To Confess or Not To Confess....

A reader writes in, "Does the Episcopalian Church practice the Sacrament of Reconciliation?"

The short answer is yes. But the practice does deserve more than a brief affirmation.

Reconciliation of a Penitent is what is often referred to as confession. This probably brings up images of a special booth with a priest on one side of the screen and the penitent on the other as seen in countless movies. As practiced in the Episcopal Church, the place would usually be either the worship space of the church or the clergy person's office.

The saying I heard about confession in The Episcopal Church is "All may. Some should. None must." And with private confession to a priest not being compulsory, most Episcopalians never bother unless they attend an Anglo-Catholic Parish.

I think this is worth a second look as the centuries long practice of confessing one's sins to God in the presence of a priest who can then pronounce absolution is a powerful sacrament. I have found in my own life that it is an important way to make a break with past sins. Saying the confession out loud and having a priest give counsel and pronounce absolution is a powerful act. I not only affirm that The Episcopal Church offers the sacrament of Reconciliation, I recommend the practice highly.

One further word on the sacrament. A monk I know has spoken of the confessional as God's Septic Tank. We dump the waste of our lives in confession, freeing ourselves from the baggage too long carried around. But having cleansed out hearts in confession, we must then let the sins go. To go back over those past failings would be as useful as reaching back into a septic tank to stir up the contents. Confess your sins and God will separate them from you as far as the east is from the west. Confess them in the presence of another, expressing true repentance and amendment of life and you should find it easier to walk away from that past.

Peace, Frank+

Technorati Tags: anglican, Anglo-Catholic, christianity, confession, episcopal, forgiveness, religion, Sacrament of Reconciliation, sacraments, sin

Comments

[Allen]

This may sound crazy, but I am a big fan of the sacrament of reconciliation.
I am new to the Episcopal church and did my first, and to date only, confession on Maundy Thursday back in Holy Week. It was a powerful moment, one that was hard, but fruitful. I certainly felt lighter the rest of the day, and even after attending services at church that night, which was very somber and moving, I couldn't shake the feeling of elation of having purged my sins.

[Andy]

Is it not true to say that Episcopalians practice the Reconciliation/Confession, but we do not believe it to be a sacrament? From my studies I have to to understand that the Episcopal Church, like most other Protestant churches, believe that there are only two "true" sacraments: The Eucharist and Baptism, so saying that the Episcopal Church practices the "sacrament" of Confession is somewhat of an error. I think that it would be called a church rite. Am I correct in this?

[FrDavid]

The correct definition is actually "Sacramental Rite." The term is born out of polemics between Roman Catholics (7 Sacraments) and protestants (2 sacraments). The difference is largely semantic.

David+

[Rachel]

Since becoming an Episcopalian a couple of years ago, I have made three confessions and am planning another one for next week. I believe this sacrament, like all the others, is a gift from God. Now I try and schedule one for each major season of the church year. (Especially the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent.) That way I don't wait to 'feel like it' but take the opportunity to do some real soul searching at least a couple of times a year. Thank you for this great post. I hope others will be moved to let go of their sins this way.

[Dennis Hamm]

Do you have any information on the origins and usages of the Apostles Creed?

[Jone]

I am new to the Episcopal church and did my first, and to date only, confession on Maundy Thursday back in Holy Week. It was a powerful moment, one that was hard, but fruitful.http://www.deansale.com/tibia/tibia-gold.php I certainly felt lighter the rest of the day, and even after attending services at church that night, which was very somber and moving, I couldn't shake the feeling of elation of having purged my sins.Since becoming an Episcopalian a couple of years ago, I have made three confessions and am planning another one for next week. I believe this sacrament, like all the others, is a gift from God. Now I try and schedule one for each major season of the church year. (Especially the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent.) That way I don't wait to 'feel like it' but take the opportunity to do some real soul searching at least a couple of times a year. Thank you for this great post.

[Robert Jennings]

The 1928 Prayer Book, in the Declaration of Absoulution, or Remission of Sins says, "hath given power, and commandment, to his Ministers, to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the Absolution. . ." Question: Where does it say the ministers have been given this power and commandment? Is it from the Old Testament? Help me with this please.
I grew up in the Episcopal church, left for the Jesus movement in the 70's, and have been rediscovering the beauty of the faith of my youth.

Bj

[D]

BJ: The authority to forgive sins is not found in the Old Testament but in the New. John 20: 22-23: "And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained."

People can quibble about just to whom this was addressed and to whom the power was given,but private confession and absolution have been part of the practice of the Universal Church since its earliest days. It, like anything good, was and is subject to abuse, and was a real sticking point to the 'reformers.' They did not reform the practice but abolished it. I think the Anglican/Episcopal Churches have hit just the right note with 'All may, none must, and some should.'

I myself make use of private confession and the longer I live the more I realize that I SHOULD. Saying the General Confession at the Eucharist is something I can mindlessly rattle off. Private confession requires that I actually and rigorously examine my conscience. The benefit of this is twofold: It is therapeutic (as it getting it off my chest) and it is also sacramental, the later meaning that the sins that do truly bind me are truly remitted and make me open to the healing power of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit.