The Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of the Pope Reconciliation and Penance - Essay Example

The Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of the Pope “Reconciliation and Penance” Summary In his exhortation to the Sixth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Pope John Paul II wrote of the issues of sin, reconciliation and penance, and the role these play in the unfolding saga of human freedom. The shattered relationships and enmities that exist between individuals, social classes, nations, races, religions, and other aggrupations are all traceable to man’s disobedience to God’s will. God’s desire is to unify us to himself and to each other, but sin creates barriers among us which are evidenced in the social phenomena of our times. These include: the disregard for the basic human rights, particularly the right to life “and a worthy quality of life”; repression of the freedom to profess, and practice one’s own faith; discrimination as to race, culture, religion, and so forth; resort to violence and terrorism; the stockpiling of weapons, both conventional and atomic, the funds spent on which could have been devoted to the socially and economically deprived; and the unfair concentration of the world’s resources among a few that continues to exacerbate the gap between the rich and the poor. These are external manifestations of what begins as a wound in man’s innermost self. The first part dealt on the relationship between conversion and reconciliation, and what specifically is the church’s task and commitment in effecting this conversion. The parable of the prodigal son was presented as the backdrop for the discussion on what it is to be reconciled. It discussed what was meant by reconciliation, both from the point of view of the son who strayed and then returned, and the son who remained with the father, but who became jealous and resentful at the return of his brother. The son who strayed committed a sin when he separated himself from the love of his father, and when he has realized and repented, returned with a contrite heart despite the humiliation and shame he must have felt. But he is not the only one who sins in the parable. The upright son, the one who never strayed, resented the first son’s return and compared his father’s show of affection for that son with that showed him. This son also sins, because of his jealousy and disobedience to the desire of the father to welcome his brother. This son needs to be reconciled with his brother and his father, by recognizing his sin and committing himself to reject his sin and do penance. The second part is entitled “The Love that is Greater than Sin.” Sin is the cause of the separation of man from God, and the conflict among men; reconciliation, therefore, could only be effected by turning away from sin. The problem is that most people do not recognize that they are in a state of sin, thereby they are unable to take the first step to reconciliation. When they have taken this first step, recognition of their sins, reconciliation is effected through the grace of God through Jesus and the mystery of the Eucharist – that Christ died to atone for our sins. This is not to say that, being an act of grace endowed through the mercy of God, man does not have to do any other act to perfect the reunion with God. Pope John Paul writes that a sinner who undergoes true repentance will manifest it in the way he lives his life. Thus, our actions are important in completing the process of reconciliation. The third part of the exhortation is called “The Pastoral Ministry of Penance and Reconciliation.” It speaks of the mission of God’s ministers, the priesthood as well as the faithful, to effect reconciliation of themselves and others with God, with oneself, with one’s fellow men, and with the whole of God’s creation. Pope John Paul recalls the teachings of St. Paul that God has bestowed upon Christ’s apostles the task of witnessing to reconciliation and to take this message throughout the world. Reflection Christian theology is a discipline wherein the commitment of faith seeks to understand God’s revelation of divine life in Christ Jesus and through the Spirit. “Systematic theology is the overarching discipline of theology which tries to work out a coherent view of the world by integrating the truths of faith with all other truths we know” (Gula, 1989. p. 6). In his exhortation on the issues discussed by the Synod concerning reconciliation and penance, Pope John Paul II refreshed the teachings of Scripture and the words of the apostles and enlightened the faithful on how these exert a relevant and vital influence in today’s contemporary social dilemmas. He stressed the importance of the Church actualizing reconciliation within herself and with other faiths before she could become a true agent of reconciliation. In his admonition on a reconciled Church: “A church that is catechized to the extent that she carries out catechesis… Finally, in order that the church may say that she is completely reconciled, she feels that it is her duty to strive ever harder, by promoting the “dialogue of salvation,”…to those vast sections of humanity in the modern world that do not share her faith…” (from Pope John Paul II’s Exhortation, Reconciliation and Penance). Not long after he wrote this, the Pope performed an act unprecedented in the Church’s long history: in March, 2000, he publicly recalled (“confessed” if you will) “a millennium of atrocities, from the Crusades through the Inquisition and the Holocaust” (Gordon, et al., 2000). By this act he sought to account, and express repentance, for all the sins committed in the name of the Catholic faith for the past one thousand years, during his preparation for his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. His act of humility is part of actualizing the Church’s teaching on reconciliation. The Pope’s example shows us the many ways reconciliation can be effected. During our parents’ time, reconciliation was done “in the box,” that is, referring to the confessional and using the formulaic prayers, wherein one also had to enumerate the type of sin and the number of times that sin was committed. The penitent was then given a prescribed penance in the number of Our Fathers, Hail Mary’s, and Glory Be’s he must recite. After Vatican II in the mid-sixties, the rigidity of the sacrament of penance was replaced by a more meaningful, more profound approach to reconciliation that enhanced the substance as it downplayed the form of the sacrament. McClory (1995) wrote in the National Catholic Reporter of three forms by which the sacrament may be carried out: (1) individual confession to a priest; (2) communal penance with one-on-one confession as part of the service; and (3) the emergency form with individual confession delayed. There is also a hybrid termed “two-and-a-half” wherein the penitent may tell, if he so wished, only one or two sins or a sinful tendency in their lives. McClory concludes: “Confession…has not disappeared, as some believe. It has just experienced a period of profound mutation in pastoral practice.” The new forms of reconciliation is deplored by some, welcome by others. It has, to some extent, perplexed some of the priests themselves (McClory, 1995). But many are coming to terms with the true meaning of reconciliation. For instance, Gabe Huck, then director of Liturgical Training Publications in Chicago, wisely observed that ritual forms may find varying expressions across time, but the essence will always proceed from the Scriptures and what it says about the nature of evil, sin, repentance, and reconciliation, and actualize these even in our night prayers “as we repent the day’s evil bless God for the day’s grace” (McClory, 1995). But what, then, are the fruits of this reconciliation in the lives of the faithful? In a survey conducted by Father Mark Boyer among the readership of The Mirror, the Catholic newspaper in Missouri of which he is editor, it was shown that while a high percentage agreed that it was difficult to forgive someone who had wronged them (48%, against 43% who disagreed), 95% believed that the ability to forgive comes through grace, and that 70% feel that forgiveness is not complete unless the penitent makes amends also. But what is remarkable is that 67% expect to find forgiveness from others for their wrongdoings – a resounding expression of trust and reliance in the goodness of one’s fellow men (Boyer, 1994). This is proof that the healing power of reconciliation bears fruit in the lives of the faithful. “[A]nother aspect to the mysterium pietatis: The loving kindness of God toward the Christian must be matched by the piety of the Christian toward God” (from Reconciliation and Penance). Because of the forgiveness we experience through the grace of God, it is also through God’s loving grace that we find the strength to forgive, and the hope and trust in finding forgiveness from others when we fall into sin. Such is the healing power within the communion fostered by God’s love replicated and mirrored among the faithful. Our priests have proven, in general, stalwart agents of God’s forgiveness, and should take heart that their words of advice, enlightenment and encouragement are not lost upon the flock. There is no greater joy than the experience of being reconciled with God through the sacrament of penance, for those who sincerely take the sacrament as an opportunity to get closer to God. It may happen that many of the faithful lose sight of this after their first communion, and avoid the confessional (or reconciliation room) for years or even decades after, disenchanted with the idea of baring their sins to a stranger. But for those who have experienced the grace in seeking the guidance and benediction of God through his anointed servants, there is a inward peace in being restored to the state of grace – and, when once experienced, become accustomed – “addicted” – to it and seek it incessantly (Kandra, 2008). This is, it appears, the “conversion” that Pope John Paul teaches, the renewal of the innermost self, without which true reconciliation will not take place. The priest plays a pivotal role in the reconciliation of repentant men to God and others. References Appleby, R. Scott. 1999. How the church has learned to say, `Im sorry. U.S. Catholic, 64 (3): 40. Boyer, Mark G. 1994. Do Catholics forgive as they have been forgiven? U.S. Catholic, 59 (9): 6-15. Gibson, Kevin, William Bottom, and J. Keith Murnighan. 1999. Once Bitten: Defection and Reconciliation in a Cooperative Enterprise. Business Ethics Quarterly 9 (1): 69-85. Gordon, Devin, Bret Begun, Thomas Hayden, and Tripti Lahiri. 2000. Repentance, But Not Reconciliation. Newsweek, 135 (12): 4. Gula, Richard M. 1989. Reason Informed by Faith: Foundations of Catholic Morality. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press. Hear What the Spirit Is Saying.. Priest, Jul2008, 64 (7): 10-15. Kandra, Greg. 2008 Joy of transformation : rediscovering the sacrament of reconciliation. America, 198(7): 20-22. Landman, Janet. 2001. The Limits of Reconciliation: The Story of a Perpetrator, Katherine Ann Power. Social Justice Research, 14 (2): 171-188. Martin, James, SJ. 2007. Bless me, Father : can confession make a comeback? America, 196(18): 13-16. McGlory, Robert. 1995. Forgiveness within and outside `the box. National Catholic Reporter, 31 (44): 9-10. McLaughlin, Robert E. 2002. Forgive us our sins : but how? Commonweal, 129(21): 13-15. Quinn, Frank C. 2004. Forty Years and Counting: Vatican II and the Transformation of the Liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church. Liturgy, 19 (2): 3-9. Sherry, Mary. 2001. True Confession. America, 185 (16): 18. Weigel, George. 1999. Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II. New York, N.Y.: Harper Perennial. Wilson, George B. 2007. Musings of an old-time confessor. America, 196(18): 25-26. Woods, Walter J. 1985. To Walk Together Again (Book Review). Theological Studies, 46 (1): 139-141. Read More