Rebuilding bridges
“The Sacrament of Reconciliation”, alias “Confessions”. What we call it emphasises what we see it to be. “Confessions” suggests it is all the work of ourselves – though in fact it is the Holy Spirit which prompts our conscience in the first place. “Reconciliation” suggests a meeting between two, a bridge being restored, a renewed relationship.
Our parish children are at present being prepared for their First Reconciliation, which takes place in the church on St. Patrick’s Day – not in the Confessional, though we do show them that, so they understand how it ‘works’. And we teach them the word ‘Reconciliation’, so introducing them to the language of six-syllable words.
Having said all that, the Latin title of the sacrament is not Sacramentum reconciliationis. It is Sacramentum penitentiae, literally ‘Sacrament of Penance’ or of ‘Penitence’. Penitence is our sorrow for sin, penance is the atoning for that sin in some way, as when the priest ‘gives one a penance’. A different emphasis again, to be honest not as complete a notion as ‘reconciliation’
There are other emphases, too. One is the communal nature of sin. It is quite wrong to think: ‘My sin is a private matter between me and God’. All sin, however ‘privately’ committed, impacts on the world at large; it weakens the threads of love and trust. If you came to the talk on “Celebrating Lent the Orthodox Way” on March 2, you heard how the Orthodox, on the day before Lent, hold the “Service of Forgiveness”, where everybody present asks forgiveness of everybody else, albeit without listing details.
That is the main point of our celebrating a Parish Service of Reconciliation in Lent (March 23, 8pm). By coming together we recognise the weakening of the social bond which sin causes, and the strengthening brought about by forgiveness.
In our primary school, given the large numbers, the children write their sins on cards, which they even decorate and illustrate. The priests read the cards and give Absolution, and the cards are fed into a shredder before the children’s eyes, to show them that the sin is ‘gone’.
In France there is now a ‘confess by mobile phone service’ – of which the French church does not approve – by which at 0.34 euros per minute one can speak of one’s sin to God. Mon Dieu! So God has a mobile phone after all – no wonder he is always ringing during Mass.
Next we will have text-message Confession: i bad sind comm. 1 3 6 9 and presumably Penance & Absolution: 2 OF, 2HM, 2GB, u OK. Have nice day. Gd.