Confession is a stripping away of protection, the telling of a truth which might once have seemed like a humiliation, become suddenly a gateway, an entrance to solid ground; even a first step home. To confess is to integrate the offending with the offended, inside and out. ~ David Whyte, Consolations
As someone who grew up Catholic, confession is a loaded term for me. I automatically go to a closed in space, where I slide the little screen door open and begin, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.” The place we went to publicly acknowledge our failings to a person of authority.
David Whyte presents the term as liberation and a move towards wholeness, something I never felt behind that screen.
Wholeness does not mean perfection, it means embracing brokenness as an integral part of your life. ~ Parker Palmer, Let your Life Speak
I did feel this liberation one time, a few years back, when I confessed to a close friend that my greatest fear in the world was people. She and I both were shocked by this admission, but as I thought about it, a fear of people was something that had always held me back.
From pretty much that second forward, this fear lost its grip on me. And, believe me, that is liberating.
I think that saying it out loud to a trusted friend made all the difference. Funny how it is similar to the Confession of my youth … but different.
In the early Celtic church, a person who acted as a teacher, companion, or spiritual guide was called an anam cara. It originally referred to someone to whom you confessed, revealing the hidden intimacies of your life. With the anam cara you could share your inner-most self, your mind and your heart. ~ John O’Donohue, Anam Cara
It was hard to find a photograph to go with this reflection. I chose this one because I think our fears can become frozen in us. But, when we shed a little light on them, even embrace them, they begin to melt.
What do you need to confess?
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