And miles to go

Penance

After presenting to a local CCW council a reflection on our current Plan for Parishes (i.e. the how and the why behind the concepts of an Area Faith Community or an Oratory), I entertained questions from the audience. One lady related a particularly difficult conversation which she had had with an older man whose parish was transitioning to oratory status. So "inconvenienced" was he in having to travel to another neighboring parish that he threatened to join another denomination altogether.  How, the lady asked, do you respond to this question of "inconvenience"?

I guess I begin answering that question with another, "When did our faith in Jesus Christ and His Body, the Church, ever become a matter of ‘convenience?’" The heart of our Catholic belief lies in the meaning of the Lord’s Cross without which the Resurrection would not have happened and, as St. Paul writes, we would all be lost. (See Gal 3:1-14, Phil 3:7-11.)  The Lord’s Cross does not speak to us of "convenience."

Yet, we live in a society that has placed the value of convenience ahead of even religious truths.  Convenience gives rise to the fast food industry. Convenience explains the popularity of the internet and cell phones. Convenience justifies commercial stores being open on Sunday. Convenience has likewise given us "no-fault" divorce.

No wonder it is so difficult in today’s American society for the Church to preach a message of self-sacrificing love, the discipline of virtue and a mastery over our passions. All of this requires effort, at times heroic effort. None of it falls under the guise of "convenience."

In 1973, the Holy See promulgated a new order of the Rite of Penance.  One of the unique qualities of Rite II was the introduction of a communal reading of Scripture, a communal examination of conscience and a communal acknowledgement of sin.  True to the nature and history of the Sacrament, however, was the insistence on individual confession of sin with individual absolution. 

General Absolution was reserved for emergency situations when one would not have another opportunity to confess for a long time (defined as a month or more). Liturgical innovators suggested, however, that General Absolution should be a more commonly celebrated form of the Rite, which led to its widespread use because it was so "convenient."  This was not the intention of the Church’s theology nor, for that matter, the intention of the Vatican II documents, as a close reading will verify. But the misuse of the Rite has led to confusion about the sacramental nature of grace, a general denial of the seriousness of sin, a lessening of the importance of the priesthood and a loss of countless opportunities for spiritual growth. In my humble opinion, these results are the work of the Evil One.

But, you know, you do not have to take my opinion on this. One only has to turn to Sacred Scripture: On that first Easter Sunday, despite locked doors, Jesus appeared to his apostles, bidding them "shalom," that reconciling gift meant to overcome their abandonment of Him in His hour of need. Within that very context of His forgiveness of them, Jesus said: "Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven. Whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."

The power of giving or withholding forgiveness, then, presumes that the apostles had knowledge of what was to be forgiven or not.

The grace of new life offered in the Resurrection permeates all of reality.  Yes, one can go into a corner and ask God’s forgiveness, but this is not what Jesus asked us to do. Do we take Jesus at his Word or do we merely accept what happens to be more "convenient"?  In contrast to secular wisdom, love not only means having to say you are sorry, it also means showing the depth of that sorrow in an incarnational way.

Again, we look to the Scriptural evidence of Jesus’ ministry: He healed groups, he multiplied the bread and fish for the many, but whenever He forgave sins, He did so individually, one-on-one, one at a time.

Other Scriptural influence to ponder:

1 John 1:9             "If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just and will forgive our sins . . ."

Romans 10:10      "Confession on the lips [leads] to salvation."

James 5:14-16      "Therefore confess your sins to one another . . . that you may be healed."

This Scriptural testimony is supported by early Church writings:  The Didadie, the Letter to Barnabas, the Letter of St. Ignatius of Antioch to the Church at Philadelphia in Asia Minor, as well as the Letter of St. Clement of Rome to the Corinthians.

The bottom line here is that there is no theological justification from Scripture or Tradition to justify the ordinary use of General Absolution.

That being said, I also understand that those who innocently participated in its use for years, may now feel embarrassed returning to the practice of confessing their sins to the priest. I ask our priests to be especially sensitive to their dilemma and to offer compassionate assistance at every opportunity. I also ask that priests publicly acknowledge the problem and invite the faithful to confess their sins.

Indeed, the celebration of the Sacrament of Penance is possible only through Christ’s self-sacrifice on the Cross. That sacrifice was not "convenient" by any standard, and precisely in that way, it was redemptive!

God love you!

December, 2006

Falta Mucho por Recorrer

En 1973, la Santa Sede promulgó una nueva orden del Rito de Penitencia. Una de las cualidades únicas del Rito II fue la introducción de una lectura comunitaria de la Escritura, un examen de conciencia comunitario y un conocimiento comunitario del pecado. Fiel a la naturaleza y a la historia del sacramento, sin embargo, fue la insistencia con respecto a la confesión individual del pecado con absolución individual.

La absolución general era reservada sólo para situaciones de emergencia cuando uno no tuviera la oportunidad de confesarse durante mucho tiempo (defínase como un mes o más). Las innovaciones litúrgicas sugerían, sin embargo, que la absolución general debería ser una forma más comúnmente celebrada del Rito, que condujo a su uso generalizado porque era muy "conveniente". Ésta no fue la intención de la teología de la Iglesia ni, para ese tema, la intención de los documentos del Vaticano II, lo que se verificaría con una lectura cuidadosa. Pero el uso erróneo del Ritual ha conducido a la confusión sobre la naturaleza sacramental de la gracia, una negación general de la gravedad del pecado, una minimización de la importancia del sacerdocio y una pérdida de incontables oportunidades para el crecimiento espiritual. Que en mi humilde opinión, esos son los  resultados del trabajo del maligno.

La gracia de la nueva vida ofrecida en la resurrección impregna todo de realidad. Sí, uno puede pararse en una esquina y pedir el perdón de Dios, pero esto no es lo que Jesús nos  pidió que hiciéramos. ¿Tomamos la palabra de Jesús en serio o simplemente aceptamos qué suceda lo más  "conveniente?" En comparación con la sabiduría secular, amor  no sólo significa tener que decir que usted  está arrepentido, sino que demuestre también con hechos la profundidad de su arrepentimiento.

Otra vez, observamos la evidencia en las escrituras del ministerio de Jesús: Él curó a grupos, multiplicó el pan y los peces para muchos, pero cada vez que él perdonaba los pecados, lo hizo muy  individualmente, uno a uno, uno a la vez.

El resultado final aquí es que  no existe justificación teológica procedente de la Escritura o Tradición para justificar el uso común de la Absolución General.

Con respecto a lo antes mencionado, también comprendo los que participaron inocentemente en su uso por años, quizás ahora se sientan avergonzados de volver a la práctica de confesar sus pecados al sacerdote. Pido que nuestros sacerdotes sean especialmente sensibles a su dilema y ofrezcan su ayuda compasiva cada oportunidad que sea necesaria. También pido  que los sacerdotes que reconozcan públicamente el problema e inviten a los fieles a confesar sus pecados.

De hecho, la celebración del sacramento de la Penitencia es posible solamente a través del auto-sacrificio de Cristo en la cruz. ¡Ese sacrificio no era "conveniente" para ningún modelo, y precisamente de esa manera, esta  fue redentora!

¡Que Dios los bendiga!

December, 2006