Earlier this month I received a Vestrygram on a welcome subject—welcome because it asked about what is perhaps the least-used sacrament of the Church, the one listed in our Prayer Book as The Reconciliation of a Penitent (BCP pp. 446-452). More popularly it is known as Confession.

For many Christians, their biggest exposure to Confession comes from Hollywood, which routinely takes the movie-goer behind the sacred veil—where no one should ever go!—to hear private conversations between priest and penitent. Worse still, these scenes are often cast as comic exchanges, with the petitioner confessing some minor but bizarre foible, followed by the priest giving a bit of humorous advice, along with the inevitable one-hundred “Hail Marys” as a panacea.

No wonder so many Christians look at Confession as an ecclesiastical joke!

Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. The sacrament of Confession is a sacred practice which seeks to bring wholeness and healing. Its scriptural roots spring from James 5:16: “confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.” The hearing of confession and the pronouncing of absolution has always been one of the primary charges of the clergy, following Jesus’ declaration to his disciples, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:23).

Throughout the centuries Christians have been encouraged and sometimes even required to “make confession” at least once a year, often before receiving communion on Easter (cf. 1 Cor 11:28-32). In the Medieval Church, clergy spent a sizeable portion of their week listening to confessions and counseling penitents.

The Protestant Reformation, however, changed this for many Christians. Because of the abuses of church leadership, Protestants tended to reject the notion of ordained intermediaries between the believer and Christ. Such Christians adopted a “rugged individualist” approach to their piety, as so well illustrated in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. As was so often the case with the Reformation, the pendulum swung too far in the opposite direction, resulting in the near abandonment of Confession.

Thankfully, many Protestant Christians are now rediscovering the value of this lost sacrament, particularly in its power to bring about inner cleansing. Ironically, millions have realized this in a sideways fashion through embracing one of the numerous twelve-step programs to overcome an addiction. Here, AA’s original twelve steps were inspired by the reflections of an Episcopal priest, Fr. Sam Shoemaker, who spoke prolifically about the sacrament of Confession! Outside of these programs, Confession remains a potent instrument for clearing one’s conscience and receiving God’s grace and forgiveness.

How does one make Confession? Although some Anglo-Catholic parishes (including my last church) have confessionals to preserve a sense of anonymity between priest and penitent, most Episcopal churches (including Pohick) do not. In this case, the person desiring confession must schedule with a priest a time to meet in a private place (usually a locked church or chapel). While such an arrangement precludes anonymity, another key aspect remains operative: what is said to the priest in Confession remains absolutely confidential. Indeed, this inviolability is even recognized in a court of law.

Once sequestered, the penitent begins the rite by making a startling request: “Bless me, for I have sinned” (BCP p. 447). While we might expect to receive curses for our sinfulness, our faith teaches us that these have already been borne for us on the cross of Calvary. It remains only for us to lay these sins before God in sorrow, which is what the priest then encourages the penitent to do. After adumbrating these sins, the penitent asks for God’s mercy, as well as for words of council and advice from the priest.

This last has commonly been known as penance, a term that has been widely misunderstood. Penance is not some sort of cosmic quid pro quo. Forgiveness is God’s gift to us for the asking. It is not something to be earned. Ever.

Far from being something done to gain forgiveness, penance is instead a sign or act of thanksgiving for the grace of the Holy Spirit that has led the penitent to the point of repentance and restoration with God. More than that, penance seeks outside healing, extending God’s grace to those we may have injured through our sin. In AA, it corresponds to steps eight and nine, where one makes amends to those harmed by past addictive behaviors.

After words of counsel and advice have been given, the priest, convinced of the penitent’s sincerity, pronounces absolution and declares, “The Lord has put away all your sins” (BCP, p. 448). The penitent responds, “Thanks be to God.”

The rite concludes with the priest dismissing the penitent, saying, “Go in peace, and pray for me, a sinner.”

With Holy Week nearly upon us, what better time to consider embracing this sacrament as part of your own personal piety? Please know that both Jane and I are available to hear Confessions, as well as to answer any questions you might have about this rite.

Whatever course you may take, I pray that your Lenten journey may be a holy preparation leading to the great joy of Easter morn.

Faithfully,

Donald D. Binder+

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