Chapter of Faults

This past week we here at Covecrest had a community meeting where we all (families, missionaries, and staff alike) sat down to talk about our community, where we are and where we've been failing. As a family, we did an activity called the "chapter of faults." Beginning with the oldest member of the community and ending with the youngest, each person shared and asked forgiveness for the ways in which they've failed the community, beginning with the sentence "I have sinned against God and the community. Trusting in God's mercy and forgiveness I ask for your forgiveness for . . . " There were no reactions, no judgements, no condemnations, just a simple admission of what you've done wrong. The idea behind this was that we could all admit our wrongs and failings, and commit, as a whole community, to work harder, to live more fully into the Rule.

One of the difficulties living here is that we get complimented a lot on the lifestyle we've chosen. It can be easy to fall into the trap of complacency, to stop striving to do better, to pray more, be more hospitable, to love deeper and better. This lent, I'm working on this, as is the community in general. Its something we've talked a lot about, and the chapter of faults was a step in that direction for us.

Okay, this admittedly might sound strange. Public confessions are not exactly normal these days. Its difficult to admit wrong-doing and ask for forgiveness, to a single person, much less 25, but it was a weight off of my shoulders to apologize to these people that I love. And as daunting as the task of examining the areas where I've slacked off or failed outright was, it was a good thing for me to do. Its much easier to look at the faults of others than to look seriously into our own, at least I know it is for me.

I think that the chapter of faults was a positive experience, as awkward as it was when we started. I feel closer to the rest of this community, like we're all on the same page again. There aren't any walls up between us and I love them more now than I did before (which was a lot). In the same way, I know that they love me too even more deeply than I knew it before.