A Sacrament that needs repeating

“I’m a Catholic, born and raised. One thing I don’t believe in, though, is Confession. I mean, what sins do you think I commit - I’m just an old man sitting around by myself?” Such is a vague paraphrase of something a gentleman I met said to me, recently. Probably, it roughly corresponds with the way quite a lot of Catholics feel about the ‘forgotten Sacrament’. And yet, it’s such a pity, because it means so many people are missing out on an extraordinary means of growth in their spiritual life.

Perhaps it is worth stating a key secret. The Sacrament of Confession (or Reconciliation) is extremely powerful, but it works by repetition. The act of repeatedly examining our consciences and confessing our sins to God through the mediation of His priest has a number of important effects.

1. It motivates us to do something about the sins we are repeatedly confessing.
2. It makes us more aware of the deeper layers of sin in our souls.
3. It makes us humble (which is a prerequisite for Grace to really take hold of our lives).

Let’s Rewind

If we go back some decades in the Church, we fairly quickly get back to a world where Catholic practice looked quite different. While the faithful were very devout in their attendance of Sunday Mass, receiving Holy Communion was a much rarer thing, perhaps monthly, or even less frequently. Reception of Communion would almost always have been preceded by receiving the Sacrament of Confession, which meant that a serious practising Catholic would have experienced Confession much more regularly than is the case today.

Having a regular pattern meant that many might have had a regular confessor: a priest to whom they normally made their confession. Whilst this needn’t have been an especially personal relationship, over time the priest and penitent might build a certain familiarity with each other, where the confessor was able to give a certain amount of meaningful direction to the penitent, to help him or her grow in the spiritual life. Even where this was not the case, however, the fact of regularity in confession meant that problems presented in the spiritual life could be addressed much earlier on, before they got ‘out-of-hand’. And perhaps most importantly, it ensured that people did not receive Holy Communion whilst in a state of serious sin, which is a disaster for any soul.

Therefore, whoever receives [the Sacrament of the Eucharist], expresses thereby that he is made one with Christ, and incorporated in His members; and this is done by living faith, which no one has who is in mortal sin. And therefore it is manifest that whoever receives this sacrament while in mortal sin, is guilty of lying to this sacrament, and consequently of sacrilege, because he profanes the sacrament. (St. Thomas Aquila’s, Summa Theologiae III, Q. 80, Art. 4)

The modern practice, however, has largely separated spiritual direction from the Confessional, and to a great extent restricted it to those in training for the priesthood or religious life. Many lay people are then left going to Communion at every Mass, but receiving the Sacrament of Confession much less regularly - if, dare I say it, even at all.

Missing out
If that sound like you, I want to say - you’re missing out. Confession is such a life-giving and soul-strengthening experience. It is a source of immense Sacramental power, when it is done properly. That is to say when it is preceded by a proper examination of conscience and practised regularly.

I am increasingly convinced that the reason so many Catholics are missing out, is simply because they have forgotten how to do it, and then forgotten why to do it. And then, before long, like the gentlemen to whom I was speaking, they have stopped believing in this fundamental tenet of our faith.

Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects. (James 5.16)

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20.21-23) 

"Individual, integral confession and absolution remain the only ordinary way for the faithful to reconcile themselves with God and the Church, unless physical or moral impossibility excuses from this kind of confession." There are profound reasons for this. Christ is at work in each of the sacraments. He personally addresses every sinner: "My son, your sins are forgiven." He is the physician tending each one of the sick who need him to cure them. He raises them up and reintegrates them into fraternal communion. Personal confession is thus the form most expressive of reconciliation with God and with the Church. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1484)

And so what I want to focus on in this week’s the Blog, is looking at how we make a good confession. I will firstly go back to basics and look at the role and place of the examination of conscience in the spiritual life. I will then look at formation of conscience. Then, finally, I will look at practical ways to get the most out the celebration of the sacrament itself. Do check back tomorrow ... and click ‘follow’ if you want to stay up-to-date.


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