Homily of Repentance in Anglican Formularies
The Homily of Repentance is a sermon in the Anglican homiletic tradition concerned with contrition, confession of sin, amendment of life, and reconciliation with God. In the formularies of the Church of England, it belongs to the wider use of authorized homilies as doctrinal and pastoral instruction for clergy and laity.[1] Its teaching reflects a Reformation concern that repentance should be understood not merely as outward sorrow or ecclesiastical penance, but as a turning of the whole person to God through faith, prayer, and obedience. In Anglicanism, the homily is often considered alongside the Book of Common Prayer, the Thirty-Nine Articles, and the Books of Homilies as part of the classical Anglican pattern of repentance and absolution.[2]
Historical setting
The Homily of Repentance is associated with the second collection of Anglican homilies, commonly known as the Second Book of Homilies. The homilies were intended to provide sound preaching where learned or licensed preaching was not regularly available. They also gave a public account of reformed doctrine in a form suitable for parish use.
The place of the homilies within Anglican formularies is reinforced by Article XXXV of the Thirty-Nine Articles, which commends the Books of Homilies as containing godly and wholesome doctrine. This does not make every phrase of every homily a separate dogmatic definition, but it does show that the homilies were received as authoritative pastoral teaching within the reformed Church of England.
Repentance was a central theme in the religious changes of the sixteenth century. Medieval penitential practice had emphasized confession, satisfaction, and priestly absolution within the sacramental system. The Anglican homiletic treatment retained the seriousness of sin and the need for confession, while stressing the mercy of God in Christ and the inward renewal of the penitent. This approach shaped later Anglican preaching, catechesis, and liturgical devotion.
Theological themes
The homily presents repentance as more than regret for wrongdoing. True repentance includes recognition of sin, sorrow before God, trust in divine mercy, and a settled purpose to live according to God’s commandments. It is therefore both inward and outward: inward in contrition and faith, outward in amendment of life and works of charity.
A major theme is the distinction between counterfeit and true repentance. Fear of punishment, public embarrassment, or temporary distress may move a person to sorrow, but such sorrow is incomplete unless it leads to conversion of heart. The homily connects repentance with the grace of God rather than with human self-repair. The sinner turns because God calls, forgives, and restores.
The homily also reflects the Anglican balance between the seriousness of moral obedience and the primacy of grace. Repentance is not treated as a work that earns forgiveness. Rather, it is the proper response of the faithful to the gospel. This emphasis corresponds with the Homily of Salvation and the Homily of Faith, which teach justification by faith while also insisting that living faith bears fruit in good works.
Relation to prayer book worship
The theology of repentance found in the homily is closely related to the penitential language of the Book of Common Prayer. The daily offices begin with confession and absolution in many prayer book forms, teaching worshippers to approach God with humility and confidence. The Communion office likewise includes confession, absolution, the Comfortable Words, and the Prayer of Humble Access, placing repentance within the movement toward communion with Christ.
The homily helps explain why repentance in Anglican worship is normally corporate as well as personal. The congregation confesses together, hears the declaration of forgiveness, and is restored to praise and thanksgiving. This does not remove private examination of conscience, but it places repentance within the common prayer of the Church.
In catechetical use, the homily supports instruction in sin, forgiveness, and moral renewal. It provides a doctrinal background for teaching the Catechism in the Book of Common Prayer, especially the duty to repent, believe, and keep God’s commandments. In this respect it remains a useful witness to classical Anglican pastoral theology.
Legacy
Although the Books of Homilies are not commonly read in full in ordinary parish worship today, their teaching continues to inform Anglican accounts of repentance. The Homily of Repentance is especially important because it joins doctrinal clarity with pastoral exhortation. It portrays repentance as a grace-filled return to God, expressed in confession, faith, amendment of life, and restored participation in the worship of the Church.