Communal Penance

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator

Citizens of the United States are, by and large, products of a philosophy of rugged individualism. The rugged individual, the self-made man or woman, is celebrated throughout our literature. Our media focuses on the accomplishments of individuals in business, in education, in athletics and in the entertainment world. We are constantly hearing about those who are referred to as "stars."

This kind of thinking is foreign to much of the rest of the world. Without connections to family, clan, or community of some kind, people of other cultures would be completely lost. This kind of thinking is celebrated in phrases such as "It is in the desert that we learn the need for caravans." Another example that is perhaps more famous is "It takes a village to raise a child." While Westerners nod in assent to the sentiments that these phrases represent, they simply do not represent the culture we live in. We are people of the nuclear family and the gated community.

The reading from the Prophet Baruch today is basically an act of contrition. Notice the emphasis on the words "we" and "our." These people believe that they are guilty of sins committed by others because they are part of the fabric of that community. In just a little more than an hour, I will be hearing confessions in downtown Chicago. I doubt that I will hear any such sentiments. Communal confession and communal penance are not "in our blood."

I was born into and have thus far lived my life as a member of the culture that celebrates the individual. Such readings as we have today remind me of the bigger picture, of the fact that I am part of a community. It is important for all of us to remember that Jesus called us the "salt of the earth," a salt that preserves and wards off corruption. The example of my life is an important part of the moral fabric of our society.