Ask a Priest Anything...about Confession!

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I’ve said in posts above, if the penitent is in the confessional, and confessing sins, and they don’t positively manifest some kind of condition that would make absolution impossible (refusing to cease contraception, married outside the Church), then I assume they are contrite and I absolve them. The principle of charity is operative. The bar is very low, and it should be. We shouldn’t be stingy with the sacraments.

If the penitent withholds something, and thus is not truly contrite, that’s between them and God. The priest would obviously have no way of knowing.

If it’s simply a matter of the penitent wishing to avoid hell, or if he doesn’t “feel contrite,” that doesn’t matter, absolution is still valid.
 
macska said:
What is “ minimally contrite”?
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Sorrow for sins (at the very least, sorry because one doesn’t want to receive the eternal punishment due to sin), and resolved to attempt to avoid the sin in the future.
macska said:
The problem is that the priest does not know it, he assumes that the penitent was sincere and utters the words of absolution. What happens then?
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The form is valid, but the matter is not valid, and therefore, there is no valid sacrament that takes place.

Simple analogy: let’s suppose that you and I propose to bake a cake together. I promise to bring the flour and provide the oven, and you promise to bring the other ingredients. Let’s suppose that I show up and I have the flour and the oven… but you don’t bring what you were supposed to bring. Is the result a cake? Of course not. Does this mean that the flour or the oven was somehow deficient or ‘meaningless’? Of course not – it was the lack of the other ingredients that prevented the cake from coming to be!
 
edward_george1 said:
If the penitent withholds something, and thus is not truly contrite, that’s between them and God. The priest would obviously have no way of knowing.
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This is obvious. So what is the “effect” of the words: “ego te absolvo”?
 
macska said:
What if the penitent just says his confession, but is not really contrite? The problem is that the priest does not know it, he assumes that the penitent was sincere and utters the words of absolution.
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macska said:
what is the “effect” of the words
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It is good that you are thinking about the basic elements of the rite of Confession. You can reduce it to a list of ingredients, like a cake recipe, but bear in mind that the cake is part of much larger celebration.
… What happens then?
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Good and merciful God will continue to love the sinner and reach out to him or her. Think of the Gospel reading several Sundays ago: the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son (Luke 15).

I wonder about the rich man who went away sad (Mark 10:17-31, Matthew 19:16-30, Luke 18:18-30). God’s grace continued to work in him, and perhaps another day he resolved to let go of his wealth and follow Jesus. We don’t know, but for this we hope.

… and similarly we hope for the conversion of anyone who comes insincerely to Confession.
Gorgias said:
Let’s suppose that I show up and I have the flour and the oven… but you don’t bring what you were supposed to bring. Is the result a cake? Of course not.
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… but we could make unleavened bread and bring it to another celebration! 😃
 
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The Sacrament would be invalid in that case, and the words would have no effect.

But just because they have no effect in that case doesn’t mean that they’re meaningless or never have any effect.

May I ask what your interest in this question is?
 
Assuming sincerity, is the seal of the confessional always binding? For example, if a non-Catholic came into confession, repentant but not knowing he couldn’t be validly absolved, he confesses his sins and then, at the end of confession says “sorry, I’m not Catholic, I hope that’s okay.” You’d obviously not absolve him, but would you be bound by the seal?
 
What do you think God prefers: perfection or ‘beautifully imperfect’? Does God mind that we are imperfect, or does He see some beauty in our imperfection/our struggles/our frailty as humans? Would God be happier if we were all perfect, if there would be no sins to confess? Or do you think God loves hearing our confessions and forgiving our sins because this gives Him an even greater opportunity to show us His love and mercy?
 
Hello Fr

Do you think parishioners are nervous about going to there own parish priest in fear they may think less of them.
 
Anna5 said:
What do you think God prefers: perfection or ‘beautifully imperfect’?
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It is a Chinese concept that a little imperfection creates “real” beauty. I don’t share it. Besides, what IS a little imperfection?
Anna5 said:
Does God mind that we are imperfect, or does He see some beauty in our imperfection/our struggles/our frailty as humans? Would God be happier if we were all perfect, if there would be no sins to confess?
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How would I know? If I only judge based upon the observed / assumed state of the affairs, then God does not mind to have the millions in hell. I make this judgment based upon my attitude, which tells me that if there is something that I don’t like, and if I have the power to fix it, then I fix it.
 
Would it ever be appropriate (assuming not done out of scrupulosity) to ask a priest for a more significant penance? Not because it is necessary or deserved, but because it might be helpful.
 
DarkLight said:
Would it ever be appropriate (assuming not done out of scrupulosity) to ask a priest for a more significant penance? Not because it is necessary or deserved, but because it might be helpful
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I once protested what I felt a light penance.

I was told that it is about God’s love for us, not our feeling of satisfaction.
 
macska said:
OK. This answer has no informational value.
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Not sure what this means. Your question was answered. The answer was essentially, “I’m sorry, but your assertion doesn’t hold up to scrutiny”. How is that not informational? Or are you just unhappy that your take on things doesn’t jibe with the way the Church defines her sacraments?
 
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Anna5 said:
Do you always know what to say/which advice to give to the penitent? Do you feel that the Holy Spirit gives you the words/clarity about what to say to a particular penitent?
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No and yes 😃 Sometimes a person will start confessing and I’ll be wondering what I should say to them - fortunately, the Holy Spirit speaks when I’m not sure what to say! Experience (much more than wisdom) plays a part certainly, but there’s always a first time for everything!
Anna5 said:
Can you (sometimes) see people through in confession? For example that God gives you some insight into a penitent life/heart, even if he or she has not disclosed this to you?
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No. Sometimes I wonder if there’s more going on in their lives than what they’re telling me and I might gently probe but it’s up to them to decide what they want to tell me.
Anna5 said:
How do you experience hearing confessions? Is it just another task among many other important tasks for you or perhaps one of your most or least favourite things about being a priest?
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For me, it’s the most important thing that I do. I’m not sure I’d say I enjoy it if only because that sort of sounds wrong and I certainly don’t hate it. As a newly ordained priest said to bme recently, there’s a wonderful joy which comes from hearing the confession of somebody returning after a long absence.
 
Cham65 said:
Do you think parishioners are nervous about going to there own parish priest in fear they may think less of them.
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Definitely. Of course that’s just pride but at the same time, we’re all only human after all. There’s nothing wrong with choosing to go to or avoid a particular priest but, let’s just put it this way, I certainly don’t think less of any of my parishioners who confess to me.
 
Father, some time ago I read that the priest is the only person obligated to take Communion in Mass. However, how do priests that have a particular habitual sin manage this? If they have to say a Mass right away and they sinned before, do they have to find another priest near to confess or do they prefer to commit potential sacrilege and later confess?

This is always a question that worries me because in my discernment, I may feel the call to be a priest.
 
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I’ve struggled with habitual sins and the clash with a possible vocation is well known to me. Without saying that priests don’t have issues with habitual sins, it is my experience that if God wants something in particular for you (e.g. priesthood), following that path is also a path to holiness.
 
Thanks Father, That is really helpful. You said there’s nothing wrong with choosing to go to or avoid a particular priest. But don’t you think it is preferable to go to confession with your own parish priest (to combat pride/to foster greater humility, to bring your sins to light with somebody you know instead of running away to anonymous confession elsewhere, etc)?
 
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