Posted on 11/19/2005 12:52:27 PM PST by Antioch
A Catholic friend of mine recently went to confession at her parish church for the first time in years. She had personal reasons for wanting to seek absolution, but there was this, too: She said she'd long felt a little sorry for the priests sitting alone in their confessional boxes, waiting for sinners to arrive.
A generation ago, you'd see a lot of us lined up inside Catholic churches on Saturday afternoons, waiting to take our turn in one of the confessionals. We'd recite the familiar phrases ("Bless me Father, for I have sinned"), list our transgressions and the number of times we'd committed them, maybe endure a priestly lecture, and emerge to recite a few Hail Marys as an act of penance. In some parishes, the machinery of forgiveness was so well-oiled you could see the line move. Confession was essential to Catholic faith and a badge of Catholic identity. It also carried with it the promise of personal renewal. Yet in most parishes, the lines for the confessionals have pretty much disappeared. Confession—or the sacrament of reconciliation, as it's officially known—has become the one sacrament casual Catholics feel free to skip. We'll get married in church, we'll be buried from church, and we'll take Communion at Mass. But regularly confessing one's sins to God and the parish priest seems to be a part of fewer and fewer Catholic lives. Where have all the sinners gone?
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
People don't have to line up for this.
They can confess their sins to Jesus anytime, anywhere and any place. That is what they should have been doing in the first place.
The question wasn't, "How do you believe you should confess your sins," but rather, "How come so many Catholics aren't following the teaching of their church on confession?"
The answer has to do with a combination of bad teaching, bad training, and lack of committment. And not wanting to confess things they know are wrong but they don't want to not do. And it is made worse by the fact that a lot of priests give the impression that confession is not important, and even make it hard for their parishioners to find them at confession time.
Serious catholics know that confession is a channel of grace that helps them grow closer to God and heals their souls, so they tend to go to confession monthly if not more often. And at churches where the pastor encourages confession, the rates people go, go up. And those churches tend to thrive and grow.
Only if you're a protestant, nmh. Caholics still have the confessional, if they choose to use it.
People forget that Confession or as it is now called Reconcilation is a sacrament. We forget that as such it is a true instrument of grace. Confession times should be available more than just on Sat afternoons. I need to go to confession but lack transporation today. I pray I can reach the priest sometime this week for a private session.
Ever read your Bible? The Bible says you don't need to confess your sins to a priest for absolution.
It's interesting when you have to tell someone about that masturbation, that adultery, that hateful thought, those thefts of pens and office supplies, watching that movie that aroused you, those nasty remarks you made behind someone's back, the irritation and anger at the spouse,not returning the change you were given because the clerk made a mistake, the rage and anger because someone cut you off or passed you on the road, calling into work sick when you aren't, or any number of spiteful demeaning actions that have nothing to do with Christ...because when you say it out loud and acknowledge your sin, you do not want to do it again...
Confess ye your sins to one another....James 5:16
When you state the sin aloud to another person, it is very different.
Problem today is that people do not realize that there are lots of things that don't rise to the occasion of mortal sin, but are demeaning nasty little venial things we do every day that impede our Christian walk.
It goes back to early teaching and what isn't being taught!
After all, it is all about ME in this society, isn't it?
btw, this thread is about why Catholics don't avail themselves of the Sacrament of Confession more.
It isn't about your belief, but then again it IS all about ME, isn't it?
I suspect it's a growing case of 'Religion Lite' - Great Feeling, Less Effort.
There definitely is room for improvement on making Confession more easily available. However this requires extra commitment on the part of many parish priests, and some don't want to do that, sadly. What really drives me up the wall are the parishes that offer Confession "by appointment" only. That's about the worst thing you can do to encourage more people to use the sacrament. Even those who go to Confession regularly rarely get excited and eager to go. It's never fun - nor is it supposed to be. Having a time period, even if it's just an hour every week, where you can go, confess, and continue on makes it a little easier. Many people who barely can drag themselves to "the box" would never get around to calling a priest and setting up an appointment. Not to mention the fact that much of the comforting anonymity of the confessional is lost that way. It's a very intimidating set up.
Johnny, tell our loser what parting gifts he/she/it has won.
Ping! for your Catholic News list.
Slate isn't always the best, but this commentary isn't bad.
Gal 5:19
Yeah, it takes some effort. And some honesty. And a touch of humility. It might seem like an effort beforehand, but I've walked out with a smile on my face more than once.
Most practicing Catholics also do a daily examination of conscience, yes? And we do confess to and request forgiveness directly from Jesus, just like our good Protestant friends. Don't we? We're always praying to Him and our sins are a normal thing to talk to Him about.
And every week we stand up and say "I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters...." and with some preparation and sincere contrition that and the Eucharist take care of our minor transgressions. I do believe some Protestants think that we think we are limited only to the sacrament of Confession. We do everything they do, don't we? However, there is ... even more available for our benefit.
I think one thing that hardly ever gets discussed is that there is more to Reconciliation than the absolution of your sins. There's also the benefit of actually being stregnthened to avoid sin in the future. And being reconciled to the Church. If St. Paul is on target, we each share the good done by the members of the Body but the entire Body is also wounded by my sins.
Ever read your Catechism of the Catholic Church?
Catholicism Quote of the Week!
LOL
The issue of personal sanctity and aviodance of sin is seldom mentioned and the "social gospel" is emphasized instead. In addition to the absence of preaching on personal sin, the consequences of dying in that state (i.e. eternal damnation) are likewise rarely broached.
Far too pre-Vatican II, don't you know. We're much more enlightened, nowadays!!
I have found the sacrament of confession a tremendous channel of divine grace. As a protestant, I found that one doesn't have any sort of finality for our sins, and I'm not sure one took them so seriously if there was no formal taking of responsibility and asking for forgiveness that comes from telling another person. The sacrament shows so much more seriousness. In the early Church, sinners had to stand outside the church! When we sin, we not only harm God and ourselves, but all our brothers and sisters in Christ, so it is appropriate to confess to God through the person of a minister of God and the Church.
No... why?
whatever.
It will teach you about what we Catholics believe. It's all carefully sourced.
sorry wrong book... james 5:16
Hebrews 7
Please help explain the Faith to those who do not understand it.
Why have they stopped going? Perhaps it has something to do with the failure of the RC church to address the hundreds of pedophiles to whom people are confessing their sins.
Just a guess
I went today. There were about 10 of us in line, maybe more. I got there late.
Add to the fact that the Church has been inundated with so many of the "touchy feely" liberal priests who preach all about God's relentless love, but leave out accountability for sin completely in their homilies.
With many liberal priests homilies, its as if sin and evil don't exist.
4 percent of the priests have been guilty of this type of misconduct, most done during the 60s and 70s.
96 percent of the priests have not ever done anything scandalously wrong.
96 per cent of the men do their job, and yet people who say things like this seem to want to throw away the 96 percent and act like the whole church is manned only by the 4 percent.
What an unbalanced, uncharitable worldview.
That is a lot of the problem, I suspect. Bad teaching. Theological dissent.
See my Post #21.
Our priest has lines, but I think they could be much longer.
As I just said, it is GOD who forgives the sins of the sinner through the words of absolution spoken by the priest. Have you ever read those words of absolution? If not, then how can you speak about them in such a way?
The graces received through the Sacrament of Reconciliation are many, you have that right.
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1449 The formula of absolution used in the Latin Church expresses the essential elements of this sacrament: the Father of mercies is the source of all forgiveness. He effects the reconciliation of sinners through the Passover of his Son and the gift of his Spirit, through the prayer and ministry of the Church:
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Why are Catholics so defensive? I can show you pre-Vatican II tracts that defend the concept of "Limbo" as steadfastly as you folks are defending certain practices INVENTED by the church of Rome. It was such intolerance and blind faithfulness to practices not mentioned in the scriptures or practiced by the Church pre-Nicea that drove me away from the RC Church.
No offense to my friends on this site, but the bible and pre-Nicean Christian tradition required a TESTIMONIAL of sins. It says NOTHING about getting absolution from God through a cleric. From my understanding of scripture and pre-Nicean traditions, such confessions can be made by giving testimony in the community of believers, which could include a priest or a church/prayer group or any such gathering of believing Christians.
I've gone into the sacrament many times with a heavy heart and left with peace. The result of confession and absolution of my sins is love and gratitude toward God for His salvation through Christ's death and resurrection. I'm reminded that He calls me to be His own, that He yearns to bring us closer in friendship and grace.
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