Unveiling the Theological Meaning Of Reconciliation Among the Tharaka Community
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Date
2002
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
The Church has opened the doors and windows to other religious and
cultures wanting to enter into a true dialogue with them. It is in this respect that the
following pages attempt a possible study of the Tharaka views of Reconciliation and
the Catholic rite of Reconciliation. This is just the beginning of a long process of
research and discernment for myself first of all, and may be for other people in the
pastoral field as well.
In this research I want to study how the Tharaka people understands
reconciliation and what meaning it has in the Church. I myself coming from the
Tharaka community want the Gospel to take deep root in this culture. The
Sacrament itself is under threat and few people go for Reconciliation these days.
I want to see people going for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and accepting it
in their own life and culture. Therefore, it is an attempt to see elements in
Tharaka which could be used in the liturgy and inculturation. Many people lack
both proper study and knowledge of the sacrament and they are carried and
absorbed by non-Catholic ideas, for instance the teaching that one can confess
directly to God.
I hope that this research will encourage and prompt the peoples to value and
seek reconciliation in their lives to be in good relationship with others and God.
The sources used in this paper is from materials got through observation and
interviews carried out, and also by listening and attending talks on reconciliation.
There has been informal dialogues and group discussions. I have also read books on reconciliation about the Church. After having done that I have used a criticalcomparative
method in this paper.
The first chapter looks at reconciliation in Tharaka and how it was
understood, received and celebrated. The second chapter studies the Sacrament
of Reconciliation in the Church, how the Church understands reconciliation and
how important the sacrament is to the people. The third chapter puts together the
first and the second chapters by looking at reconciliation as the source of healing
to both traditional community and the Church. Here the elements of inculturation
are discussed, which bring together ideas and values in the first two chapters.
Lastly, there is a personal reflection in which I put down my own opinion and
understanding on reconciliation.
In all this, it has not been easy to come up with materials ready without
problems. I have encountered problems of delay, gathering and lack of response
from some people interviewed. With all these problems and others, I have not
fully exhausted the material and much remains still to be researched by others
and me too to contribute.
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Keywords
Reconciliation