Confession

Do a web search on Confession, Reconciliation, or Penance and the Catholic Church and you’ll find several sources that talk about what, why, Church doctrine etc.  However, what is the real life experience of these sacraments today?

I can remember when we were kids waiting in line to go to confession on a Saturday afternoon and comparing notes with my friends trying to think of something to say to the priest.  We were ten and eleven years old.  What had we done to warrant this trauma week after week?  They kept telling us we were sinners and so we showed up every Saturday…as we got older one Saturday a month…older still and I stopped going.

When I first came back to the Church, I was scared to death to speak with a priest because I dreaded the thought of that dark, creepy confessional and that laundry list of sins.  I waited seven or eight months before making an appointment to see our Pastor and when we finished that meeting I wondered why I ever waited so long.  The laundry list was long gone and instead of that dark, creepy confessional with a faceless voice, I found a man who began that day to guide me to a place where I could learn to forgive myself as God has.  I am learning to accept being human; often falling down, picking up the pieces and trying to take the necessary steps to move forward in my spiritual growth.

I’ve been blest with two wonderful priests in my parish.  Are all priests as wonderful as these two?  Maybe not, but I bet if you do some searching, you’ll meet one or two that you can connect with.  There is merit in the often over used saying “Confession is good for the soul.”

To read more about reconciliation the following is recommended:
 

Enriching the Experience of Reconciliation

By Bishop Pfeifer, San Angelo Texas

Pastoral letter for the 2006 Year of Reconciliation