This is an important day for us, boys and girls, isn’t it! This morning, these priest friends of ours have come to help us open our hearts to Jesus.

None of us is perfect, are we? Sometimes we make mistakes, all of us do, you do, your parents do, your brothers and sisters do and I do.

We can all look back and think, man, I could’ve done better, something different.

But do you know what this means? This means that we all need help to be saints.

Confession is a way of saying, “I need help to be better, and to be more like a Christian should be, to be more human for others.”

Jesus wants to be in your heart and He wants to help you. But, you know what? You have to ask first.

Your mom and dad and I know that if we go through life without asking for help, or that if we think we can be forgiven without asking, we’re setting ourselves up for a closed heart, a heart no ready to be open for Jesus.

Today, we want to follow the Shepherd; we want to follow the Light that is Christ. We want to follow Him into the Confessional so He can give us through the hands of the priest, His mercy and forgiveness.

Your first Confession makes me very happy because I know you will be ready to accept into your heart the Holy Communion of Jesus; God’s greatest gift!

Your parents will be happy because you will become better members of your family. And you should be happy because you, with God’s help, will be able to be better for others, giving others the sharing the same mercy and forgiveness you have been given today.