When the Roman Emperor Constantine finally conquered Rome and became sole Emperor in 312AD he did so after having a vision on the night before the final battle – at the Milvian Bridge near Rome.  I was first told the story of this vision by my friend, Marion, who., now I increasingly realize, was my first ever Soul Friend. It was she who ‘schooled’ me in Christianity when in my late teens I finally embraced the Christian faith.  One day she told me of the night before Constantine fought the battle he had a dream. In this dream he saw a Cross in the sky, burning brightly and under it were the words, ‘In this sign, Conquer.’  The following morning he ordered that the Cross of Christ be placed at the head of his army.   They won the battle.  For Christianity this was the most significant victory in the early history of the Church.  Up until then, Christianity had been persecuted and countless numbers of Christians had given up their lives rather than deny Christ. 

Though Constantine was never part of these persecutions he had served with the Emperor, Diocletian who,  waged a terrible war on Christians – the most violent persecution in Christian history.  After his Victory, Constantine reversed Christian fortunes. In his Edict of Milan he declared religious tolerance and removed all penalties for professing Christ. Later, in 324AD Constantine made Christianity the State religion.

Constantine had been under Christian influence since his birth. His mother, Helena was a devout and practicing Christian who has since been made a Saint of the Church. However, Constantine himself was not baptized until shortly before his death and there was a good reason why he delayed.  By the nature of what he did he was hardly lily-white in virtue and much blood was spilled at his command.  Murder and killing on such a scale was hardly in keeping with the Gospel and then there was the problem that, in the early Church, confession of sin and public forgiveness was a severe undertaking.

Following the teaching of St. Paul sinners were excommunicated (excluded from the  church) which Jesus calls binding in today’s Gospel) and then, after strict penance, the sinner was reconciled or loosed from their sins and restored to fellowship within the Christian community.  All confession of sin was public, following the teaching of the Epistle of St. James – Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another that you might be healed.   After Confession, the sinner was enrolled in the order of penitents and like those preparing for baptism and confirmation, they left the Eucharist at the  offertory. The regime they followed was harsh involving fasting, giving generously to the poor, being diligent in prayer and the wearing of sackcloth.

After Baptism public penance could only be done once and because Baptism wipes out all previous sin, some Christians delayed being baptized as long as possible. This was quite risky because in a world of unpredictability, you could leave it just a little bit late!  Fortunately for Constantine, he got it about right!

All this changed dramatically in the 5^th and 6^th centuries thanks to the Celtic Churches of Ireland and Wales.  They developed a less harsh form of Penitence and also changed something of its meaning.  In Celtic churches confession of sin became private between the sinner and a wise guide called a Soul Friend who gave Gospel-centred advice.  This advice encouraged the sinner not only to mend his or her ways but also created an opportunity for spiritual growth. Sorrow for sin and admission of it became a springboard for the Soul’s journey to wholeness and harmony with God.  Significantly, unlike the early Church, it wasn’t a once a for all practice but could be repeated. This resulted in transforming spiritual discipline into a means of developing one’s relationship with God and seeking regular guidance in trying to live life better, under God’s rule of love.

The Celtic practice took Europe by storm and the Western Church changed its understanding of sin and penitence as a result.  What changed especially was that sinners were no longer excluded from the Church’s fellowship but were helped to grow out of a sinful life into a creative relationship with God, surrounded by a loving and supportive community. There was a genuine desire to help the wrong doer to do right.  There was also a real pastoral concern for the one doing

The precedence for this is found in today’s Gospel when Jesus talks of what we do when someone wrongs us . After giving us a way of dealing with a wrong-doer, he comes to the point when nothing more can be done – at which point he suggests that we treat them as we would  a Gentile and a tax-collector.  Once again the poor taxman seems to be put beyond the pale but we mustn’t forget also that we belong to the  Gentiles that Jesus is referring to!  Before we jump to conclusions that Jesus meant that wrong-doers who refused to admit their fault were damned we need to remember how Jesus  dealt with tax-collectors and Gentiles.  Jane Williams (Rowan’s wife) in her Lectionary Reflections on this Gospel passage asks, in relation to how we might treat someone as a Gentile and a tax-collector, – What kind of treatment is that?

She goes on to say: Those words cannot be accidental, in a Gospel that has detailed Jesus’s constant care of just those groups of people.  So those who have put themselves outside the Christian community by their wrong-doing must now be treated to all your evangelistic powers to bring them back in. You are to show them the love and the care that Jesus showed to ‘Gentiles and tax-gathers’ You don’t have time to feel smug about being right, you have work to do.”

An important part of that work is to be Soul Friends to each other – correcting only with gentleness for, as St. Paul reminds us we are to Love others as we would love ourselves. Paul is quoting part of the Commandment of Jesus which begins with Loving God.  The one danger in all this is that we might feel we have a Gospel backing for judging others. We make a judgement that someone has wronged us and mostly we are probably right though that is not always the case. We might be prone to taking offence too easily or misunderstanding them or, dare I suggest, we might not agree with their views and want to show that we are right and they are wrong.  That doesn’t alter the truth that sometimes we really are wronged and sinned against and rightly need an apology or some kind of repentance.  Nor does it alter the truth that all of us wrong God and others. The problem about dealing with sinners is that we have to avoid self-righteousness and hypocrisy. We are actually all in the same boat.  So, it is always best that before we rush into judgement of others we make an honest judgement about ourselves and about our motives and  this is where Irish and Welsh Celtic Christians can help us. 

Their approach to dealing with sin was imaginative and creative. Their inspiration was a 3^rd century monk of the Eastern desert, John Cassian.  He taught that contraries are cured by contraries-which is a theological way of saying that all sin in reversible.  Every sin has a contrasting virtue and if you work on the virtue you cure the sin.  St. Finnian, one of Ireland’s greatest Soul Friends wrote that we cure one thing by encouraging its opposite. We cleanse away faults from our hearts by putting what he calls heavenly virtues in their place.  He gives examples: Patience must arise from wrathfulness; kindliness or the love of God and one’s neighbour, for envy; Criticism and gossip about others should be replaced by a restraint of heart and tongue; for dejection, spiritual joy; for greed, generosity to others.   

There is a striking example of what Finnian meant in  advice to one sinner which had immense consequences not only for him but for British Christianity.  The sinner was the future Saint Columba.  The story concerns a boy who had accidentally killed another in a game. He hunted down by the other boy’s relatives. He claimed sanctuary in Columba’s monastery and this was violated when the  High King’s warriors dragged him from his cell and killed him.  Columba was so angry that his judgement was clouded and he gathered a force and waged a battle caused the death of hundreds.  Later he repented of what he had done, he sought out Finnian, his Soul Friend and asked for help.  Finnian applied the principle of contraries – “You must go and save for Christ as many as you killed in battle.”  As a result Columba sailed to Iona and established the great monastery from whose mission countless numbers received the Gospel. From Iona the Gospel was preached to Scotland and eventually Northumbria and even Essex.

Practicing Contraries – finding the opposite virtue and working on that is something St. Paul understood. In his letter to the Galatians Chapter 5 he gives a list of what he calls the works of the flesh. It’s a long list and it doesn’t make comfortable reading. Read verses 18 to 22. There will be at least one item in the list that applies to you. But then go on and read about the contrasting virtues – the contraries which Paul calls the fruits of the spirit – love, joy, peace etc.  By encouraging the fruits of the Spirit to grow you can overcome the contrasting sin.  There are other ways you can do this – read 1 Corinthians 13 and where the word Love occurs,  put your own name. Examine yourself and say, if I am Love can I do those things, or not do those things.  The Beatitudes from our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount is another way of looking at virtues and applying them to your own life.

All sin is reversible and only those who doubt the love of God expressed in Jesus Christ – his life, his death and his victory over death – will believe they are beyond redemption. To deny that sin can be overcome is to deny God –  the greatest sin of all – but that doesn’t apply to you for you are here worshipping Him.  To overcome sin is a battle but it is one you must engage in – and the beginning of that battle is to become friends with your own soul which, because it belongs to God and is part of God, is not just about loving yourself but about loving the image of God within you – and if you can’t quite do that just yet then seek out a Soul Friend a wise, non-judgmental but honest friend, in whom you see the Love of God at work and who will gently show you the way.

As indeed Jesus did to Gentiles and Tax-collectors and a lot of humanity ever since, including each one of us.