Saturday, January 29, 2005

At the confessional box: a micro-play

-Forgive me father, for i have sinned. No, wait: though you will think i've sinned, father, i don't need you to forgive me.

-[After a few moments of silence] That is for God to decide, my child.

-What is? Whether i have sinned or not, or whether you should forgive me?

-Whether you have sinned or not. I cannot forgive you if you do not wish me to. That would mean you're not repentant.

-Not necessarily. This thing that i want to talk to you about i do not consider a sin, so i'm indeed not repentant for it. But there could conceivably come to you a sinner who's so sorry for his sins, who thinks them so big that she or he cannot believe they should be forgiven. Couldn't that happen?

-Yes, you're right, it could. I'm sorry.

-It's not big deal, father. And thank you. It's cool you're admitting to a mistake. But if you're fallible, how can you have the authority to forgive or not any sin?

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