A New Creation

A Reflection on the Second Reading for March 30th, 2025:
Fourth Sunday of Lent

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2 Corinthians
5:17-21

Brothers and sisters: If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.

So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake God made Christ to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Christ we might become the righteousness of God.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

These verses from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians have a very special place in my heart. Whenever I pray with them, I am immediately taken back to the time I made my first confession in 25 years (it’s hard to believe it was 5 years ago now – how time flies!). I was in the early stages of my new relationship with Jesus. I had recently finished serving on a ministry team for the first time. I felt called to go to an Advent reconciliation event at my parish. I hadn’t given much thought to how I was going to say all the things weighing on my heart – I just knew I had to try. 

I sat in the pew between two dear friends, fidgeting with the "confession guidelines" I had been given on my way in. My heart was racing. It was finally my turn to sit in front of the priest. I told him I hadn’t been to confession since my grade 9 confirmation, and he provided guidance. Then the words just started pouring out of me, in no particular order. As I confessed sin after sin, tears flowed down my face and my body was trembling. I laid the huge sack of sin-bricks I was carrying at the feet of Jesus and He said I didn’t have to carry it anymore. When it was all over, I felt a huge wave of relief and I heard the words “go in peace, your sins have been forgiven”. I was forgiven! I didn’t know how much I longed for forgiveness until it happened. 

My penance was to pray with this very scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17. Although it was about 10 o’clock at night in the cold of December, I prayed this penance on a run. I felt so different, so physically and spiritually light, that I just felt compelled to be outside and move. I was laughing and crying, and during that run, I knew it was true—I was in fact a new creation. God did not count my trespasses against me. He offered me a fresh start through the ministry of reconciliation. What a gift our Lord has offered us through this sacrament. 

“New” certainly does not mean “perfect”. There are days when I question whether I really am a new creation. I still find myself stuck in patterns of sin I just can’t seem to break. But then I reflect on this confession, and I know without a doubt that I am new. I can stand a little taller, and a little straighter (those sin-bricks were heavy!). This opportunity is available to all of us. Jesus invites us to be washed clean, to become a new creation each time we enter into the sacrament of reconciliation. My prayer for you this Lent is that you embrace this gift of undeserved mercy that God wants to give you and lay your burdens at the foot of the cross.




Lisa Matheson

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