The Bishop Writes

(From the Oct. 1, 1998 edition of the Inland Register)

Our country has been embroiled by the news of the private life of our president. Investigations, testimonies and discussions about forgiveness and reconciliation have consumed the national debate for weeks. At one point in time, a response to the charges was that "this was a private matter and no one else’s business." We have moved far beyond that moment with the disclosure of the private details of a troubled and immoral lifestyle.

Every citizen of this country feels a sense of profound sadness and betrayal. We have the expectation of feeling connected to our national leader. That relationship has been severely strained; for many people, that relationship has been completely broken. However, I don’t want to pursue an assessment of what happened but rather use these events as a point of reflection for our own personal lives, our spiritual journeys.

We have a long-standing tradition in the Catholic Church of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. For us the celebration of the sacrament gives us the opportunity of encountering the merciful Jesus, of entering into intense moments of baring our soul and of knowing that we are forgiven, of receiving penance, and if need be, to do reparation for the damage and harm we have caused.

In addition as we celebrate, we do so in the presence of a confessor who acts on behalf of Jesus and the Church. The Church has long taught that when we sin, there is an impact not only on our relationship with God but also our relationship with one another, with the community. In recent years, the communal celebration of reconciliation has emphasized the social nature of our sinfulness. We gather as a faith community and see one another as sinners. We also begin Eucharist with the penitential rite acknowledging our sinfulness in a communal way and rejoicing in God’s mercy.

As we share our sinfulness with the confessor in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are in a real sense sharing our failings and sins with those whom we have offended: Jesus and the community of faith. The priest represents the Church, accepts the confession of sin, forgives in the name of Jesus, and gives a penance. In such moments of humility and prayerfulness, we are forgiven and the burden of our sins is lifted. Those who have celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation prayerfully and well know the joy, gratitude, and freedom these moments give.

All too often in our society and even in our Church, there can be the sentiment that "my moral life is private. It’s no one else’s business, including the Church." The thinking goes that if people want to have premarital or extra marital sex, that’s their business. If they want to regularly miss Sunday Eucharist, no one else is hurt. If I shoplift, cheat on taxes, am greedy, don’t sacrificially give, no one will miss my contribution or my taking. If I rake somebody over the coals in private conversation, they won’t be affected since they don’t know about it.

No act on my part is really a private matter. Sin always has a social dimension to it and is never private. Strong and rugged individualism in our culture has weakened tremendously our social consciousness.

In the Catholic Church, we have been profoundly bonded together through the sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. If I sin as a bishop, then I hurt the whole diocesan community by my sinfulness. That’s why I, with all of you, must approach regularly the Sacrament of Reconciliation to share my sins and be forgiven. Even the Holy Father himself approaches his confessor with the same needs and receives the same response from Jesus and the Church.

Finally, we need to be patient with one another’s brokenness and sinfulness. We have a great tradition in our Church of public sinners becoming great saints. St. Paul, St. Augustine, and the modern Dorothy Day (not officially declared a saint) became very holy people. That doesn’t mean we don’t take responsibility for our actions, but such examples do say that God’s grace of conversion is tremendously inspiring and powerful.

Jesus’ own examples of reflecting on the unbounded mercy of God in the parable of the prodigal son and his conversation with the apostles about the frequency of the forgiveness ("70 times seven times") tell us how eagerly the "Hound of Heaven" searches us out. We too should have that spirit of eagerness of helping others rise above their brokenness, sinfulness, or lack of response to a deeper life with the Lord and the community of faith.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is no small treasure in our Church, and we shouldn’t treat it as such. We rejoice in God’s mercy and strive to be instruments of peace and reconciliation through our being forgiven. Relationships are restored. The temptation to think our "private life" is not connected to others will be avoided. We will become more free.

May God bless you and give you peace.

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