Sunday
When we got to Mass on Sunday, we were not as surprised to see a foreigner there as he was to see us. In the past few weeks we've seen one or two each week; last week it was two men from France, both of whom spoke little English (and I no French) so we talked in Chinese. But this week, when we were in front of the church admiring the roses, we saw another Westerner, a young man, walking with some of the seminarians. He saw us, did a double-take, and then stared. Normally that stare would mean, as Adam puts it, the somewhat territorial "Hey, I'm supposed to be the only foreigner here," but in this case it seemed more amused confusion, as in, "No one told me there would be foreigners here." Then he went into the seminary buildings. I did not see him at Mass.
However, in the procession at Mass I saw yet another Westerner, clearly a priest, who concelebrated. He clearly was fluent in Chinese, and not just Mass-response Chinese. During the Liturgy of the Eucharist he read his part beautifully. And then after Mass, he went into a confessional and began to hear confession. In Chinese. I asked one of the seminarians if the foreign priest spoke English, and he said he did. Would I actually get to go to Confession today?
It has been a while, and not because of the usual confession avoidance to which many of us are prone. These past few years I have not had much opportunity in China to go to confession in English, unless I happened to be at one of the Masses for the foreigners.
I could go to confession in Chinese, certainly. One way is with the aid of an interpreter (Canon Law 983 and 990 address this possibility), but as we know, confession can be difficult enough without an audience. And I could try to go to confession in Chinese, though my sins far outstrip my abilities in Chinese. I have joked that I can't go to confession in Chinese because I don't want to ask my Chinese teacher how to say adultery. Yeah, this joke either falls flat or is met with snorting laughter. But it illustrates the difficulties with this approach. It is just like confessing through a translator.
I guess there are other ways, too. I could hold a list of the Ten Commandments and point to all those apply. The priest, not really understanding the details of my sins, would not be able to give an appropriate penance. It would be difficult for the Sacrament of Penance to be the Sacrament of Conversion. It would get the job done, if that were the goal.
Sunday, from the moment the priest told me that he could hear my confession in English to the moment of absolution, I realized that this was what I have been needing. We were able to talk about my sins, talk about what choices I made to bring them about, and he was able to give me guidance and a penance that were truly directed toward my continued conversion. I was lighter exiting the confessional than I was going in.
However, in the procession at Mass I saw yet another Westerner, clearly a priest, who concelebrated. He clearly was fluent in Chinese, and not just Mass-response Chinese. During the Liturgy of the Eucharist he read his part beautifully. And then after Mass, he went into a confessional and began to hear confession. In Chinese. I asked one of the seminarians if the foreign priest spoke English, and he said he did. Would I actually get to go to Confession today?
It has been a while, and not because of the usual confession avoidance to which many of us are prone. These past few years I have not had much opportunity in China to go to confession in English, unless I happened to be at one of the Masses for the foreigners.
I could go to confession in Chinese, certainly. One way is with the aid of an interpreter (Canon Law 983 and 990 address this possibility), but as we know, confession can be difficult enough without an audience. And I could try to go to confession in Chinese, though my sins far outstrip my abilities in Chinese. I have joked that I can't go to confession in Chinese because I don't want to ask my Chinese teacher how to say adultery. Yeah, this joke either falls flat or is met with snorting laughter. But it illustrates the difficulties with this approach. It is just like confessing through a translator.
I guess there are other ways, too. I could hold a list of the Ten Commandments and point to all those apply. The priest, not really understanding the details of my sins, would not be able to give an appropriate penance. It would be difficult for the Sacrament of Penance to be the Sacrament of Conversion. It would get the job done, if that were the goal.
Sunday, from the moment the priest told me that he could hear my confession in English to the moment of absolution, I realized that this was what I have been needing. We were able to talk about my sins, talk about what choices I made to bring them about, and he was able to give me guidance and a penance that were truly directed toward my continued conversion. I was lighter exiting the confessional than I was going in.
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