A Meditation on The General Confession in the Penitential Rite of Divine Worship

The following meditation was prepared for our Ordinariate community's online News Notes for the Second Sunday of Lent.

A Meditation on The General Confession in the Penitential Rite of Divine Worship

ALMIGHTY God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, maker of all things, judge of all men:

God is all-knowing, all-seeing. We acknowledge His sovereignty over our lives. He is Lord; He is loving Father. He knows the full content and orientation of our hearts. What might cause us to recoil in horror - and so we should when confronted with our sins - is trumped by God's mercy. God does not lie to us about the condition of our souls. He wants us to be truly free so that we may love truly. A proper and detailed examination of conscience (e.g., made in the pew facing the Blessed Sacrament) invites God the Holy Spirit to help us see clearly those areas of our life that contradict the will of God (St. John 8:32).

We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness, which we from time to time most grievously have committed, by thought, word, and deed, against thy divine majesty,

To acknowledge our sins is to acknowledge the times we have chosen ‘my will’ over God’s will, and chosen an idol instead of God. We acknowledge our need for help to overcome the impediments to God and the life and hope and joy and peace that He offers. The number of our small minded acts of self preservation at the expense of charity, of our placing obstacles in the way of loving God and neighbour, is beyond our ability to fully recall when blinded by sin. So, we must honestly admit that our offences against charity and truth are manifold. The many little "uglies", those acidic cataracts, blind us to the beauty of God and others created in His image. At the words “thought”, “word” and “deed”, we strike our breasts as a sign of repentance from sin. By involving the body, we “bring to light what is concealed in the breast” (St. Augustine, Sermo de verbis Domini, 13).” The breast is proximate to one’s heart, an image or symbol for the seat of evil thoughts. “We strike our breast", says St. Jerome, because we wish to shake the soul and “we wish to purify our hearts (In Ezechiel, c. xviii).”

provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us.

God's wrath may very well be experienced as God allowing us to experience the full consequences of our sinful acts (Romans 1:24-25). God provides opportunities for us to turn to Him again, to be welcomed like the prodigal son (St. Luke 15:11-32).

We do earnestly repent, and are heartily sorry for these our misdoings;

"Perfect contrition (also called contrition of charity) is a repentance for sin that is motivated by faith and the love of God. It contrasts with imperfect contrition, which arises from a less pure motive, such as common decency or fear of Hell (Catechism of the Catholic Church)." By surrendering all pretense, i.e., by admitting the fault of our misdoings (sins of commission and omission) is solely our own, we expose our hearts to a thorough cleansing, to a restoration and peace that only God can and does give.

the remembrance of them is grievous unto us, the burden of them is intolerable.

We remember our sins - and it is far too easy to remember the sins of others - and are prone to despairing over those seemingly unconquerable sins (Romans 7). As many times as we may fall, God will - if we allow Him - hoist us up out of our sins and conquer our despair with His life-restoring mercy.

Have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, forgive us all that is past;

When we confess our sins, God no longer remembers those sins. And, the devil can no longer use those sins against us. God consigns to oblivion all sins absolved in the Sacrament of Penance. Venial or lesser sins that eat away at and damage our relationship with God and which can, if not confessed, lead to mortal sin that destroy our relationship with God, those venial sins are wiped away "by receiving Communion and by the other intercessory prayers of Mass,” as Father Edward McNamara, Professor of Liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University (2005) reminds us.

General Instruction of the Roman Missal

51. (T)he Priest calls upon the whole community to take part in the Penitential Act, which, after a brief pause for silence, it does by means of a formula of general confession. The rite concludes with the Priest’s absolution, which, however, lacks the efficacy of the Sacrament of Penance.

and grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please thee in newness of life, to the honour and glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The General Confession is a gem of a prayer from the Anglican Patrimony received into the Catholic Church. Every time we pray it, we ask God to help us shake loose the grime of sin. The General Confession in the Penitential Rite points us in the direction of the Sacrament of Penance (Confession), “that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.”