Pastorale bediening van skuldbelydenis en versoening deur liturgiese handelinge

Abstract

God’s gift of his Son, through Whom he established redemption of sins and reconciliation with man, is central to the Christian confessions. In the ministry of pastoral care and in the liturgical acts the common goal is to re-establish relationships, reconcile with God, the other and the self. This leads to the question examined in this article, viz. what the relation between the pastoral ministry of confession or guilt and reconciliation and the performing of liturgical acts is. Attention is given to the following aspects: the pastoral care the community should give to each other, the relationship between pastoral care and liturgy, the power of rituals and an overview of the ritual of the confession of guilt and reconciliation, a few examples of sins a congregation may confess and subsequently the pastoral ministry through rituals of contrition and humiliation, confession of sin and guilt, forgiveness, absolution and reconciliation. The conclusion of this article is that the communicative act of confession of guilt and reconciliation as an independent act in the liturgy of the congregation, could be a powerful pastoral tool to the congregation as a whole and to members individually. OPSOMMING: God se gawe, naamlik sy Seun, deur Wie verlossing van sonde en versoening met die mens bewerk is, staan sentraal in die Christelike belydenis. In die bediening van pastorale sorg en in die liturgiese handelinge is die gemeenskaplike doel die herstel van verhoudings, die versoening met God, met mekaar en met die self. Dit lei tot die vraag wat in hierdie artikel ondersoek word, naamlik wat die verhouding tussen die pastorale bediening van skuldbelydenis en versoening en die liturgiese handelinge daarvan is. Die aspekte wat aandag kry, is die pastorale sorg wat die gemeenskap aan mekaar behoort te bied, die verhouding tussen die pastorale sorg en die liturgie, die krag van rituele en ’n oorsig oor die ritueel van skuldbelydenis en versoening, enkele voorbeelde van sonde wat ’n gemeente kan bely en daarna die pastorale bediening deur rituele van berou en verootmoediging, sonde- en skuldbelydenis, vergifnis, absolusie en versoening. Die konklusie is dat die kommunikatiewe handeling van skuldbelydenis en versoening as ’n selfstandige handeling in die liturgie van die gemeente ’n kragtige pastorale bediening vir die gemeente as ’n geheel en vir die lidmate afsonderlik kan wees.