The Sacraments as Means of Grace part 5: Reconciliation

As my church does not hold Ash Wednesday services, my wife and I often attend Roman Catholic mass on that day. The last time we went, the priest began his sermon (not homily, this guy likes to preach!) by telling us how popular Ash Wednesday services have become. His phone had been ringing all week, from all sorts of people calling to find out service times. Some asked if they could just swing by his office and get ash on their forehead. He told them “No,” and that they would have to participate in the whole service in order to receive ash at the end. He said that Ash Wednesday services were already more well attended than Christmas, and, if the trend continued, would even surpass Easter. Despite his striking statistics, he had something even more powerful and convicting to say next.

“Ash Wednesday is about recognizing our sin and need to be reconciled to God, but if that is really important to you, the time you really need to be here is not Ash Wednesday, but every Friday night, when we have confession.” I may not have quoted him exactly here, but as he went on, I got the impression that while every Ash Wednesday service of the day had been packed to overflowing, any random Friday I would have my choice of seats, and the priest and I might be the only people there. I find it sad that people seem quicker to confess on Post Secret than at church. (WARNING: Post Secret is sometimes NSFW!)

I appreciate that the Roman Catholic Church has renamed this sacrament from “confession” to “reconciliation” (along with “last rites” to “anointing of the sick’). Although not counted as a sacrament of the gospel, both Protestants and Catholics practice reconciliation. “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18).

I wonder, however, if Reformers dropped this as a sacrament because of abuses rather than Scripture. Jesus commands reconciliation in Matthew 5:22-26 and Matthew 18:15-35. Furthermore, two verses we often pull out of context (Matthew 18:19-20), promise the presence of Jesus when believers come together for this purpose. However, in a time when The Church wielded political power, the confession of a king might be used as blackmail instead of a means of grace.

When believers confess sin to each other (James 5:16), we Protestants often call this means of grace “accountability,” and when it involves the restoration of a relationship, whether between individuals or groups of people, we call it “reconciliation.” God is both the primary person we must be reconciled with, and the source of our reconciliation with others. One main difference between the Protestant view versus the Roman Catholic view is whether confession should or must be given to a priest/clergy or is primarily between and individual and God.

Catholics also believe that forgiveness comes from God, not from the priest, but in my wife’s own words, “There is something powerful and meaningful when someone you see as a spiritual authority tells you and affirms you with the words, ‘You are forgiven.'” Therein lies the means of grace. Furthermore, when a person is given proper penance to perform, the grace extends to others. For example, if a girl confessed unkindness to her sibling, rather than reciting the Hail Mary ten times, that sister might be instructed to voluntarily do a few of her sibling’s chores as a show of loving-kindness.