forward to the process of confession, the feeling afterwards was a beautiful thing.
I was nervous about my first confession. I know that my past is littered with so many faults. True, I could confess the small stuff to Christ, and receive forgiveness. But sadly, my life wasn't filled with just the small stuff.
I told a friend that mortal sin was subletting an apartment in my soul, and its true. I always felt like it was weighing down on me.
Which made confession even scarier. When I ask God to forgive me, it's comfortable. I don't have to tell anyone my flaws; nobody knows my flaws.
But telling a priest? That's frightening stuff, to air out the bad laundry to another person.
Thank God for it though. I can imagine that confession will come in handy down the road, not just for receiving absolution of sin, but for keeping me accountable. Now, before doing something wrong, I can stop and ask if I'd feel comfortable telling another person about this sin, which could be a deterrent to committing it.
But knowing me, I'll go ahead and do it anyways, as I am a terribly imperfect person.
I know that for so many years, I wondered why it was even necessary to confess sins to a priest. But reading John 20:21-23 solved that question, in which Jesus says, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
Reading that verse reminded me that I wasn't just confessing sins to a man who'd run out and tell everyone (actually, the priest is forbidden to tell anyone what is said in confession). Rather, I was telling my sins to someone who represented Christ.
With that in mind, I waited in line at St. Joseph, very nervous. But once I got into the confessional, and sat face-to-face with the priest, that nervousness melted away, and I left the room a calm, happy person.
A huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. Hearing the priest say that my sins were forgiven was beautiful. It's a moment that made me truly smile, one I won't forget anyime soon (and one I'll be repeating many times, due to my sinful stupidity).
And the beautiful weather didn't hurt either.