The Church is not only a sign of conversion but also the universal sacrament of salvation. Sins are Christian's failure to respond to Christ's call to holiness, their infidelity to their baptismal pledge as members of the covenant community, and obstacles to the Church's mission of signing salvation to all the world. Sin and penance are first seen in relation to God: sin offends God by breaking asunder the love relationship that commits us to God. The purpose of penance, then, is a deeper love and a total commitment on our part. While the trinitarian nature of the return is noted, the social and ecclesial character of sin and reconciliation is more absorbing. The Christian's sin and holiness affects other Christians and the Church as a whole. Penance consequently always involves reconciliation with those who have been harmed by our sins. Sin is social (e.g. people cooperate in committing injustice) and so people should also help one another do penance. Liberated from sin by Christ's grace, they can then work together with all people of goodwill for justice and peace in the world.
James Dallen, The Reconciling Community
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment