Word to the Wise
Wednesday, January 8, 2025 - Tuesday after Epiphany, or Jan. 8
[1 John 4:7-10 and Mark 6:34-44]Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him....There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. [1 John]
Many of us who grew up in the sacramental practice of the Catholic church in the first half of the 20th century, before the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), and before the liturgical/sacramental reforms of that council, were taught an "Act of Contrition" to be said after we were given a penance to perform (usually traditional prayers - 3 Our Fathers, 3 Hail Mary's, etc.). That Act of Contrition contained the lines, "I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell..but most of all because they offend thee, my God who are all good and deserving of all my love....." After 53+ years of hearing confessions and hearing people rush through that prayer, I finally realized that there is nothing about the offending of neighbor or the need to forgive. The emphasis is really on the fear of hell. The emphasis was also on individual acts that could be identified in exhaustive pamphlets available in the back of the church, near the confessional!!
The efforts to reform the Sacrament of Reconciliation (formerly named Penance or popularly called "Confession.") have only been partially successful (less fearful "confessionals" with the option of "face to face" encounter.) The "dread the loss" - fear - element is still there. The individualism is still there. Where is love to be found? The First Letter of John (and the Gospel According to John) tell us that we cannot expect to love God if we do not also love our neighbor. That "horizontal" dimension was often missing in the sacrament. We must BE forgiving if we expect to BE forgiven! At parish missions I started using an Examination of Conscience that focused on forgiveness, and the results were quite startling in a very positive way. How much are we motivated by fear ("imperfect contrition") instead of love ("perfect contrition")? The first scripture for today really challenges us to ask that question! AMEN