Monday, November 29, 2004
RCIA tonight is attending our annual Penance Service. Our parish will have seven priests, including our own, in-house to hear confessions and our RCIA class is to attend, take part in the prayers and readings, but not confess yet ourselves.
I think all Christians link the coming birthday of Jesus to His return in the end days, but all churches don't practice the sacrament of reconcilation. I both look forward to and rather dread confession. As a Methodist, I certainly sought forgiveness of sin on my own, in the privacy of my prayers and heart. I can tell you that this didn't always feel successful: I felt the need to revisit and seek forgiveness for the same instances of sin multiple times. So I look forward to laying these instances down for good (I hope), and yet I do not look forward to having to share them with a priest. I find this somewhat similar to being worried about health problems or dental problems... looking forward to not having the problem anymore, but fearing the process of getting there. Really, why shouldn't it be the same. Sick body, sick tooth, sick spirit... they seek their own expert.
I think all Christians link the coming birthday of Jesus to His return in the end days, but all churches don't practice the sacrament of reconcilation. I both look forward to and rather dread confession. As a Methodist, I certainly sought forgiveness of sin on my own, in the privacy of my prayers and heart. I can tell you that this didn't always feel successful: I felt the need to revisit and seek forgiveness for the same instances of sin multiple times. So I look forward to laying these instances down for good (I hope), and yet I do not look forward to having to share them with a priest. I find this somewhat similar to being worried about health problems or dental problems... looking forward to not having the problem anymore, but fearing the process of getting there. Really, why shouldn't it be the same. Sick body, sick tooth, sick spirit... they seek their own expert.
