John Gibson at Musings of an Expagan ponders the question about needing to go to confession when confession times are normally so limited.
Perhaps I am a bit off on this, but I have made an informal study of the surrounding parishes in our area. It seems that most confession times are on Saturday afternoon and "By Appointment." So If am to serve Mass on Saturday morning where the heck is one supposed to go to get a confession on Friday Night? Since I take Paul’s admonishment that to partake of the Body and Blood unworthily is to eat and drink damnation, what do I do? Easy. I ask for confession and get a bit miffed when the Priest asks me if I know about the regularly scheduled times for confession.
So… The chicken and egg question today: Is the lack of use of the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation due to the fact that times are not available or is it due to the lack of instruction on the need for this sacrament?
Build it and they will come? If you increase confession times will people flock to confess?
I think the "build it they will come" idea is correct. At my parish they have confession before each Mass which is twice daily and four times on Sunday. There is always somebody in line and our pastor will hold off Mass as long as possible to try to see everyone in line. I have occasionally been to other parishes during the short time frame confession is available on Saturday evening and rarely have seen more than just a few people in line. This is of course only antidotal information, but what I describe seems prevalent by what I have read.
Being a convert I have sometimes wondered how this wonderful sacrament got so deemphasized? It seems doubtful that parishes just all of a sudden switched from having confession generally available to the model we have now. It would seem more likely that people had already started to less frequently go to confession and because of this trend that parishes started to diminish the amount of time confession was available. That the demand for confession was reduced over time because sins themselves had become deemphasized. Cut out sins and you cut out the need for confession. Original sin becomes original complex in this highly therapeutic culture. People will get in line to broadcast their most intimate details on Oprah or Dr. Phil, but will run screaming at the thought of a confessional and confessing their sins to a priest. We have analyzed that having guilt is an underlying cause itself that must be eliminated and ignore the fact that it is a symptom normally of sinful activity.
Regardless of how we got to this point the question is how we can reverse it. There has to be both an effort to make it generally available and for Catholics to understand that they need it. I am convinced that a new springtime for the Church will not blossom until such time as Catholic generally return to confession. Unfortunately confession is just seen mostly as "just so pre-Vatican II" and many priests discouraged the use of regular confession in the case of venial sins. Most of us will readily admit to being sinners in some generic capacity, but it seems another story to admit to individual sins.
We are currently in the year of the Eucharist as proclaimed by our late Holy Father. I think we need a year of mercy to concentrate on the sacrament of confession. People definitely need to be catechized to see the link between confession and the Eucharist. To properly prepare ourselves for worthy reception. I would love to see an encyclical letter written on the subject to emphasize once again this wonderful sacrament of mercy. I also realize though that even when the Vatican has lead on important subjects that unfortunately they are largely ignored or not really implemented a the diocesan and parish level. But even a small amount of people regularly returning to confession will have a large impact on their lives and consequently the life of the Church.
The question though is what is the best method to get American to frequent the confessional? In this fast food culture maybe we could appeal to a fast food idea like drive thru confession. I propose a new company called Jiffy Shriven after the Old English term to go to confession.
Here would be my logo.
And a sample drive thru.
And to easily remind people when to return to confession, the following sticker could be placed on the driver side windshield.
While your there they could also check your holy water font or holy water bottle level to see if more fluids need to be added. Though you won’t have to worry about them trying to hawk other sacrament while there. You won’t hear "I noticed you are not looking so well. We can give you final unction as part of a package deal."
15 comments
If there were more Confession times, I would go to Confession much more frequently. As it is, I tend to save it up until I’ve done something really bad. And even then, sometimes I feel guilty about _going_ (which is of course stupid), because there’s always a long line and most of the folks behind me will be frail old people. Of course, I’m perfectly capable of feeling guilty about being in line at Urgent Care in front of old people, too!
My mother, who is usually up on these things, somehow got the idea you didn’t even have to go once a _year_ now. And got very disturbed when I was wanting to go more often to Confession — even asking me what I’d done!! She wouldn’t have pulled womething like that twenty or thirty years ago when I was growing up. Anyway, this Lent when I found out she didn’t know she was supposed to go once a year, I got her to come with me to my parish for one of those multiple-priest Confession extravaganzas. We even had a porta-Confessional to supplement our boxes! Some people who were at the church for other activities saw what was going on and immediately joined the lines, so I think there must have been 200-300 Confessions heard in one night.
The parish I grew up at had Confession before each Mass, like yours, and the lines were always long. My current parish, which i consider a very good one — orthodox and all, only has them on Saturdays, in the afternoon and then again in the evening after the vigil Mass. They get a decent crowd, but I know there are times I find myself walking up to the sacristy after daily Mass and asking for Confession. of course, by that time I’ve already missed the opportunity to receive Communion, but at least my soul is squeaky-clean…
Actually, there is no requirement to go to Confession once a year. You do have to go to Communion once a year — and that around Easter, but there’s no compulsory Confession.
Of course, most people, after a full year, would need Confession prior to Communion, but it’s not a penalty-of-sin requirement.
That is only possible since Confession is not absolutely necessary if the soul has *only* venial sins. Receiving Communion obliterates venial sins. Confession is only required for mortal sins. Of course, if a venial sin becomes habit, getting the counseling of a good priest in Confession is a good thing to do, but not required to have the sin removed from your soul.
Very Funny.
Crowe — Good points — slight correction.
Venial sins are removed by general absolution at the Confiteor, not by Holy Communion.
To answer John’s question, I think that people would go to confession more often if confession were offered more often. As it is, when confessions are only scheduled once (or twice) a week, the faithful are given the impression that “this is not very important to father.” Most people I know would never dream of calling the rectory to “make an appointment.” and If they are driven to that because of a lack of confession availability, then they might well not go at all. We hear confessions on Saturday afternoon and on Monday, Wednesday and Friday before the Noon Mass. Saturday is hit and miss, the lines being longest just before Christmas and Easter. During the week, on the other hand, there are many more penitents seeking forgiveness. If I were pastor, I would add a regular evening confession slot for those who work downtown or elsewhere during the day and are not able to go during the day. I know of a priest – a wise and venerable pastor of a midtown parish who hears confessions everyday before his noon Mass. He usually begins at 1030 (though the schedule says 1100) and has a solid block of penitents all the way up until he concludes at 1155 so that he can say the noon Mass. Then if there are penitents still waiting, he will return to the confessional after Mass to finish up. He offers it, they come – and from all over the city. Part of it is his wisdom, but a larger part has to be his availability! It is a shame that any priest would suggest “Well, maybe you should wait until the next scheduled confessions…”
As to annual confession of mortal sins – yes, one must confess each year if conscious of mortal sins. HOWEVER, it is a good idea and a practice recommended by the saints, to make confession once a month or even more frequent. I believe our Holy Father confessed weekly, as did Mother Theresa. It is a tremendous means to grow in self-knowledge and to increase once capacity to love God. I am not saying that venial sins are not forgiven at Mass, but I think the attitude engendered by constantly repeating that gives short shrift to the human capacity for freedom (and therefore for sin) and the tremendous mercy which our Lord wishes to offer us.
I can tell you that, especially when anyone has been out of the Church, getting him to confession can be a delicate business. The wish to return to the Church is apt to be so skittish, and so many fears get between him and the confessional door – anxiety about what Father will say, a defensive reluctance to admit that he has been wrong, and, of course, the Devil, who doesn’t at all want him to receive the sacrament – that the long-overdue penitent may easily do a bunk at the last moment. I returned to the Sacraments on a Saturday afternoon when hardly anybody else was in the church, and one of the priests was simply sitting in the confessional, reading or praying or perhaps napping, and waiting for somebody who had barely summoned up courage, and desperately needed opportunity. Waiting, in short, for me.
a4g–
thanks for the clarification. I think I knew that distinction, but was careless in my presentation.
You should have a sin service every two weeks, that way you always have the confessions-within-a-week bit of indulgence conditions fulfilled.
Here in Poland most parishes do confessions during Mass (except rural parishes with only one priest) – means you don’t have to remember confessions times and Mass times!
I like the sticker.
And I’d pay closer attention to it than to my Jiffy Lube sticker!
Here in Vienna confession is available all day in some inner city churches, while most ‘normal’ parishes only offer them once a week. I think too that more people would go to confession if it were more readily available. In the Stephansdom, the cathedral of Vienna, there is a line at confession at most times, even though one can go anytime between (roughly) 8 am and 9 pm every day.
Another issue is finding a suitable priest: one who is considerate and understanding, but at the same time also orthodox…
I am a recent convert to Catholicism and my first confession was really terrible and disenchanting because it was heard by a very old priest who did not answer my questions at all. I am not even sure if he had heard them… After I had confessed, he came with some lengthy, inconsequential babble that was completely uninteresting and had nothing to do with my own situation. Only on the third occasion did I find a church with some really great priests where I felt at home. There I had some very moving confession experiences and now I am happy to be able to receive this wonderful sacrament.
Even though it is a rather common practice especially in more traditional circles, I don’t really like confession during Mass, I must say. After all, I am there to fully participate in the glorious sacrifice of the Mass, and not for confession…
Hey Jeff– one little typo on your hysterically funny sticker– it reads “on immediately in case of mortal sin,” when I suspect you meant or. Keep it up!
I think people don’t go to Confession enough because it is not preached about. I was away from Confession for all four years of my so-called- Catholic college and I never missed Mass! It never occured to me that it was important. Not only that, I didn’t realize that the minimum of once a year was required.
It’s a very special priest who will preach on the importance of Confession.
The Catechism doesn’t mention the Penitential rite as being the means of forgiveness of venial sin, but it does say that the Eucharist cleanses us of our venial sins by increasing charity.
In Christ’s peace and joy,
Robin L. in TX
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1393 Holy Communion separates us from sin. The body of Christ we receive in Holy Communion is “given up for us,” and the blood we drink “shed for the many for the forgiveness of sins.” For this reason the Eucharist cannot unite us to Christ without at the same time cleansing us from past sins and preserving us from future sins:
For as often as we eat this bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the death of the Lord. If we proclaim the Lord’s death, we proclaim the forgiveness of sins. If, as often as his blood is poured out, it is poured for the forgiveness of sins, I should always receive it, so that it may always forgive my sins. Because I always sin, I should always have a remedy.230
1394 As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens our charity, which tends to be weakened in daily life; and this living charity wipes away venial sins.
I agree that people would be more likely to go to confession more often if it were available (so they wouldn’t have to go through asking for it), but I also think that part of the reasons that parishs that make confession available very regularily have lots of people who go to confession would also have to do with the mentality of the parish that has been formed (probably by the priest — if he gives such importance to confession, it will show through in other ways as well) .
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