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I Confess (Jacob Thomas Vilayil)

Published on 09 August, 2018
I Confess (Jacob Thomas Vilayil)
The turmoil that surrounds the traditional churches in India in the light of the prevailing and pervasive sexual allegations has caused anxiety and anguish among the faithful's. The scenario that decimated churches in the west and forced shutter many dioceses is rearing its ugly head in the east. This angst has forced the clergy and the laity to examine the sacrament of confession- widely perceived as the initiator of sex crimes-the former defending the practice and the latter questioning the validity and religiosity of that practice. This is a small endeavor to find truth and expose the intricacies of this topic as a means to increase the vibrancy and potency for further examination heralding change.

The Confession as practiced  today- as an annual rite during the great Lent was enacted and promulgated by Pope Innocent III (1198-1216 ) at the Fourth  Lateran council (1215)- 12th ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, convened at the Lateran Palace, Rome.  In 1910 the historic document- Quam Singulari- spelled out in the most explicit terms- the age of discretion for both Confession and Communion as the age of seven. Thus children in their formative periods were handed a heavy burden of sin which scarred many for life and exposed them to abuse and manipulation-an easy thing to cover up in the prevailing atmosphere of the church. The act of confession by the wronged- sought remission of sins from another priest- who admonish them for their sins and help cover up the sins of the fellow priests thus perpetuating the crime. The crime was so pervasive in the United States that the church had to pay three billion dollars to settle the lawsuits. Not a chip change. What a way to squander the established resources of the church for nefarious schemes!

  A historical outlook on this topic need close examination over the entire texts of the Bible. Confession practiced by the Jews during the time of Jesus was rather quaint and fool hardy. The Jews used to get to the top of the house; the roof and yelled out loud their sins and proudly proclaimed them a sinner before the community thus outsmarting the neighbor. This became a farce and a nuisance. They also had a yearly period of Yom Kippur for reflection of their sins and seek forgiveness from the person whom they have wronged. This helped the close-knit community of the Jews to survive without friction, personal grudge and animosity. In Mark 2; 1-12; Jesus heals a paralyzed man and forgives his sins. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" It was well established throughout Hebrew tradition that The Lord Almighty is the only one who can forgive sins and give absolution. There are verses a galore to establish this in the old testaments before we seek those in the new testaments. Isaiah 43: 25:"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. Psalms 32:5; Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord. "And you forgave the guilt of my sin." David the psalmist who committed grave sins of murder and covetousness when confronted with his sin by Prophet Nathan composed one of the most important Psalms- Psalms 51- psalm of contrition, remorse an abject surrender to the Lord seeking restitution. This psalm is central to the faith that it is recited at every occasion in the Orthodox creed. This prayer plainly expresses the notion of God forgiving our sins and trespasses.Psalms 51; 1-2; have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.2 Samuel 12; 13; Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die". Samuel 9:4-5; "Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. Thus we see a direct communication with God for seeking mercy and compassion.

Jesus as the Son has power to forgive sins and provide absolution a well-established fact as revealed by the bible. The convention of baptism was established to 'wash away" sins and turn oneself into a new person, unblemished and pure. The advent of John the Baptist changed the old Hebrew tradition into a worthy practice and Jesus embraced it whole-heartedly.The Mosaic Law strictly distinguishes between "clean" and "unclean". Water is one of the means used to bring about ritual purity establishing ritual washing before prayer. Unclean individuals- in a religious sense- had to subject to a bath of purification as in Leviticus 13-15.

Ezekiel 16: 9 mentions a washing with water and an anointing with oil, through which Jerusalem was received into a covenant of salvation. This can also be understood as a reference to Holy Baptism with water as the Holy Seal of covenant. Church Historians cite Noah and his entrance to the Ark as metaphorical baptism and the Israelites crossing the parted red sea as baptismal initiation before reaching the Promised Land. Thus the practice of baptism was established to wash away sins and it was rooted firmly in the minds of the people. A historical study on Saint Augustine of Hippo (354 AD- 430 AD) reveals the faith in baptism well entrenched that people delayed baptism to the very end-before death- for fear of going to hell due to sins accrued after the baptism. The article on faith; the Nicene Creed 382 AD - credo in Latin means I believe- established "one baptism for the remission of sins". This document was well established and faithfully followed to this day. The act of repentance was notably featured in the book of Jonah who exhorted the people of Nineveh to repent and seek absolution from the Lord. Thus we see that there was no established practices of confession to another person in the Hebrew tradition. In Leviticus 6:6 Yahweh commands Moses to instruct people to seek restitution of their petty crimes; theft, larceny and extortion.

The New Testament bears the hallmark of baptism as the ritual to wipe away sins. In Mark 16:16; "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. In Acts 2:38   Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thus we see the apostle peter baptizing the faithful for the remission of sins. Peter did not talk about confession of sins as a requirement for salvation. When Saul of Tarsus in his pursuit to suppress Christianity stoned Stephen-the first martyr of Christ- who later became the messenger of Christ and its propagandist was never asked to confess his mortal sin to Ananias. Saul got baptized and transformed and his 'mortal sins' were forgiven. Paul- the apostle of the Gentiles-have not sought confession as a means for the forgiveness of mortal sins.

Ephesians 4:4-6; There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;  one Lord, one faith, one baptism;  one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all-the new creed, a summary of the faith! The gospels are replete with verses where the sins are forgiven without confession. Jesus excoriated the Pharisees for their covetousness in continuing the practice of sacrifices to God and immensely profiting from it. The Sermon on the Mount and the Lord's Prayer are two glistening jewels of the ministry of Jesus; admitted even by agnostics as scholarly. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says; blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. The bible inexplicably talks about how to regain a chaste heart without discounting the fact of the original sin-a sin for which Jesus came to this world and shed his blood on the cross. Matthew chapter 6 talks extensively about how to pray and not to imitate the Hebrews who show a mockery of the prayer by stark exhibitionism.Matthew 6-7: And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So the Father in heaven knows your heart and your wants and needs-the one who examines the heart as the psalmist proudly exclaims in many verses of the songs. So what does the only one prayer Jesus taught his disciples-the Lord's prayer- say about sin? "Forgive our debts and sins as we also have forgiven our debtors". So the remission of sin is predicated on the condition of us forgiving those who have wronged us in any manner shape or form. Jesus tells Peter to forgive seven times seventy thy brother and provides the parable of the servant whose debts were forgiven by the master. If we can ask the Lord for our daily bread why can't He deliver us absolution!For giving alms-Matthew 6:4;thatthine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. The Lord examines our secret heart and understand our temptations as we are of this world-a world full of sin and misery.Jesus-unblemished, not of this world- alone can deliver us from our evil nature and the evil one masquerading as serpent.

The examples set by Jesus speaks volume about the sins of the world and how to be absolved of it. The story of the prodigal son is one of redemption and of the power of repentance-a story set foot in the Hebrew tradition and points to the Christians about the Almighty Lord, whose fatherhood was depicted as paternalistic, vengeful and heavy handed. The prodigal son is an allegory-from the first sin of Adam to the sin of the present-and the redemptive power of a remorseful heart-a heart which the heavenly father witnessed in him. The prodigal son did not confess his sins but felt the heavy pangs of sin in his heart- a penitent heart- a heart the Heavenly father knew. The heavenly father welcomed the "new son" not prodigal any more into his heavenly table of eternal happiness. Jesus as the Son has the power to examine the heart as evidenced by the bible. He saw the past of the Samaritan woman whom he met at the well, and by exposing her secret life changed her to be a believer. Jesus at his last supper understood the thoughts of Judas Iscariot and without hesitation gave him the bread and wine that symbolizes the Eucharist as practiced today. It is the free will that is given to man to live in this world-a world that cannot reconcile with the heavenly kingdom. So Jesus did not admonish Judas but gave him the bread and wine. So if Jesus himself gave the sinner Judas the "Eucharistic bread and wine' who can deny anyone this redemptive bread and wine? Why does the church hell-bent on wearing the mantle of saving the humanity from sin by means not sanctioned by the bible and established Holy wars and crusades in the zeal to conversion thus committing genocide. Confession as established and practiced today must not be a pre-requisite for communion. Jesus on the cross gave absolution to the thief who was crucified with him as he saw his penitent heart and took him to paradise. So if a sinner of such nature can receive redemption who else can't receive it? Jesus is the Prophet, the High Priest and the King and is the only one who has the power of redemption to heal the afflicted and offer the redemptive power of absolution.

Jesus shed his blood on the cross for saving the humanity from eternal damnation-the core of the Christian theology; it is teleology to state otherwise. He is the lamb who takes away the sins of the world. 1 Timothy 2:5 ; For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; so Jesus is the only mediator and intercessor. James 5:16;therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. The verse means we are to admit the fault committed against our brother - whomever we sin against- and tell that to the very person we have wronged, not say it to a third party. The problem is solved only when one confess it to the person we offended. Thus if your sins are not "mortal" but "venial" -the categories set by the Catholic Church- one can receive absolution of sins by talking to the person one have wronged and paying restitution. The Catholic Church early on decided against the confession of venial sins.  For crimes that are mortal we have to pay proper penalty by submitting to the law and paying proper price for the grave sin. The Thief on the cross has paid his penalty for the crimes he committed on this world-he acknowledged that on the cross to the other thief- and received eternal salvation by his penitent heart. The Lord in his abundant mercy has the power to forgive; not another person who is born as a sinner just like you and me. There is only one man-the Son- who was born unblemished in this world has the power of forgiving our sins. He was the sacrificial lamb on the cross-the greatest sacrifice- for the sins of the world. The Bible establishes the unlimited Grace as the precursor to wipe out our sins not our earthly deeds and oblations.

The current scenario of crimes against God and the Holy spirit- by men of priesthood- unravels the urgency to seek an amiable and amicable solution to the act of confession as practiced today. The abhorrent practice of revealing the confessional secrets to another and thus using it to coerce women and children into following the misdeeds of the priest has sowed confusion and misgivings about the sanctity of this sacrament. The current policy of coercive confession- a requirement for attending parish assembly and serving in administrative capacities- an annual ritual is a farce. The clergy and the laity has taken it literally thus missing the soul of this act of contrition and the priests hearing no 'confession' but absolving the "sinless" and establishing an 'order of saints' in the church. The act of seeking the forgiveness of sins is a very personal matter and in the current age and times needs revision as the new age of technology has changed the way things work- the "holy iPad' replacing the "The Holy Bible" in some of the pulpit and even sanctioned by the Bishop's. The last time technology changed the Church was when the printing press helped fan the flames of protestant movement of Marin Luther. The current technological era is an epoch making one and its reach and ramifications cannot be ignored. Thus the sacraments of confession for the needy-the one who needs another warm human being to patiently hear their omissions and remorse's -can be kept and the annual ritual of rushed and coerced confessions annulled for the betterment of the church. Anyone who needs a confession at the very moment can use 'face to face' technology- a face time confession to seek solace-an instant gratification from the priest of their choice. A nagging question has been in my mind for a while and now seek an answer! The priests who engaged in sexual misconduct- a grave sin against God and Holy Spirit-gave confession and absolution of sins to the laity on a regular basis, while continuing this pernicious crimes; does their offering of absolution valid? If so? How is that valid? If not valid, does those people need to address their sins- for which they sought remission- again and seek restitution from another priest?

 It is foolhardy to think like the Pope of the dark ages-Pope Innocent III and Pope Nicholas who declared themselves as Gods- thus establishing laws that questions the inerrancy of the bible. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) wrote: "We may according to the fullness of our power, dispose of the law and dispense above the law. Those whom the Pope of Rome doth separate, it is not a man that separates them but God. For the Pope holdeth place on earth, not simply of a man but of the true God." (1 Book of Gregory 9 Decret. c. 3). Pope Nicholas said of himself: "I am in all and above all, so that God Himself and I, the vicar of God, hath both one consistory, and I am able to do almost all that God can do.; wherefore, if those things that I do be said not to be done of man, but of God, what do you make of me but God?  This spiritual hubris and the arrogance of power help promulgate laws that were never questioned and led to crusades, forceful conversion and worldwide genocide. Moreover, the sale of indulgences as an annulment of sins and the guarantor of heaven paved the way for the great Protestant movement of Martin Luther.

 The Church goes through declensions and revivals and this is the time for such revival; a new path if the clarion call for change is well heeded. The church has lost its established moral mooring of the past and to regain the glory thus lost needs drastic change-a change for transparency and truth. Truth, whole truth and nothing but truth must prevail. Obfuscation, cover up and dilly-dallying are questionable in a moral, ethical and spiritual organization of fame and repute. The credibility of the church is at the low point and to regain its past glory needs fundamental change and humility among theLeadership. The faithful of the church who want the Christian faith to survive has always offered timely solutions and it is high time to listen to them-a belated attempt to ward off disastrous consequences as happened in the west -the clock is ticking.
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