We non-Jews us should follow the Yom Kippur tradition of asking for forgiveness

On Friday evening, our Jewish neighbors begin their High Holy Day, Yom Kippur.My rabbi friends tell me it is the Day of Atonement, a chance to acknowledge their sins and seek mercy through prayer, fasting and renewal.What a good example they give us! Might I propose that not only our Jewish neighbors but all of us need such repentance? The world sure does; America needs it; you do; and I certainly do.As a priest for almost 49 years, it bothers me that we Catholics have lost some gusto in this biblically based tradition of admitting our sins and asking for God’s forgiveness.We used to abstain from meat every Friday, and fast during the 40 days of Lent.Often would we approach the sacrament of penance for interior cleansing.These laudable practices have been sadly left by the wayside. It seems all so nostalgic.This understanding that we needed to repent and reform was not confined to any particular religion: We Americans of all faiths, or no faith, used to proclaim days of repentance as a nation, especially in times of trauma. During the observance of Yom Kippur, our Jewish brothers and sisters remind us of the high duty of admitting, “I am a sinner.” They recall how the prophet Nathan confronted even the great King David, after his hideous sin against the brave, loyal and noble Uriah, with a story about an injustice toward a poor man.When David expressed fury at the culprit in the prophet’s allegory, asking who the louse was, Nathan thundered, “That man is you!”Before acknowledging the sin in another, or in our nation, or in the world, or in “unjust systems,” we must admit, “I am that man — I am that woman — I am a sinner.” To point out the sin in another, or in “the system” — global warming, arms sales, the global imbalance of wealth, war, poverty, FOX, CNN, racism — is a snap.  Morning Report and Evening Update: Your source for today's top stories Please provide a valid email address.

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