“There is darkness in the human heart, yet the light of Christ is great still. There is darkness in personal, family and social relationships, but the light of Christ is greater. There is darkness in economic, geopolitical and ecological conflicts, yet greater still is the light of Christ.”  Pope Francis

Coming in from the cold night, we joined a large crowd of churchgoers gathered in a semi-darkened church where altar candles flickered. As we waited for the service to begin, our eyes were drawn to the altar in front of which a large amphora was emitting a stream of water made of dark purple fabric cascading down the altar steps upon which candles were set. Other burning candles were depicted on four large banners hanging in the sanctuary. Surrounded by the imagery of light conquering darkness, we had come to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance.

There was a contradiction in what was about to unfold. The congregation of parishioners was large, befitting a major communal celebration. But the heart of the ceremony would be uniquely individual: hundreds of moments in which participants bared their inmost selves to God in the person of a priest. We would never know of the spiritual healing that took place in the secrecy of the confessional that evening. But the fact that there was a Penance Service at all, was its own kind of miracle. 

In contemporary society, sin is not a popular concept. “People are no longer regarded as sinners.,” Pope Paul VI wrote in the 1970s.  “They are categorized as being healthy, sick, good, strong, weak, rich, poor, wise, ignorant.” Always there are excuses: We blame society for our wrong doings and the influence of the environment around us, anything but personal responsibility. To celebrate acknowledgements of sin does not come naturally.

Remarkably that night in church, the community seemed at peace with what was about to take place. What seemed perfectly normal,  however,  was the product of a sometimes contentious journey lasting more than 60 years.

In the 1950s, Catholic spirituality in the United States focused heavily on sin and confession.  Catechism classes at this time carefully dissected the difference between venial and mortal transgression of the laws of God and the Church and these ideas were frequently heard in sermons. In this sin-centered environment need to confess regularly was strongly felt. But within a decade this attitude saw dramatic change.  In the Age of Aquarius, sin and forgiveness seemed irrelevant. 

.In 1973, new prayers of priestly absolution replaced formulas that had been in place since the 1500s.  In the new prayers, God’s Divine mercy was emphasized, and the confessor was asked to be a healer more than a judge. Few noticed these changes, however, and the number of those coming for Saturday Confession continued to fall off. Efforts, such as communal services, to make Penance more appealing also failed — thwarted in many parishes by the practice of offering general absolution in place of individual confession.  In some parishes, confessions were celebrated only by prior appointment with the priest. The practice of frequent confession, once a central element of Catholic spirituality, had all but disappeared. 

Decades passed.  New generations were born who had never known the rigor of the pre-Vatican II church or the turmoil of the years following the Council. Over time, the realities of personal sin and guilt began to be acknowledged– as did the need of the human heart for forgiveness. 

In more recent years, the teaching voice of the church also began to show a new confidence. Notable in this regard were the pastoral sermons of Pope Francis following his election as Pope in 2013. “The Church… is not the master of forgiveness, but its servant.” Pope Francis explained to a group of young priests. “The Church accompanies us on our journey of conversion for the whole of our lives and calls us to experience reconciliation in its communal and ecclesial dimension.… Let us then remember always that God never tires of forgiving us. Let us truly value this sacrament and rejoice in the gift of pardon and healing that comes to us through the ministry of priests.” Three years after his election, Pope Francis launched an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, a period for remission of sins and pardon that emphasized God’s forgiveness.

All of these elements had brought the faithful to church that evening. But equally important at the parish level was the work of successive pastors: the hours spent in the confessional awaiting sinners, their welcoming attitude, their patient reminders to the community about the value of Confession. Eventually, a corner was turned, and parishioners began attending Lenten and Advent penance services. 

That evening, twelve priests drawn from parishes throughout Southern Oregon, heard the confessions in English and Spanish of as many as 300 parishioners. When sins had been acknowledged, advice given, and absolution celebrated, each penitent received a small votive light to illumine and set in front of the altar. By the end of the evening the altar steps were covered with a seemingly endless sea of lights, tangible evidence that though there will always be darkness in human hearts,  the light of Christ is greater still.