Confession Confessions
What's holding you back?
Posted by Danielle Bean
in Faith
on Monday, September 29, 2008 9:00 AM
I finally went to Confession this past weekend.
For a long time, my goal has been to get myself and my kids who are old enough to Confession once a month, but I often fall short of that. Why is it so hard to keep myself on a regular Confession schedule?
I’d like to blame someone else for my failures, and that would be easy enough to do. At the church closest to my house, Confession is only available for 30 minutes a week, on Saturday afternoons.
But the fact is, I too often fail to make this sacrament a priority. I plan to get there, but then get caught up in other distractions or family activities on Saturday afternoons. There’s always next week, after all.
Confession is not high on the list of most people’s favorite pastimes. While it’s true, though, that Catholics are only required to go to Confession when we have committed serious sin or at least once a year (CCC 1457), we are encouraged to go more often than that:
Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church. Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the Father’s mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful (CCC 1458).
Personally speaking, I am lots more likely to keep my spiritual life on track when I get to Confession regularly. No matter which priest is on the other side of the screen and regardless of whether or not he has particularly brilliant words of wisdom to share with me after my confession, I am continually struck by the familiar rush of relief that envelopes me when I hear him speak the words of absolution. It’s a kind of healing that can only come from Christ.
Don’t we all want more of that?
If you’ve been avoiding Confession for a long time or aren’t sure how to do it, be sure to check out the National Catholic Register’s Guide to Confession (pdf) for some encouragement and basic facts.
How often do you go to Confession?
If you’re a regular, share your tips for making it a priority. If you’re an avoider, what’s holding you back?
By submitting this form, you give Faith And Family Magazine permission to publish this comment.
Comments will be published at our discretion, and may be edited for clarity and length. For best formatting, please
limit your response to one paragraph and don't hit "enter" to force line breaks.
Print Blog
Email a Friend