Lectionary: 346
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.
The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.
Just to read Saint James' exhortation that I should confess my sins to the friars with whom I live, or my colleagues in the VA, or my family, reminds me of how frightened I am of others.
Where did it come from? How have I even considered myself a well person when I have always been so afraid of self-disclosure?
There is no need to bear these things alone. It doesn't help and it's not necessary.
Nor should my sins alarm anyone. As the wise one said, "There was only one original sin; the rest are just cheap knock-offs." Certainly mine show no great originality.
The first friars of Saint Francis were remarkably open about their fears, failings and sins. Witnesses of the Chapter of Mats, that first great gathering of the entire Order, tell how the young ruffians, bearded, dirty, barefoot and shabby freely confessed their sins to one another. They had no shame and nothing to hide. They had set out on the way of failure with the Greatest Failure of All, the Crucified Lord. They did not hesitate to share their moral and spiritual failings with one another.
In so doing, they enjoyed the freedom of Our Savior's Resurrection. Destroyed utterly by sin, he was raised up by the inexhaustible mercy of God.
So why am I afraid to admit my sins to others?
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.