You might notice we are doing a different Penitential Rite at Masses here during Lent. This is an option that is seldom used, but is another way to focus on mercy.
At the beginning of every Mass, the priest invites everyone to call to mind their sins in order to prepare themselves to celebrate the Holy Mass. We are all sinners and so the battle against temptation and sin will be waged until the last day of our earthly life. Even the greatest saints, as they grew in holiness and grace, saw how serious was even the slightest of sins. It is very dangerous to assume that even small venial sins are not that big of a deal because they add up. Therefore at the start of Mass we come clean together that we have not lived as we should.
During the season of Lent specifically, we should focus on our sin and our need for mercy. Extenuating circumstances, a bad day, raging hormones don’t let us off the hook: with humility we confess that we’re still struggling and need Our Lord’s help to get the most out of receiving Him in the Eucharist. We don’t go into details out loud, as we would in the Sacrament of Penance, but we do acknowledge our faults and failings and usually after the priest’s invitation there is a moment of silence to reflect on what we’ve done or omitted before we perform a penitential act together.
Sometimes we convince ourselves that as long as we’re not killing anybody we’re okay. But can we do better? Have I never offended God or others in my thoughts? In my words? Have I not done something that I should have done? Everyone in that broad span of areas of spiritual growth can find some room for improvement, and the need to ask for forgiveness.
The priest actually gives us absolution at the conclusion of the Penitential Act. However, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal reminds us (n.51) that this absolution is not the same as the one performed in the Sacrament of Penance. Some sins, due to their seriousness, rupture the communion we have with God and with our fellow believers (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], nn.1440 and 1457), which is why the Sacrament of Penance is also known as the Sacrament of Reconciliation and has the effect of reconciling us with God and with the Church.
Serious sins should be taken to the Sacrament of Penance as soon as possible, and if you have a doubt about whether a sin is serious enough to warrant the Sacrament, go to the sacrament and ask a priest for guidance. Even when we’re not committing serious sins, the Sacrament of Penance is a source of mercy and sacramental grace that can help us overcome our little faults and failings (cf. CCC, n.1458; and Pope Pius XII, Mystic Corpora’s, n.88).
God bless,