a lawless blog

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time A

September 4, 2011

Reading I: Ezekiel 33:7-9
Responsorial Psalm: 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
Reading II: Romans 13:8-10
Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20

What's wrong with going to confession?

The mention of “church” in the gospel reading would seem to indicate that some of this passage comes from the early church community rather than from an actual conversation between Jesus and his disciples in Galilee. This does not make it less authentic, since the gospels are the written record of the faith of those early communities rather than an “historical” account of what Jesus said and did. But it does allow us to investigate the place of healing forgiveness in the christian community.

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.”

The 'brother' is a fellow member of the community in Christ. I wonder how many of us actually recognise that we are not supposed to suffer in silence, brooding on the offence, secretly planning our revenge while always telling ourselves we would not do anything to harm the so-and-so. Here we are told that we should have it out with him, and in the light of the first reading this is an important matter.

First, talk about it one-to-one, in private. The next step, if necessary, is to take a couple of others with you for a more formal discussion of the problem, and only after that fails should it be brought into the open in the community. I think the underlying assumption is that secrecy can be deadly. Like dry rot it can destroy the fabric of the community, and even eat the heart out of a person. Let's talk about it!

“If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.” An excellent commentary on this is found in Paul's letter to the Corinthians which is well worth a read in the New American Bible: 1 Cor 5,1-13.

"It is widely reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans—a man living with his father’s wife. And you are inflated with pride. Should you not rather have been sorrowful? The one who did this deed should be expelled from your midst..."

Forgiveness is one of the hallmarks of christianity. However, if forgiveness is taken to such an extreme that it denies natural justice or common sense, there must be something wrong. If we are not prepared to put our foot down and say: Enough! we become complicit in the wrong-doing. It seems that the church has gone soft in the head in this regard, and the rot is widespread.

I think one element causing this rot is the way we practice sacramental confession. Instead of arranging for an open confrontation with the one who does serious wrong, we tell him/her to go to confession. In the confessional, secrecy is supreme.

Confession will be the chosen topic for many homilies on this gospel passage, explaining how the sacrament of reconciliation is contained in the the promise: "Whatever you bind on earth..." It should be noted that the context of reconciliation is always reconciliation in and with the community.  "The words bind and loose mean: whomever you exclude from your communion, will be excluded from communion with God; whomever you receive anew into your communion, God will welcome back into his. Reconciliation with the Church is inseparable from reconciliation with God, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it. (No. 1445)  They are two sides of the one coin, and need to be seen as such. In fact it is the reconciliation with the community that is the sign [sacrament] of one being reconciled with God. Our practice of private confession stretches this symbolism till it is practically invisible.

There is some essential reading posted on Catholica in the last few days. Check out some posts in this thread: www.catholica.com.au/forum/index.php?id=82754