Wow! It doesn't seem like it's been over four months since I last wrote, but I suppose that means parish life is good and adequately busy. I also think I was plagued by a Demotivational poster I once saw that read: Blogging, never have so many with so little to say said so much to so few. I must admit that it's hard to write while wondering if anyone's out there reading! So if you find my thoughts helpful (or infuriating) please do let me know!
What follows below is a little reflection I wrote in our parish weekly on the how and why of Confession, especially as we approach Easter. I hope you find it beneficial.
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The Forgiveness of Christ and the Absolution of the Church
“Our Lord Jesus Christ, who
has left power to his Church to absolve all sinners who truly repent and
believe in him, of his great mercy forgive you all your offenses; and by his
authority committed to me, I absolve you from all your sins: In the Name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
-Priest’s pronouncement of
absolution, the Reconciliation of a Penitent (BCP, 448)
As we make our way through
Lent and approach Holy Week and the glory of Easter itself, I want to encourage
you to consider availing yourself of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Indeed,
while it is always available, the Church especially encourages Her members to
make use of it as holy preparation for Easter.
I know some of you are unfamiliar with the how and why of Reconciliation,
so I will briefly reflect upon why we all ought to make use of Reconciliation,
at lease annually, and how it works in a practical sense.
There is an old Episcopal
saying about who should come to Confession, “All may, some should, and none must.”
Everyone is invited to make their confession and receive forgiveness from
Christ and absolution from His Church. Those who are plagued by habitual sin
and need certain assurance of God’s forgiveness, as well as those who need
counsel in order to grow in virtue and set sin aside really should make use of
Confession. If you are not certain if God has forgiven you of a sin, I assure
you that you would benefit from receiving absolution from your priest. It is
healing to bring sin into the light of day and receive absolution. However, and
fortunately for most of us, in The Episcopal Church no one is absolutely
required to come to Confession. God is perfectly able to forgive you in the
quietness of your heart, and no human person can stop you from receiving God’s
forgiveness. This is why, in the above absolution it is Christ who forgives and
is primary, and the priest—standing in His place—secondarily absolves and
assures the penitent of Christ’s love and forgiveness. I cannot make you come
to Confession, but I can humbly suggest that if you try it you will be amazed
by the experience of God’s forgiveness, love, and grace that it provides.
I would also like to address
a few practical issues regarding Confession. First, what happens in Confession
stays in Confession. The seal of the confessional is absolute and no priest
will ever (on pain of essentially defrocking himself) share anything that is
said in Confession with anyone, ever. Even if someone confesses to a crime in
the confessional, the priest cannot report it to the authorities, although he
certainly would withhold the absolution until the penitent had also confessed
the crime to the authorities. In addition, what is said in Confession does not
affect the relationship between the priest and penitent outside of that
context. A priest will never bring up with you, even in private, the subject of
a prior confession unless you initiate and ask for further counsel. If you
choose to come to Confession, you can be well assured that only you, the
priest, and God will know what was discussed.
Wishing you and yours a most holy Lent,
David+
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