Cardinal
Timothy Dolan of New York has spoken of Reconciliation as “the sacrament of
the new Evangelization.” He noted the
“irony that despite the call of the Second Vatican Council for a renewal of the
Sacrament of Penance, what we got instead was its near disappearance.” Dolan and the Conference of US Bishops spent
time discussing this at their Fall 2012 meeting and in fact concluded
their meeting with the bishops themselves going to confession.
The
Catholic Church is just beginning to see a rediscovery of this great
sacrament. Perhaps surprisingly, part
of the increase is being driven by the younger generation. A staple of every World Youth Day is an area
set aside for confessions, where hundreds of priests are available (and made
great use of!) by the million-plus young people who attend. Want more proof? This year, we added the sacrament of confession to the high
school retreats we’ve been holding for the St. Mary’s students. One of their favorite parts, according to
the anonymous evaluations they filled out?
Confession.
I taught a session for parents of 2nd graders. The students are preparing to receive the
Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time this spring. This session was just for the parents, to
ensure their own understanding of the sacrament as well as assisting them in
their preparing of their own children.
I took the parents through the theology and history of the
sacrament. However, the part they
enjoyed the most was when I discussed the practical aspects and questions about
Confession. With that in mind, I wanted
to address some of the typical questions here:
How often should you go to confession?
The
Church asks that we go at least once a year.
That’s a minimum and essentially “spiritual life-support or
maintenance”. Pope John Paul II used to
go every week. If you want to grow in
the spiritual life, a regular practice of confession once a month is a good
practice. We see evidence of that in
the lives of the saints, the closer they got to God, the more quickly they
wanted to remove anything (even small sins) that would in any way harm that
relationship and so they would go to confession with great regularity.
Can you ask the priest questions in
confession?
Yes! Confession can be a great opportunity to
also receive some spiritual direction.
I would caution that if you have many questions, it is better to make an
appointment, as there are usually people behind you in line as well.
Can the priest repeat anything he hears in
the confessional?
No. In fact he can be removed from the
priesthood for doing that. There have
been stories throughout the history of Christianity of priests even being put
in jail for refusing to reveal what they were told in confession, i.e. the
authorities know that a criminal went to confession and want to know what was
confessed. No priest can disclose what
was heard in the confessional.
What will Father think of me, or what if he
recognizes my voice?
A
priest friend once shared, that far from thinking less of the person after
hearing what was confessed, he actually thinks more highly of them. The fact is we are all sinners. The difference is the soul who is humble
enough to admit it and then seek God’s mercy and healing for those sins. As this priest described it, he holds those
going to confession in very high regard, no matter what they confess.
What if I haven’t been to confession for a
while?
All
the more reason to go! When I came back
into the Church as a young adult, I remember going to confession for the first
time in a number of years. It wasn’t easy, but it was also beautiful, peaceful,
and healing—and therefore completely worth it.
What if I don’t know what I’m supposed to
say/do?
You can find a
“step-by-step” guide for how to go at Our Sunday Visitor or search the internet for other guides. You
should also not hesitate to ask the priest to walk you through the sacrament,
and they will happily assist.
Pope
Benedict, in the opening Mass for the Synod of Bishops on the New
Evangelization stated: “We cannot speak
about the new evangelization without a sincere desire for conversion. The best path to the new evangelization is
to let ourselves be reconciled with God and with each other” (2 Cor 5:20). Amen!
God bless you!
Phil
Lawson, MTS
Pastoral
Associate
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