THE P
RTAL
Father Peter ’ s Page
Forgive us our trespasses ...
August 2011 Page 16
Even when I made my first Confession in the Church of England , as a teenager some 40 years ago , I was conscious then that there seemed something slightly out of the ordinary about the action and its theology .
Surely , if there is one thing that leaps from the pages of the New Testament it is that the coming of the Kingdom of God was supremely demonstrated by the proclamation and act of forgiveness .
at the heart of the gospel
If there was / is one supreme quality associated with the mission of Jesus , it was that then – and ever since – the forgiveness of sins was at the heart of the gospel . Was this not fundamental to the ‘ Mission ’ of the Church when He founded it ?
Yet , if this Act was so central and so important to the Christian life , why did I need then to ‘ seek out ’ ( with some difficulty ) a priest for such a ministry ; and why was the existence of such a means of forgiveness not blazoned and practised in all the parishes of the land ?
serious questions and implications
Although I have continuously used this means of Grace throughout the whole of my life I became increasingly conscious that its existence – and practise – was bounded by serious questions and implications before I became a Catholic .
At many gatherings of the wider Church in the past it was made clear that many around me ignored , or in some cases actually denied , that this Act of Forgiveness was a Sacrament at all .
Using references to the ‘ Service of the Visitation of the Sick ’ as adamant proof that Confession was a regular part of one ’ s pilgrimage seemed – even then – a rather convoluted way to defend something which Our Lord had clearly taught and given to his Body , the Church .
As I travelled extensively throughout the Anglican Communion I became increasingly aware that this ‘ gift ’ - far from being ‘ popular ’ or considered ‘ essential ’ - was treated by most as almost the preserve and luxury of the few . few did
“ All may ; Some should ; None must ” increasingly became the mantra of the larger part of the Catholic movement : the result was that in the end “ few did ”!
And those that ‘ did ’ were often seen as either ‘ extreme ’ or ‘ extra devout ’ among the faithful . But did Christ institute the Sacraments for the few , or for the many ?
That the numbers of Confessions heard in Catholic Churches may have declined is not in dispute ; but even those who may sadly treat the Sacrament lightly would adamantly affirm that the Gift of Reconciliation IS a Sacrament and every parish and every priest is conversant and willingly administers it .
fundamental aim is to receive Absolution
The Sacrament of Confession is one of the great ‘ Converting ’ signs of the People of God : I ’ ve sat on a wooden box in an open field full of young people and heard literally hundreds of them . They may appreciate any spiritual advice I give but their fundamental aim is to receive Absolution : To hear again the voice of Christ affirming the washing away of sin .
Wherever one is throughout the world ; Whatever the intelligence / quality of the actual priest involved ; Whatever the ‘ practical ’ arrangements : forgiveness is being proclaimed and Christ ’ s love is being administered .
It was ‘ forgiveness ’ that brought me first to Christ many years ago ; it is that same ‘ forgiveness ’ in its fullness as found in the wonderful gospel Sacrament of Reconciliation that attracted me into the Catholic Church ; and it is that same ‘ forgiveness ’ that sustains me still . I believe that what worked for me , by God ’ s Grace , will work for you .
Father Peter