Well, I've finally gotten around to reading, "Evangelicals' new twist on Lent," which appeared in The Washington Post on March 8 and notes a growing interest in "Confession" among evangelical Protestants.
Call me old-fashioned, but I like that the Prots call it "Confession." I've never understood why so many Catholics insist on calling it the "sacrament of Reconciliation" when, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "sacrament of Confession" is listed before "sacrament of Reconciliation" under the heading, "What is This Sacrament Called?" (CCC 1423-1424).
Even setting aside my legalism in this instance, the change in terminology eludes me. How can something be reconciled if it isn't first disclosed? How can something be disclosed if it's not first perceived? Is it that the word "confession" skeeves Catholic of a certain age? Is it that the word "reconciliation" seems so much more gentle and merciful?
I say we should call it "Confession" and thank Almighty God that it isn't called the "sacrament of Conscious Awareness Before Owning Our Cr@p." How many people would show up to celebrate that?
