Atonement

I’m not Jewish but I understand today is Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement—is considered the most important holiday in the Jewish faith. Falling in the month of Tishrei (September or October in the Gregorian calendar), it marks the culmination of the 10 Days of Awe, a period of introspection and repentance that follows Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

There has been a lot of talk about atonement recently, like all the Masses of Atonement for forgiveness to all those nasty little horny priest.

Yet with the ‘Me Too’ movement, so many have been accused of offensive behavior. Some have been fired and some have just stepped away into the shadows.

Oops! Sorry. I didn’t mean it.

Don’t know who keeps the records on all these folks who hit the tabloid front pages, but maybe there is an Office of Atonement.

So we (the people) when harmed someone else should, after reflection, apologize and ask forgiveness. We then, if I read the instructions right, change our ways to become a better person.

Atonement is also reparation for a wrong or injury. That is what insurance and the judicial system are for.

Atonement is also (in religious contexts) reparation or expiation for sin. I’m also not Catholic so the confessional to some strange guy in a cage seems strange to me. “Father I have sinned” and then being told to give 15 “Hail Mary’s” and meet in the bathroom.

We rarely confess our sins to our family or friends, but will tell a complete stranger like a shrink or marriage consolers who will atone for your bad behavior. We atone to the jury of your peers to reduce the jail time or financial burden for your sins.

The word atone came to English as a contraction of the words at and one. The verb means to make amends or reparations for an offense or wrongdoing. You can remember the meaning by thinking of it as a sort of Zen concept, to be ‘at one’ or in harmony with someone, you have to atone for your mistakes and be forgiven. In a religious sense, it means to repent for sins (‘to atone for his sins’). Om is a sacred sound and a spiritual symbol in Hinduism, which signifies the essence of the ultimate reality, consciousness or Atman.

Age doesn’t matter when you sin. Little brats run around and steal things from each other and hit one another with temper tantrums and face punishment from the parents. A hinny spanking and you are sent back off to play again. Whether we learned the lesson between right or wrong will show up through the years of how many transgressions we perform.

Our decisions or just our attitude can become offensive or even sinful in comments, inappropriate actions or illegal acts. You are only guilty if you get caught.

So how many of the Seven Deadly Sins have you not broken?

1.       Lust

2.       Gluttony

3.       Greed

4.       Sloth

5.       Wrath

6.       Envy

7.       Pride

An allusion to an utterance of Jesus’ in John 8:7, viz. “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

Only those who are faultless have the right to pass judgment upon others (implying that no one is faultless and that, therefore, no one has such a right to pass judgment).

The question is what do you regret?

To regret is to feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over (something that has happened or been done, especially a loss or missed opportunity). So what do you do to right the wrong? Apologize and hope that you are forgiven? Reparation like pay for the damage or buy a replacement (difficult to do with a broken heart). Repent your ways with volunteer work or philanthropy to replenish your character in the community.

Some say the Final Judgment will come when we die, otherwise you got away with it.