By Fr. Liam J. Tuffy, Assistant, Church of St. Jude

So you want to know more about penitential services! Why have a penitential service? What is it? Is it a kind of Protestant penance thing? Where can I participate in such a service to see what it is all about?

The priests at St. Jude’s Church, Sandy Springs, have thought a lot about the problems of ‘Confessions’ and how to do something about the problem. In an attempt to make the sacrament less of an ordeal and more of a genuine meeting with Christ, we propose to have penitential services on Fridays; December 4th, 11th and 18th, to help people to prepare for the season of peace by a better season of preparation and penance.

We want to propose that the Sacrament of Penance is a proclamation of joy because sin is forgiven; a public proclamation that God is a forgiving God rather than a bureaucratic cataloger of sins. We want to propose that the sacrament is worship; a community act of worship because it involves calling on God to forgive us; asking for his help to keep us in the renewed direction of our lives, and thanking God in the anticipation of His ever-present help. When I say that the service is a proclamation, let me hasten to add that this does not mean that those who come publicly proclaim their personal sins before the congregation. However, private confession will be available during the service to those who may wish to participate to the full.

Why have such services? There are many reasons; one being that the sacramental rite needs an airing. In other words, there are many popular misconceptions about penance that we feel we should do something about clarifying them. One very popular misconception today is that we no longer need to go to confession. People say, “But, I have done nothing wrong!” They either have very hazy views on right and wrong or else it would appear that they are no longer human. The Book of Wisdom says, “The just man falls seven times a day”... and he was only just ... we are called to perfection. St. John reminds us that this was a problem in traumatic experience, all this may be true as far as it goes but we must admit to a personal responsibility for our faults. If we do not we are making the same mistake as poor Adam and Eve, and she blamed the serpent, and so we go on down the line until there is nobody to accept responsibility and yet everybody knows exactly where the blame lies. We should hold the mirror up and view ourselves and find help from somebody or something, then we are in trouble - we are saying, “Start the revolution without me.” If we want a revolution, if we want real authentic change, we have got to start the cycle within ourselves; otherwise how can we possibly lead the way.