February 28

Psalm 32:5 

Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
   and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’,
   and you forgave the guilt of my sin.  

Tucked away in the Book of Common Prayer on p.447, one finds a gem of spiritual solace, a seldom used sacramental rite for most Episcopalians, “The Reconciliation of a Penitent.”  Reconciliation, or “confession,” as it is sometimes called, is one of those “everyone should, but no one must” kind of rites.  There are two versions in the Prayer Book; both allow for an intimate, face to face encounter between penitent and confessor. 

A confession may be given and heard at any time and in any place agreed upon by the penitent and confessor.  The confessor can be any other Christian and need not be a priest; however, if the confessor is a lay person, absolution is not pronounced to the penitent.  Instead, a declaration of forgiveness is shared. 

Acknowledging our sin before God through the relative anonymity of the various forms for corporate confession, used in the context of our Sunday morning worship, is one thing.  Acknowledging our sin before God with one single person, possibly our priest, present to listen and offer prayerful guidance and forgiveness, is another matter all together.  Reconciliation, as life giving as it is, is also an inherently risky spiritual discipline to practice.  It ushers us into a setting of vulnerability, honesty, and self-awareness that most of us spend a great deal of our lives trying to avoid.  Yet, the act of confession and absolution makes the concept of forgiveness incarnate.  “Our Lord Jesus Christ, who offered himself to be sacrificed for us to the Father, forgives your sins by the grace of the Holy Spirit.” (BCP p.448)