We say the 'general confession' in Anglican liturgy near the beginning of the service. I have often wondered what I am confessing. Clearly I fail miserably in loving my Lord and being the person He wants me to be - but am I supposed to remember some particular sin at this point? My mind is blank.
So reading Timothy Radcliffe's book on the drama of the Eucharist I was surprised to find this confession is really a thanksgiving because I have been forgiven! Herbert McCabe wrote: 'if we go to confession, it is not to plead for forgiveness from God it is to thank him for it...When God forgives our sins, he is not changing his mind about us. He is changing our minds about him. He does not change; his mind is never anything but loving; he is love.'
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