Not every parish provides a Portofess service like the one above from Joey Skaggs
Lent is a season when we are encouraged to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. For some, this is not an easy thing to consider. So, to help you in this regard, I'm pleased to offer you:
A Dozen Reasons NOT to Go to Confession:
1) Your natural tendency to love God in all things and to love your neighbor as yourself causes you to walk about an inch off the ground on an invisible cloud of holiness.
2) Your husband/your wife never tires of telling you what a perfect spouse you are.
3) Your faithfulness in getting yourself and your family to Sunday Mass is often mentioned by your pastor as a model for all Catholics.
4) You have been so faithful in honoring your mother and father that they’ve asked you to loosen up a little and enjoy yourself once in a while.
5) You have been so generous in helping the poor that you no longer can afford transportation to get to church for confession.
6) You speak to God in prayer so often that he sometimes asks if he can put you on hold for a few minutes.
7) You are so well known at school as an honest, hardworking and friendly student that you are often called to the Principal’s Office to offer your advice on school policy.
8) Your purity in thought, word and deed has been awarded a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.
9) You are so honest that you once felt guilty about stealing second base.
10) You are so completely content with what God has given you that winning the lottery would be a moral dilemma prompting you to ask that another number be drawn.
11) Your efforts for justice and peace have won you a nomination for the Nobel Prize.
12) You already come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation so often that you fear needlessly lengthening the line of others waiting to go to confession.
2009lentpostcollection
-ConcordPastor
This photo is still clever, even though I believe you used it last year...but of course, it's Lent again and it's time to talk about Reconciliation again.
ReplyDeleteThank the heavens that you got rid of the snow on the parish website photo of the church. Maybe God will get the hint...
Shawn
Ouch. So much guilt here -- and preaching to the choir, most likely. What about the prodigal son and the father's forgiveness preceding the son's petition?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous:
ReplyDeletePerhaps you gave up your sense of humor for Lent?
I'm familiar with the parable of the son whose father's love was prodigal, part of which story is the reality that the son needed to come home to discover and receive the pardon the father had in store for him, the pardon the father had already granted in his heart.
Although the son's father had already forgiven him, the son would never have known this had he not come back to express his contrition.
The sacrament of reconciliation is the coming home, the celebration of the mercy already flowing from the Father's heart.
Respectfully, it could be that this angle would be more encouraging to the woefully overdue, reluctant or recalcitrant hearts among us than the sarcasm/humor route. It is a cute photo, though.
ReplyDeleteOh. So I didn't have to go to Reconciliation?!?
ReplyDeleteI didn’t give up my sense of humor for lent. But, I’m a Survivor of 10 years of Catholic school. The Sisters used guilt, shame and humiliation to make the children in their charge feel “less than” and keep them under control.
ReplyDeleteI’ve spent the past 35 years trying to get over that experience. Your post brought me back to that “home”. It triggered in me the same feelings you expressed in your February post about being in the sixth grade at Great Oak School and being chosen last for kickball. You used the words “marked – not clean enough – outside the camp”.
I try my best to understand and do God’s will. Needless to say, I fall short. Your 12 point post, like the Sisters, reminded me just how far short, but I’m not laughing. I agree with Anonymous. There must be a better way to “encourage” us to return to confession.
Michael:
ReplyDeleteI preached the homily you mention in your comment 4 times that weekend and when I related that one day neither team would pick me for their side, at 3 out of the 4 Masses a good number of people in the assembly laughed out loud.
As you can imagine, it was never my intent to cause hurt with this post.
You wrote: "There must be a better way to 'encourage; us to return to confession."
I believe you're a fairly frequent reader of this blog so I hope that you're able to see that guilt, shame, humiliation and putting down vulnerable people is not characteristic of my approach to God's mercy. In particular, the Monday Morning Offerings and the Daily Lenten prayer series offer, I trust, encouragement in trusting God's mercy.
For any hurt I caused you, I apologize.
You are a humble man...the reason I rely on this site. I understand Micheal's sensitivity, but never that he'd not know you well enough to see your intent would never be to hurt.
ReplyDeleteFor me it was a way to lighten up about it! Thanks!
I, for one, loved the reflection and I just printed it out for our RCIA group! I think we all need to do some reflecting on our own behavior.....at least I do! For me, a little tongue in cheek goes a long way and I also can imagine God chuckling!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your humor. :-)
ReplyDeleteBut for me, since the sexual abuse crisis, I will not be going to confession to a priest anymore. My confession will and is, to God. I tell Him my sins and rely on his forgiveness. I can't stand the thought that I went to confession to a priest who abused children.
Concordpastor; if you confessed to a priest who abused children ... wouldn't you feel the same way???
I would hope you would, and would't rely on any human to forgive your sins ... just God.
I don't rely on any human to forgive my sins - I rely on God for that. And in my life as a Catholic Christian if I have a serious sin to be forgiven then I go to a human being, a priest, through whose ministry for the Church, God forgives me.
ReplyDeletePriests who abused were also instruments of God's mercy in confession, stood in the person of Christ at the altar for Mass, preached the message of the gospel of the Lord, witnessed for the Church the promises of faithful love in marriage, baptized many into life in Christ and anointed the sick and dying with Christ's comfort and healing.
The sins of any priest, and all priests are sinners, do not impede the grace of Christ and the work of the Church.
So, no... I don't approach this the same way you do, Emma.
I respect your opinion.
ReplyDeleteBut I simply cannot accept confessing my sins to anyone other than God himself.
He is the only one, in my opinion, that needs to know what is in my heart.
It's less my opinion and more the teaching and the practice of the Church.
ReplyDeleteI hope that in addition to God, you believe that others who need to know what's in your heart are those who have been offended by your sins.
I think you touched a nerve here -- for what other Sacrament requires us ordinary parishoners to make a proactive, personal, private move -- without public celebration (Baptism, first Communion, Confirmation, Marriage) or the spectre of imminent death....
ReplyDeleteCan you direct us to a piece of literature or commentary that might help get us there?
I'm not sure "where" anonymous wants help to get to. Perhaps he/she can be more clear.
ReplyDeleteThe better setting for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, of course, is a Pennce Service. Many parishes will celebrate one during Lent. Such a service includes a general, public, communal confession of sins which would suffice for those who do not have serious sins to confess individually.
Anonymous: I'm also unsure what you intend by the phrase "us ordinary parishioners."
ReplyDeleteSorry if I gave the impression that by only confessing my sins to God, that I would never say "sorry" to those I offended or sinned against. That simply is not true.
ReplyDeleteEmma: I was hoping that when you wrote, "He is the only one, in my opinion, that needs to know what is in my heart" that you weren't excluding others even though you restricted your confession "only" to God.
ReplyDeleteSo, then we're on the road to the need to confess our failings to a broader audience than God. Because we believe sin, especially serious sin, does harm to the Body of Christ, the Church, the sacrament of reconciliation provides a ritual for reconciling with God and the Church through the ministry of the priest.
I understand that you might reject this; my task here is to present how Catholic Christians understand and practice reconciliation.
Sorry to be so vague, CP. By "ordinary parishoners" I meant the laity. I was thinking that there are some Sacraments (Holy Orders?) that are not available (wrong word again, probably) to lay persons.
ReplyDeleteBy "where" to get, I meant up off our behinds (inertia is powerful) and to the confessional. (Is it still called that?) Maybe it is only the Holy Spirit who can motivate us, but I would love to read a guilt-free argument for why it is an important thing to do. ("It" being going to confession.) I can imagine that if more of us with serious stuff to confess (too serious for the general penance service) would actually get there, a lot of healing would start to happen.
You can get us to come to Mass by saying "we miss you, we need you, we are better for having you here" -- which speaks somewhat to the COMMUNITY aspect of our faith. But getting someone to "get there" -- to reconciliation -- to the private (embarrassing?) act of showing up and speaking the words -- that is difficult.
I know there are funny aspects to confession, and I'm sorry that I put my sense of humor on hold in my first post. But confession is one of the things that comes up (in a "how can you still be Catholic" kind of poke) at dinner parties and discussion groups and the like, and the "guilt" aspect of it is what is hard to defend. Maybe I'm looking for a way defending the beauty of the sacrament -- maybe even a soundbite -- that goes beyond a "oh you're so perfect you have nothing to confess?" retort. Maybe I'm just eating with the wrong people.
Maybe I don't really know what I'm looking for and I am just confusing the issues. So I thank you for your thoughtful posts in reply. Meanwhile, I'll just keep listening and reading and trying....
Since I'm not in a position to offer a "question box" blog, my response here may be briefer than "anonymous" is looking for.
ReplyDeleteI asked about "us ordinary parishioners" because "us ordinary priests" are in the same boat when it comes to the forgiving of sins.
To those who do not share our sacramental way of life as Catholic Christians, and to some who do, it's not always easy to offer a rationale which satisfies - for any sacrament. I think the sacrament of reconciliation is often the one brought up precisely because it involves serious self-inventory and sharing that with someone else.
To someone at a dinner table I'd say something like:
"Catholic Christians follow a sacramental way of worship which involves community, ritual, words, gestures, signs, symbols and prayer. This is true of Reconciliation, too. Of course, God saves outside of baptism, nourishes outside of the eucharist,heals outside of anointing and forgives outside of confession... But the Catholic Church prefers a particular way of doing things and when it comes to serious sin, that includes coming to Christ in the person of a priest who, for God and the Church, absolves sin. In addition to making amends to those hurt by our sins, reconciliation sacramentalizes our reconciliation with the whole body of Christ.
It is said that "confession is good for the soul" and that it is. To bring to speech our sins and to share our need for mercy with another human being, is a good way to acknowledge the wrong we've done and to move on.
When a former Catholic asks "How can you still be a Catholic," a good response is, "What have you found that's better? What faith have you joined?" When a non-Catholic asks the same question, a good response is, "Thanks for asking! My Catholic faith is the way I connect with God, make sense of my life and spirituality, find help in discerning wisdom and truth, and belong to a community whose roots go back some 2,000 years, and even more when you consider our Jewish heritage."
That is great, CP. I will print it and keep it where I can read and consider it often, and will aim to have it in my (proverbial) pocket when I next need it. Thanks again for your thoughtful attention.
ReplyDeleteYou try to be so politically correct in all your responses, it's difficult for me to know the real you.
ReplyDeleteAt least from my perspective, the purpose of this blog isn't to reveal "the real me" - even if some of whatever the "real me" is, is revealed in the process.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, there are some who think the "real me" is far too much a part of this blog!
From day one, I've fully identified myself on this blog as a Catholic pastor. I've done this in a venue where most of my readers will not even self-identify with a fictitious screen name.
My greatest hopes are: that all readers might grow spiritually from reading my blog; that Catholic people will find a place here to learn, grow and speak of their faith; and that people of other faiths will come to a better understanding of Catholicism.
My hope is that all readers will come to a deeper knowledge and love of God, in Christ, through this blog. If what is revealed of me here helps in that process, I'm grateful. If what is revealed of me here hinders that process, I regret that.
My point is: it's good to be true to one self. Even in a blog.
ReplyDelete...sorry to "jump in here", but I'm confused...
ReplyDeleteJoe, it seems that you are making the assumption that Concord Pastor is NOT being true to himself, and that you can't see the "real person he is"-
I just don't know how you can assume that...
Just because I'm not praising and thanking concordpastor in this post, doesn't mean I'm assuming anything about concordpastor that isn't good.
ReplyDeleteI'm just commenting on a post. Which I believe as long as we are polite to one another, we are free to do.
That's correct, Joe - and it's correct for Michelle, too - and you have different takes on the matter: I'm glad you both commented!
ReplyDeleteCP,
ReplyDeleteI haven't read all the comments on this topic, but I felt I wanted to post to share my experience. I do understand others pain and fear. I've returned to the church this past year after being away,in part due to the abuse crisis. Since coming back I have gone to confession very, very hesitantly initially, and now still finding it hard to go, but it's because it's hard for me to acknowledge my weaknesses. What I've experienced each time though has been God's gifts of grace and strength, and a deeper knowing of His unconditional love for me. So, I would say to my own pastor, to you and others, keep on preaching the gift we have from God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation!
Am coming to our communal penance service Monday night. Haven't decided whether I will go to confession (or as it is now frequently called "reconciliation".) I still have some kind of fear, timidity about going to confession and I am not sure why. There is something about baring one's soul, sharing one's inner thoughts that I find difficult, even though I have found a profound sense of relief and grace when I have in recent years availed myself of the sacrament of reconciliation. A conundrum!
ReplyDeleteI need some advice, please. I went to a Reconciliation Service last night, expecting that we would have general prayer and then individual confession. But the priest explained that after prayer and the readings, we would be confessing our sins privately to God. Father had three bibles on the altar and each person approached one of the "stations", laid our hands on the bible and made our silent confession. Then each person went before the priest and he gave individual absolution. He also gave us the option of receiving absolution from any other member of the community. It was a beautiful service and moved me deeply, but I am finding myself questioning if I have fulfilled the requirements to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Can you please comment. Thanks
ReplyDeleteNancy:
ReplyDeleteHere's my response, based on what your wrote. It's possible that, through no fault of yours, some (important) details may have been forgotten or unintentionally omitted.
What you describe is not one of the options in the Rite of Penance in the Catholic Church.
Since the practice of the Catholic Church is that individual confession is necessary for the forgiveness of any serious sin, that should have been mentioned to those at the service.
Even if that was mentioned, I think the service you describe would have the potential of confusing people and although you and others may have found it beautiful and moving, it is not the way the Catholic Church celebrates reconciliation.
Thank you for your reply. Now I feel like I should still go to confession in the "traditional" manner, even in the absence of serious sin, so as to receive the grace of the sacrament. I wish the priests of the Church were more united in their thoughts, because it does seem that what one priest thinks is OK is often times not OK with another. I think it encourages people to "shop" around for the spiritual advisor who will give them the answer they want to hear. I have experienced this not only in the matter of Penance, but also marriage, birth control,abortion and other controversial issues.
ReplyDelete