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True Penance

We need to overcome sin, not blink at it.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

  - Romans 12.21

True penance is not to commit things worthy of repentance but to lament what has been committed. But since this is annulled by the weakness of many, not to say of all, the measures of penance must be known.

  - Columbanus, Penitential, Irish, 7th century[1]

The Scriptures are clear that Christians are to be holy, as their heavenly Father is holy, and that, in the fear of Him, we must strive to bring holiness to completion day by day (Matt. 5.48; 2 Cor. 7.1).

To aid us in this calling, God has sent us His Holy Spirit, Who rewrites His holy and righteous and good Law on our hearts (Rom. 7.12; Ezek. 36.26, 27), and, using all His Holy Word, transforms us from glory to glory into the holy image of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3.12-18).

Our duty is to take up and submit to these resources, so that we might learn Jesus and overcome the sinful ways of our former lives (Eph. 4.17-24).

This does not imply that, by diligently working out our salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2.13), we somehow become holy with a holiness we have achieved or sustain by our efforts. Rather, the effort we must make is that of continually repenting and turning away from sin, to make room for the Spirit of God – the Holy Spirit of God – to stretch out in us, with all His mind, fruit, gifts, and power (Eph. 3.20; Phil. 2.13; Rom. 8.5-9; Gal. 5.22, 23; 1 Cor. 12.7-11; Acts 1.8).

Celtic Christians were serious about holiness. They pursued it earnestly through the rigorous observation of spiritual disciplines, and by working together in common mission for the Lord. They encouraged one another in becoming holy. And whenever sin found its way into their lives, they submitted to the discipline of penance, to be cleansed, purged, restored, and renewed, and set back on the right course. For Celtic Christians, penance was a discipline – like prayer or fasting or meditation – and not a sacrament.

Celtic Christians tailored the spiritual discipline of penance to individual needs, to help those convicted of sin overcome whatever was hindering the pursuit of holiness, and to restore them to the path of following the Lord once again.

These days we don’t talk much about sin. Whenever someone is found guilty of sin, he may sincerely apologize and express remorse. But is he appalled at the depths of his sin, or sad because now he’ll have to give it up? And do we, like John the Baptist, insist on proof of repentance (Matt. 3.8)?

It’s hard to tell, since we rarely get even to the point of confronting people with their sin.

We’re almost as queasy about disciplines, and leading a disciplined life. Little evidence exists indicating that the practice of penance is operating in churches today. If we dare to confront a sinner with his transgression, we receive his apology and try to get back to normal as soon as we can.

The Celtic Christians would say, “Not so fast.” Their goal being holiness – both for the individual and the community – they worked to root out sinful practices and cut new grooves in the souls of sinners, so that they would delight in the Lord and His ways. The slogan animating their use of the discipline of penance was contraries are by contraries cured. That is, someone found to be living in a way that was contrary to the Word of God, would, after confession and repentance, be led to take up ways contrary to that sinful path, thus overcoming evil with good. The “measures of penance” were known to all; thus, all those within the circle of the transgression would know what was being done to redress it.

Celtic Christians wanted to ensure that the tears and confession were genuine, and so, having prescribed a course for restoration, and assigned a soul friend to encourage the penitent, they would watch and pray for the offender for a season, to see if he had taken seriously the regimen of “contrary” behaviors prescribed.

This is how to overcome evil – with good, not just with tears, apologies, and getting on with things, much less saying nothing and hoping either no one will get hurt or the unacceptable behavior will correct itself.

We must recover this discipline of setting our feet straight once again (cf. Ps. 119.59, 60), or the sin that too easily finds safe harbor within the churches of the land will pollute that harbor beyond all repair, until the Church is no longer the salt of the earth, but the stench.

Psalm 51.7-13 (Passion Chorale: O Sacred Head Now Wounded)
In Jesus’ blood and mercy, Lord, cleanse my evil heart!
Let me washed, cleansed, renewed be and pure in whole and part.
Bring joy again and gladness; look not upon my sin.
Deliver me from sadness; renew me yet again!

Create in me a clean heart, renew me from within!
Take not Your Spirit from me, beause of all my sin.
Salvation’s joy restore, Lord, and keep me in Your hand;
Thus shall I tell Your strong Word to sinners in the land.

Lord, show me how to walk in the path that You have marked out for my sanctification.

Lessons from the Celtic Revival

The commitment to holiness is just one of the lessons we may learn from the period of the Celtic Revival (ca. 430-800 AD). You can learn more about this overlooked and neglected period of Christian history by ordering a copy of our book, The Legacy of Patrick (click here). Here you’ll discover why this period is so important to us at The Fellowship of Ailbe, and how we may begin to be renewed by attending to the teaching and example of our forebears in the Lord.

Your prayers and support
The Lord supports our work through the prayers and generous gifts of those who share our vision and are served by our ministry. As you seek Him in prayer, inquire whether He might be pleased to use you in this way. You can use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction VT 05452. Thank you for prayerfully considering being part of this effort.

T. M. Moore
Principal
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All psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.



[1]Walker, p. 169.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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