Pentitential Language in the Liturgy, John Chryssavgis

The liturgy, too, is not afraid to refer to our imperfection. It speaks repeatedly of our failings, our neglect, our hard heartedness. This is not because we are unaware of these, nor because the Church finds joy in contemplating them, but because they are real, and only in community can we fully face them and overcome them. We misunderstand the message of the gospel and of the liturgical services if we hear it as criticism, or correction, or condemnation. The gospel speaks to what is best in us. It is a message of communion and love, the love that is true and costly. By allowing ourselves to be challenged by this love, by courageously facing our imperfection and our weakness, we allow genuine healing to take place and new life to awaken within us. This is the "great understanding' that is repentance, according to The Shepherd of Hermas.
John Chryssavgis