What do we do with the past?
Reading
Jesus said to the crowds, ‘So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.’
Reflection
One of ways the Church has failed is in events in its history, with resonances in the present, where things went very badly wrong. In recent years the Church of England has made commitments to address the historic wrongs perpetrated by the church in the past – and to stop those things happening again.
So what to do with these failures of the past? How can a church – or indeed any institution – today meaningfully apologise on behalf of people from long ago? What form should repentance and justice take?
We can’t change history, but we can become aware of damaging things that happened in the past and commit to put right their effects in the present. Although turning back the clock is impossible, we need to do the next best thing – to say sorry and to do all that can be done to put it right.