It is good to be a life-long learner in all parts of your life. I continue to read theology, scripture and areas that are part of my life as a Franciscan and priest. I keep up on technology because… well there is a part of me that remains a nerd. The same part that reads science blogs and what’s going on in mathematics. I read publications from the US Naval Institute because it is part of my story and my brother friars’ turn to me for expert commentary on all things navy and commercial shipping. And the life long learner in me receives an email each day from the good folks at Merriam Webster.

This week one of the “words of the day” was the expression “short shrift.” I knew the meaning of the word: to give something little or no attention or thought – as in, “My supervisor gave short shrift to my suggestion to improve our group’s work flow and processing.” The usual implication is that something or someone is being improperly ignored or treated lightly, as in a comment that U.S. television coverage of the Olympics overemphasizes Americans and give short shrift to the athletes of other nations.

What I did not know was the origin, the etymology of the expression. “Shrift” is a very old word that originally, back in the 11th century, meant “penance.” It is a noun derivative of the verb “shrive” from Old English “scrifan,” which is from the Latin verb “scribere,” meaning “to write.” “Scrifan” was the verb of choice for use specifically in regard to writing down rules, decrees or sentences, so it took on the special meaning of to impose a sentence. Applied to church vernacular, it meant to assign penance to a penitent in the confessional and to hear confession.

There is a thought that the use of the expression became connected to confession when a prisoner received a sentence of execution. There was generally little time between sentence and the execution and so the condemned person needed to be quick about make their last confession. We see that in the earliest known use.

The earliest known use of the phrase comes from Shakespeare’s play Richard III, in which Lord Hastings, who has been condemned by King Richard to be beheaded, is told by Sir Richard Ratcliffe to “Make a short shrift” as the king “longs to see your head.” Although now archaic, the noun shrift was understood in Shakespeare’s time to refer to the confession or absolution of sins, so “make a short shrift” meant, quite literally, “keep your confession short.”

Who knew? While the good friars at the parish have no desire to “see your head”, as Confessors we are appreciative of a “short shrift.” While we always enjoy a long, involved narrative with tales of the betrayals and conspiracy of others, accounts of “and then they said to me…” and other flourishes and embellishments – those are best told in other settings. But in the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation please give us “short shrift” so as not to delay the mercy and forgiveness of God in your life.