Posted on 11/20/2003 8:51:20 AM PST by franky
When we go, let's invite a Catholic family member or friend to join us.
Parents, don't forget to take your kids along, even if they still go in school (my son's Catholic school only offers Confession twice a year these days), it's a great example and reminds them you think it's important.
How to Confess Your Sins - A homily by Fr. Phil Bloom
As you can see we have now lit the 2nd candle of our Advent wreath to symbolize the Second Sunday of Advent. Each Sunday has a particular focus: last Sunday--the end of the world; today and next Sunday--John the Baptist and the final Sunday before Christmas we contemplate the Blessed Virgin Mary who is ready to give birth to the Christ child.
The fact that we devote the two central Sundays of Advent to John the Baptist indicates how important he is in preparing for Christmas. The reason is clear: he is the precursor of Jesus the Messiah. As the Gospel this Sunday says, John is "a voice crying in the desert. Prepare the way of the Lord." John called the people to repentance, to a change of heart. Before they were baptized in the Jordan, they confessed their sins.
That's what I would like to talk to you about this Sunday: The confession of sins. Confession, also called the sacrament of reconciliation is one of the beautiful gifts that Jesus has given to his church. In fact, it was the very first gift after the resurrection. He breathed on the apostles and said, "Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven." How tremendous that men, ordinary human beings, would have the power to forgive sins in Jesus' name!
For a lot of us that gift of reconciliation is like a Christmas present we opened but didn't appreciate or didn't know what to make of it. So we left it in a closet to gather dust. Why not take another look?
First of all, let's examine the human level. In giving the apostles and their successors the power to forgive sins, Jesus knew our human psychology. When we have done something it can fester inside us and we want to get it out. That urge is so strong people spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars, to do just that with a psychologist. One of this century's most famous psychologists, Carl Jung, noted that, even tho the area where he practiced was mainly Catholic, most of his patients were Protestants or Jews. He surmised that on a human level, what others achieved in psychotherapy, many Catholics realized just by going to confession.
Those of us who were brought up Catholic know that in spite of feeling scared before going to confession, we had a beautiful sense of relief once we uttered our sins to a priest. In my 26 years of priesthood people have told me things in confession they have confided to no one else, not even their wife or their best friend. There is a certain intimate area within us that we can only share in the confessional.
I am aware of that personally. I remember once this guy made an accusation against me. It was really terrible and I was furious. But you know, I thought about it in a calmer moment and I said to myself, "at least he doesn't know my real sins." There is a part of us only God knows and even tho we may not have exact words to express it, we can unburden ourselves in the sacrament of reconciliation.
Every sin confessed to a priest is under the seal of the sacrament. That means the priest has to guard that secret--and usually it is just erased like hitting the delete button the computer.
Many people prefer to confess anonymously. Our reconciliation room has a screen the penitent can kneel behind and during this time of advent when we have some extra priests we will be using our old confessionals. On the other hand many of our younger people have gotten used to face-to-face confession. Besides being more personal it allows for the beautiful gesture of placing the hands on the penitent's head which can be so healing. Both options, anonymous and face to face, are available here at Holy Family.
Some people tell me, "Father I just don't know what to say when I go to confession." But it is so simple. You just need to know two things: the length of time since your last confession and your sins. You can say something like, "Bless me, Father. I have sinned. It has been a year since my last confession." Or five years. Or two months. Or "this is my first confession." Whatever it has been. Then say your sins.
Our sins are pretty standard. You can find them in the Ten Commandments. Fr. Gerry Clenaghan used to say that he would give a hundred dollars if anyone came up with a new sin he hadn't heard. I don't offer that. Once a teenager after he went to confession, asked me, "Have you heard that one before?" I had to admit I had not. He wanted to claim the cash prize, but I told him he would have to talk to Fr. Clenaghan. He's been a priest longer than I have and maybe he had heard it.
Anyway, it is true that even tho our sins are basically the same, we commit them in greatly varied circumstances. But in the sacrament we don't have to go into a lot of details. A simple statement is enough. "I stole something from a store. I lied to my parents. I missed Mass twice. I committed adultery. I had an abortion. I hurt people because of my anger, my impatience." Whatever it was. The priest might recommend something for further healing, but the sacrament of reconciliation is not a counseling session. What the priest does is give you the deepest healing, the forgiveness of your sins.
Now I know some people are worried Father is "too busy to hear my confession." Or if everyone came to confession, that's all the priest would have time to do. There were priests like St. John Vianney and Padre Pio who did spend most of their day hearing confessions. There are some today who hear confessions for long hours. What better thing for a priest to do? But suppose here at Holy Family every eligible person came to confession, would it be so many? I did the math one day. We have about two thousand people at our weekend Masses. Suppose sixteen hundred are eligible for the sacrament. If everyone came once a year, that would only be 32 a week. That's just a couple hours of confessions because even tho some people might want a little more time to talk, most are happy just to state their sins, get penance and receive absolution. Now I encourage people to go to confession more than once or twice a year, but even if many of you went once a month or more often, it would not be a great burden. Besides we have with us one of the best confessors in the Archdiocese--Fr. Jack Jennings. I know, I've gone to confession myself to him in the past.
Let me tell you, our problem is not too many people going to confession. There has been a great decline in confessions. I have often asked myself, "why?" Part of the reason is that we don't want to take responsibility for our lives. I was in a car accident a year and a half ago. He said it was my fault. I told him it was his fault. Isn't it amazing? All these accidents happening and no one is to blame! That mentality can affect even our spiritual life. Always some one elses fault. My parents yelled at me. My boss takes me for granted. My wife doesn't understand me. God made me this way. We can easily find another person to blame. Well, the sacrament of confession is the moment where we accept responsibility. Sure, I have been affected by other people, but I chose to do what I did. As David said when he was confronted with his double sin--adultery and murder--"Against you alone, O Lord, have I sinned." All of our sins, whether they are big or small, are sins against God. In the sacrament of reconciliation, we accept responsibility for our own sins. Like the people who followed John into the desert, we confess our sins and we are washed clean. The sacrament of reconciliation is a "second baptism."
"Disciple" refers to ALL believers, as in Acts 9:36, (a female disciple.)
Acts 9:36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.
Are ALL disciples supposed to forgive each other's sins and assign each other pennance?
Excellent idea! And for those who are not quite sure where to begin, begin here. From Catholic Parents Online ...
The link also provides an Examination of Conscience to be used by children.
Has it been a while since you last went to confession? Is the idea of going to confession just too embarrassing, humbling, or confusing for you? Some people haven't gone to confession for many years. Some wonder why they need to confess to a priest at all, instead of directly to God. Others are help back by weighty sins, like premarital sex or abortion. What's holding you back from making a good confession?
Many people feel about as much enthusiasm for going to confession as the do about going to a doctor or dentist. They hold off going until the pain, spiritual or physical, is no longer bearable. But many of us have come to know the incomparable peace and joy that only a good confession can bring us. How can something so bitter, also be so sweet?
As a frail human being I am well aware of how discomforting going to confession can be. Who wants to think about their faults and failings, much less tell someone else about them. I'd much rather be telling you about my good points, my good deeds. And it I tell the priest about that sin, who knows how he will react, or what he's going to think about me. Wouldn't it be much better to keep such sensitive matters between me and God, where they belong?
As a priest, who both goes to confession and hears confessions, I have come to see this sacrament as one of the greatest treasures of the Catholic Church. Were it not for the honesty and wisdom of the confessors to whom I have entrusted my darkest secrets, I certainly would never be a priest today. On the other hand, many of the most blessed moments of my priesthood have come when a suffering penitent has allowed me into their sacred place, to see them as they see themselves, and, in doing so, have allowed God's grace to begin to heal them from within. When we confess our sinfulness, in all its painful vileness, to the priest, when we permit the priest to see us at our worst, and yet, rather than being judged and condemned, find only compassion, understanding, and genuine love, we experience God's forgiveness. It is then, in this sacrament of reconciliation, that we know God's unconditional love. We gain the courage to abhor our sin, and yet to love the sinner, ourselves.
It isn't fun to go to a doctor and have to tell about this or that pain. Wouldn't it be much more pleasant to tell about all the parts of me that appear to be doing just fine? While it is important to keep in mind all that is well with me, it is necessary to focus special attention on my ailing members, so that I can become healthy and whole again. Similarly, in confession, while mindful and grateful for all that is spiritually well with me, to grow spiritually I need to seek healing in my weak areas. A skilled confessor will help us see ourselves more clearly and, hopefully, offer wise guidance that is tailored to our particular strengths and weaknesses.
Sometimes Catholics fail to appreciate how valuable the sacrament of penance can be in our lives. So many people go around heavily burdened with guilt, or continually falling into the same tortuous cycle of sin. Some pay mental health practitioners big bucks for relief, or a cure. While more serious emotional problems may require profession counseling, every Catholic Church offers us, free of charge, the invitation to unburden our hearts. In the 20th century human services, from 12 steps programs to psychotherapy, have come to recognize and promote the importance of unpacking our darkest secrets. Our Catholic tradition of confession has known and practiced this wisdom for centuries.
Whenever and wherever we truly repent for our sins and ask God to forgive us, we are immediately forgiven. God, Who is love, keeps no record of wrongs (1 Cor 12:26f). But my sins are more than just a private matter between me and God. Sin cuts me off not only from God, but from God's Church as well. In sinning I let the whole Church down, I weaken the love binding Christ's Body, the Church, together (). In the sacrament of reconciliation, in exercising the Church's God-given power to forgive sins (Jn 20:23), the priest not only assures me of God's forgiveness, but acts as a representative of the Church, welcoming me back into full communion.
In going to confession, you are free to seek out a totally unknown priest. Most every Catholic Church offers the sacrament of reconciliation every Saturday afternoon, no appointment needed. Your might want to consider, however, selecting for yourself a particular confessor, at your home parish or at The Catholic Center, to see each time you confess. The advantages of this are similar to the continuity afforded you by consistently going to the same doctor. It's up to you.
If you haven't been to confession for a long time, I warmly encourage you to do so, especially if there has been a particular reason holding you back. We priests are painfully aware of our own weaknesses and so cannot, in good conscience, look down upon anyone else for their weaknesses. On the contrary, we cannot but admire the moral courage of anyone seeking healing, asking to be reconciled with God and the Church.
Lent, and Advent, are special times of grace and reconciliation. That is why we invite you to a communal Penance Service right before Easter, and Christmas. But here at Rutgers you should also feel free after any Mass to ask the priest to hear your confession, or to call The Catholic Center for an appointment. And don't worry about having forgotten the prayers or not remembering what to say. The priest will be happy to assist you. The only thing you need to bring you to confession is a sincere desire to repent and make a new beginning.
What's holding you back from making a good confession?
You must have great faith in those you are following if you are entrusting you eternal soul to their care. I hope their motives are pure...
According to Acts 17:11...
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
...we are encouraged (considered noble) when we check these things out for ourselves and don't rely on others whose motives might be suspect (like aquisition of wealth and power). It was Paul's teachings that God considered it noble for these people to verify from the scriptures for themselves...
No, the local churches here don't emphasize it enough. Pope John Paul II suggests once a month for everyone, but it doesn't seem to trickle down to here, at least many parts of the US.
It's nice to have the Sat afternoon confession - parishes local to me have it that way too - but it used to be offered on Thursdays and Saturdays for a 2 hr and before certain masses. For people who work, it's hard to get to. So they just don't bother. The less frequent offerings give some the impression it's less important. My son's school used to offer Confession 4 or 5 times a year, now just twice. They cancel mass at the drop of a hat, or substitute (not add on) a prayer service even when more than one priest is available and at the prayer service. Things like an Earth day celebration cancel Mass. Now, recycling is not necessarily a bad idea, but replacing Mass tacitly sends the wrong message.
My parish council (of which I find myself a member, it was a fluke) wants our pastor to offer communal penances as an errant pastor once did routinely in place of regular personal confession. Our pastor is not moved by this. We will be instituting small faith communitities (go ahead, try a google search, if you dare..) and I may be resigning. Our diocese insists (unlike others on the web) that in no way should bible study, correcting people who contradict the catholic faith vis a vis the Catechism, or praying the rosary or trips to Eucharistic adoration be part of the small communities in any way. (Arms flying up in the air...) A complete eroding of our faith as we know it.
I had trouble with the link, found an extra ", so if anyone has trouble, try this:
http://www.catholicparents.org/oxcart/examination.html
I think that this "faith" was faith in Christ, not faith in theologians.
Onelife
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.