Self-Care and the Rite of Reconciliation with Amy

Self-Care and the Rite of Reconciliation

...these new things are from God who reconciled us to himself (2 Cor 5: 18 CEB)

The sacrament of Confession - known in the Episcopal Church as the Rite of Reconciliation of a Penitent found here - is the ultimate act of self-care.

I am being irreverent here, and too casual, and perhaps even rude, but I want to get your attention.

For many of us the act of making private confession in the presence of a priest may bring up all kinds of painful feelings. Perhaps some of us grew up in a tradition that required confession at a young age, and that was a bewildering and confusing experience. Perhaps some of us met with a confessor as an adult and were left feeling full of shame, unworthy, less than. Perhaps some of us have been harmed by the institutional Church and the idea that we somehow should seek absolution from the institution that harmed us only brings up more pain. Perhaps some of us figure that since during Sunday worship we pray the General Confession together (here) and receive absolution from clergy, that that in itself is enough.

This Sunday we will hear from Paul's Second letter to the Church in Corinth. In it Paul writes that all things have become new in Christ and that God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is...entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. (2 Cor 5: 18-19 NRSV)

While my reasons differ from those above, I myself did not make my first confession until well in adulthood. The season of Lent is a time particularly suited for self-examination, repentance and reconciliation. I invite you to consider this rite this Lent, if you haven't before, and to reach out to me, Kristofer and/or others at St. Francis to explore whether it might be right for you.