Dear Friend,

Friday, February 23, 2024

Reflection by Rev. Msgr. Joseph Reilly, S.T.L., Ph.D.

I recently watched an interview with Billy Joel about his new song, Turn the Lights Back On (his first in 17 years).  While I am an enthusiastic fan, I must admit that, when I first heard the song, it didn’t do much for me.  Several days later, I was speaking with someone who said how much she liked the song and suggested the YouTube of the interview.  During the course of the interview, Billy Joel mentions that part of his inspiration came from a 1956 song that was sung in 1960 by French singer Edith Piaf called Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (“No, I do not regret anything”).  I have liked the song since I first heard it played when I was studying French in high school.   

A life with no regrets.  Billy Joel would strongly disagree with this claim.  From beginning to end, his new song says that human life is filled with regrets.  The power of pride and the need to seek forgiveness are part of the dynamic of human living.  In the context of the relationships that make up our lives, we all must acknowledge that we have made mistakes, that there are things that we regret.  In his own words, “one thousand apologies to thousands of people.” 

It seems to me that this Holy Season is about just that – coming to grips with our own “regret.”  By that I mean when we humbly recognize that our hearts need to change and that we need to be reconciled with one another and with God. We come up against this regret.  Yet so many of us make a life out of stewing over injuries and holding onto hurts.  Jesus invites us to look to his face today, and to see in his eyes the tender love and mercy of God.  Be reconciled!

“Our humility catches the eye of God.  He doesn’t look away.  God comes to the heart that is broken and humbled. … God sees his Divine Son shining through our sinfulness, our faultiness, our clumsiness, our perseverance in mediocrity, and the sight of him is irresistible.”  (Mother Mary Francis, PCC)

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Rev. Msgr. Joseph Reilly, S.T.L., Ph.D., Vice Provost for Academics and Catholic Identity Seton Hall University and Rector/Dean Emeritus, Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology. He holds a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, a licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL) from Pontificio Istituto Teresianum, Rome, and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Fordham University. He has served as a member of the Archdiocesan Priest Personnel Board, the Advisory Committee on Continuing Education and Ongoing Formation of Priests, the Archdiocesan Vocations Board, and the Board of Trustees of Seton Hall University. Pope John Paul II named him a Chaplain to His Holiness in 2005, with the title of Reverend Monsignor. In 2016 during the Holy Year of Mercy, the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization sought priests who were living signs "of the Father's welcome to all those in search of His forgiveness." He was the only priest from the Archdiocese of Newark formally commissioned as a Missionary of Mercy by Pope Francis.