Last night, I scrolled past a romantic comedy on Netflix called "The Good Catholic". It’s a show about a priest who falls in love with a woman after hearing her confession.
A romantic comedy built around a priest's struggle with his vocation. That ain’t right. References to Confession in the media reveal that there is lot of stigma surrounding Catholicism and Confession. That it is stifling, burdensome, and oppressive. I wanted to share a little bit in this first post about why I go to Confession and why it is so wonderful. --- Confession is one of the 7 sacraments in the Catholic Church. The others are Baptism, the Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage (GONNA BE RECEIVING THIS ONE IN 174 DAYS but who’s counting), Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick. A sacrament is a tangible way for us to experience an intangible grace. As an example, in Confession we experience forgiveness by confessing our sins to a priest. I am very thankful that God (who we cannot touch or see) instituted the sacraments so that we can experience Him in physical ways that we can touch and see. Some people have the idea that the sacraments are more hoops to jump through to get to Heaven. This is false! Christ who created us, knows that we as humans rely on our senses to understand truth and derive meaning. Christ instituted the sacraments, so that we can experience Him in physical, sensational ways that increase our faith and strengthen our relationship with Him. I get a lot of questions about Confession. Is it awkward? Do you look the priest in the eyes? Do you tell him everything? No, it’s not awkward. It is an opportunity to humble ourselves, create a conversation, and talk with God about our mistakes. In the confessional, you have the option to kneel behind a screen or sit beside or in front of the priest. The priest is standing in for Christ who is love and mercy. The priest does not judge anyone. We are all sinners! Priests are sworn to protect the secrecy of the confessional. Read here about priests who were martyred for refusing to reveal what was said in the confessional. And yes, Confession is a place where no matter what sin you have done, no matter how bad, or how many times you have done it. The sin is forgiven. Our sin is met with love and forgiveness every. single. time. No matter what. Our sin is met with love and forgiveness every single time. Because Christ forgives us every single time we ask for it. The story of the Prodigal Son illustrates how deeply Christ loves us and how He longs for us to come back; no matter how “far gone” we think we may be. No one is beyond forgiveness. Priests regularly hear each other's confessions. Yes, even the Pope goes to confession. Saint Pope John Paul II was said to go to confession daily. Pope Francis is said to go every two weeks. We all struggle with sin, but God will never get tired of forgiving us. God's mercy is limitless. Confession is also a cathartic experience. It is like spring cleaning. Resurfacing and dusting out all the old junk we have buried under other junk in our past. When the priest, standing in the place of Jesus, offers absolution, those sins are gone forever. Because Christ forgives. I am learning in my graduate counseling classes how catharsis is a part of psychological healing. Confession is that safe place to acknowledge what we have done wrong and to ask God’s forgiveness. The priest provides love, mercy, and acceptance in response to whatever we need to get off our chest. Jesus forgave sins throughout the Bible. Before his Ascension to Heaven, He told His apostles: “Whoever’s sins you forgive are forgiven them” (Mt 16:20). Jesus gave this power to His apostles because He knew that He would no longer be around to offer that physical experience of forgiveness to us. Jesus gave the power to forgive sins to His apostles so that the apostles could continue His ministry on earth. Through apostolic succession, the Catholic Church exists today to continue Jesus’ ministry! I try to go to Confession about once a month or every other month. The Church tells us that Catholics need to go to Confession at least once a year. I try to go once a month because I do not want to become comfortable with my sins accumulating on my conscience. I also want to become more comfortable humbling myself, admitting how I have done wrong to God, myself, and/or my neighbor, and asking forgiveness. Every time I go it reinforces my belief in God's mercy. I will always be a sinner, and I will always need God’s mercy! --- Thanks for reading! Madeleine
4 Comments
Michelle
1/29/2018 06:40:52 pm
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I have tears in my eyes thinking about the awesome gift of confession. I think so many people cheat them self by not going to confession. What a gift to have a person look you in the eyes and counsel you and forgive you in Jesus name!
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Nancy H
1/29/2018 07:32:11 pm
Great insight, beautifully put! Thank you!
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Kim
1/30/2018 08:08:23 am
Beautifully written. Helps even a non-Catholic understand God's grace more fully. I look forward to more posts!
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Hanson
1/30/2018 05:09:33 pm
Wow. This clearly lays out why confessing to a priest (or someone in spiritual authority) is biblical and needed. I've felt that. There really are SO many misunderstandings. I love your description of the sacraments and how they allow us to experience God in tangible ways. What we do and experience physically and bodily affects our souls. Thanks for posting!
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Thanks for stopping by! I'm Madeleine, and I write about how I think and why I do the things I do as a Catholic. Archives
October 2018
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