Confession and Plenary Indulgences

[dmftx]

The more I try to truly comprehend the requirements of confession, the more confused I get. I come from an era where we went to confession weekly or, at most, biweekly. Needless to say, I was raised on the wrath of sin and eternal damnation. Frankly, at least it was clear cut.

Since then, we have been told that we only have to go to confession if we commit mortal sins and can pray to God for forgiveness of venal sins. As I have aged, this has been more concerning to me. I have had interesting conversations with several tenured priests who have said, more or less, to ask forgiveness of God for all sins and to go to confession 3 - 4 times a year unless I have committed a dire sin (not to be funny but what in the heck constitutes dire)? These are GOOD priests who I have no reason to doubt until we get to the topic of plenary indulgences.

We cannot obtain a plenary indulgence with any attachment to sin. Our church, and most churched around us, allow for confessions for 45 minutes once a week. There is often only one priest there. I am not trying to criticize but 45 minutes is not enough and people have been turned away when the priest has had to leave to prepare for evening mass.

Our churches are understaffed and our priests and deacons work very hard to serve our needs. But, what do we do when the requirement for confession is about a week or so before or after the indulgence act and confession with a priest may not be done?

Any pious thoughts on this are appreciated. As one gets older, the opportunity for a plenary indulgence becomes more important (if I could just get this attachment to sin resolved…but we are all sinners).

 

[EllisWoods]

Why not just confess and ask for forgiveness directly to God?

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Ask your local priests for more opportunity for confession. A good priest is always willing to schedule more confession time if there is a need. Don’t complain on the internet about limited confession times, talk to the priests.

 

[Dorothy]

Every week in our church bulletin it states the time for confessions on Saturday, and it also lets us know we can make an appointment with the priest during the week.

I commend you for desiring frequent confession. We do receive much grace to help us by confessing to a priest.

We need to pray for priests to be more aware of the power the Lord has given them in the priesthood.

 

[Edmundus1581]

But, what do we do when the requirement for confession is about a week or so before or after the indulgence act and confession with a priest may not be done?

Any pious thoughts on this are appreciated. As one gets older, the opportunity for a plenary indulgence becomes more important (if I could just get this attachment to sin resolved…but we are all sinners).

I have some good news for you! Before the Jubilee Year of 2000 we were required to attend sacramental confession within 8 days, before or after, the indulgenced act. In the Jubilee Year this was extended to approximately 20 days, and that remained in effect in perpetuity.

I understand that you would prefer to attend sacramental confession within the old norm of 8 days (I would too), but the actual requirement is now approximately 20 days.

See ewtn.com/library/curia/apconfes.htm and ewtn.com/expert/answers/indulgences_conditions.htm

 

[Boswell]

When I need to go to Confession outside of scheduled times, I just call and make an appointment.

 

[808Catholic]

As other posters have already suggested, you can make an appointment with a priest instead of waiting in line behind other faithful. Be on the lookout for penance services; these happen around the major feast days or periods such as Advent and Lent. Or you can call another parish and find out if their priest can hear your confession. Not sure where the nearest “next” parish is to you but it can’t be too far, right?

You might also want to do some research on plenary indulgences (see CCC 1471-1479) and the intent of indulgences. Even after we are forgiven of our sins, there are temporal punishments that may apply. We can remove or have them partially removed if we do certain acts and an indulgence is what is given by the church to help us expiate them.

We can also apply the indulgences we are granted to others who have gone before us. Say, a relative who has already passed on. Unless he or she is a saint and went straight to heaven, an indulgence may assist with his or her purification while in purgatory.

 

[Gorgias]

Since then, we have been told that we only have to go to confession if we commit mortal sins and can pray to God for forgiveness of venal sins.

As it turns out, that’s something that had been taught since the time of Augustine, in the 400’s.

If, in the first half of the last century, there was a greater emphasis on going to confession regularly, does it necessarily mean that this teaching had been changed – or maybe, rather, just that the discipline of receiving sacramental absolution was more widely practiced?

These are GOOD priests who I have no reason to doubt until we get to the topic of plenary indulgences.

Not quite sure where you’re going with this… are you saying that you doubt your priests goodness when it comes to your fulfillment of plenary indulgence requirements?

We cannot obtain a plenary indulgence with any attachment to sin. Our church, and most churched around us, allow for confessions for 45 minutes once a week.

An ‘attachment to sin’ doesn’t mean ‘having unconfessed sins’. After all, another of the requirements for a plenary indulgence is having been to confession. Therefore, logically, the notion of “attachment to sin” doesn’t have anything to do with availability of confession, right?

There is often only one priest there. I am not trying to criticize but 45 minutes is not enough and people have been turned away when the priest has had to leave to prepare for evening mass.

It’s impossible to answer your concern thoroughly – after all, it’s not as if every parish is identical. However, is it possible that there are mitigating circumstances? For instance:

• Are people “turned away” every week, or is it just the case that, on occasion, there are still people in line?
• Is this ‘pre-Mass’ time the only time that confession is offered… or is it merely the case that it’s simply the ‘most convenient’?
• On those days during which “people are turned away”, is it the case that there were always people in line during the 45 minutes? Or, is it possible that there were fewer (or none) there earlier, and more people as Mass time approached? (That is to say, is it possible that it is the case that it’s ‘less convenient’ to go to confession more than an hour before Mass and ‘more convenient’ to go to confession 15 minutes before Mass?)

Maybe there aren’t mitigating circumstances, though. If so, have you talked with your priest? Have you mentioned that there seems not to be enough time for confessions? What has his response been?

Let’s be honest – some priests were formed in an era in which sacramental confession wasn’t emphasized. Is it possible that you’re dealing with a pastor who has such an opinion of sacramental confession? If so, then pray for him. Often.

Our churches are understaffed and our priests and deacons work very hard to serve our needs.

Agreed. Pray for more priests; when you talk about your priest – especially among those who might have a vocation (now or in the future) – be sure to speak in a way that lifts them up rather than tears them down (or criticizes them unduly).

But, what do we do when the requirement for confession is about a week or so before or after the indulgence act and confession with a priest may not be done?

Are there any other parishes – or times other than ‘immediately before Mass’ – that are available in your area? (As others have suggested, calling for an appointment is also an option.)

More to the point, check out this discussion of Divine Mercy Sunday and confession. Your situation is not, it would seem, as dire as you might think it is.

Remember: it’s Divine Mercy… not Divine To-do list completion…

 

[ccmcmg]

Why not just confess and ask for forgiveness directly to God?

We do, but one of our Catholic Sacraments is Reconciliation, aka Confession. For further reading on why Catholics know and believe in Confession, I urge you to do a site search. In Confession, we are confessing directly to God, through our priest, as directed by Jesus. For mortal sins, they must be confessed to the priest to be forgiven. Confession also strengthens us as individuals and as a community.

 

[Dorothy]

Why not just confess and ask for forgiveness directly to God?

It is very helpful when confessing to a priest. He is standing in for Jesus, and it is special to hear the words of absolution from the priest.

Also, it is good for the virtue of humility to confess in sincerity to the Lord, through the priest. If it hurts and removes some pride from us, that is good.

 

[Gorgias]

EllisWoods:

Why not just confess and ask for forgiveness directly to God?

It is very helpful when confessing to a priest. He is standing in for Jesus, and it is special to hear the words of absolution from the priest.

Also, it is good for the virtue of humility to confess in sincerity to the Lord, through the priest. If it hurts and removes some pride from us, that is good.

And, let’s not forget the best reason of all: “asking for forgiveness directly to God” isn’t how God set up atonement for sin in the Mosaic covenant, and it’s not how Jesus set up forgiveness for sins under the New Covenent, either! Jesus explicitly commanded the apostles to forgive sins, giving them the authority to forgive sins in His name…!

 

[808Catholic]

Why not just confess and ask for forgiveness directly to God?

God created man with body, intellect, and soul. When we’re sick, we go to a physician so he/she can give us medicine or set a broken bone. When we need information, we go to an educator so we can gain new knowledge. We could possibly try to heal ourselves or educate ourselves but there are easier and more efficient ways of doing this; God gave everyone gifts and some of us became healers or teachers.

Same is true of spiritual healing or spiritual education. We could ask God directly for forgiveness and, in truth, God forgives all our sins if we are contrite and resolved to not repeat those sins. God also gave the power to forgive our sins to priests who are people just like us. They live lives filled with temptation and can empathize with our failings. They live among us in our communities and celebrate our spiritual highlights and commiserate with us when we are at our lowest. They administer to our spiritual needs every Sunday and sometimes even more frequently. They answer our call at 3am when a relative is very ill and may need comfort. God gave us the gift of the priesthood so we may receive His Grace through them. Why would we spurn any of His Gifts?

 

[Gorgias]

We could ask God directly for forgiveness and, in truth, God forgives all our sins if we are contrite and resolved to not repeat those sins. … God gave us the gift of the priesthood so we may receive His Grace through them. Why would we spurn any of His Gifts?

I think it’s more than just “don’t spurn the gifts God gives us” – that line of thought seems to say “it’s ok if you go directly to God, but simply better if you go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.” That’s not at all what the Church teaches – nor is it what the Bible teaches! “There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray” (1 John 5:16).

There’s an old anecdote that gets repeated often (although I’m not sure I’ve seen it used in this context): a guy is trapped in his house during a flood. He prays to Jesus that He might be delivered from his situation. His neighbor yells over to him to swim to his house, and they’ll drive away to higher ground. “No thanks,” the guy replies, “Jesus will save me.” A man in a boat comes along and offers him a ride; “no, thanks,” the guy replies, “I’m waiting for Jesus to save me.” Next, a Red Cross helicopter flies by and offers a rescue; he waves them off, saying, “Jesus will rescue me!” But, the waters rise, and the man is swept away and drowns. When he arrives at his particular judgment, he complains to Jesus, “why didn’t you save me? I believed in you! I prayed to you! I asked you to save me!” And Jesus replies, “what do you mean, ‘you didn’t save me’? I sent you a neighbor, a boat, and a helicopter!”

Jesus sends us the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a priesthood to administer the sacrament, and a Church in which to receive the sacrament. ‘Going directly to God’ and waiting for salvation isn’t what He sent us. It’s critical that we grab the life-line that He has sent us…

 

[808Catholic]

I think it’s more than just “don’t spurn the gifts God gives us” – that line of thought seems to say “it’s ok if you go directly to God, but simply better if you go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.” That’s not at all what the Church teaches – nor is it what the Bible teaches! “There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray” (1 John 5:16).

There’s an old anecdote that gets repeated often (although I’m not sure I’ve seen it used in this context): a guy is trapped in his house during a flood. He prays to Jesus that He might be delivered from his situation. His neighbor yells over to him to swim to his house, and they’ll drive away to higher ground. “No thanks,” the guy replies, “Jesus will save me.” A man in a boat comes along and offers him a ride; “no, thanks,” the guy replies, “I’m waiting for Jesus to save me.” Next, a Red Cross helicopter flies by and offers a rescue; he waves them off, saying, “Jesus will rescue me!” But, the waters rise, and the man is swept away and drowns. When he arrives at his particular judgment, he complains to Jesus, “why didn’t you save me? I believed in you! I prayed to you! I asked you to save me!” And Jesus replies, “what do you mean, ‘you didn’t save me’? I sent you a neighbor, a boat, and a helicopter!”

Jesus sends us the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a priesthood to administer the sacrament, and a Church in which to receive the sacrament. ‘Going directly to God’ and waiting for salvation isn’t what He sent us. It’s critical that we grab the life-line that He has sent us…

I did not mean to imply we are to seek another way to Absolution and go against church doctrine. My intent was to convey that it’s God Who forgives our sins and only through His Grace does the priests have the delegated authority to give us Absolution. A priest whose faculties to administer Sacraments by his bishop would not have the authority to hear confession, impose the penance, or give Absolution. It’s only the power of God that was given to Peter and passed through the clergy that makes it happen.

For many years in the early church, there were bishops and deacons and no priests for entire towns and cities so how did the early christians seek Absolution? Today, we have a very well developed church that can distribute the various Sacraments and my original intent was to convey we should avail ourselves of the Sacraments rather than remain in self-imposed cloister and pray to God directly.

 

[PJM]

=EllisWoods;12880617]Why not just confess and ask for forgiveness directly to God?

HERE"S WHY

Now when it was late that same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them: Peace be to you. [20] And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord.
[21] He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. [22] When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. [23] Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.

And please understand that Yahweh alos used Priest in the Old Testament for sin removal. All though in a far less perfect way than does Christ in the New Testament.

Leviticus 5:10
And the other he shall burn for a holocaust, as is wont to be done: and the priest shall pray for him, and for his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.

Numbers 15:28
And the priest shall pray for him, because he sinned ignorantly before the Lord: and he shall obtain his pardon, and it shall be forgiven him.

God Bless you. It is to be done GODS WAY!

Patrick

 

[Edmundus1581]

At last, the answer straight from The Word. That ends it for me, and should for any bible believing Christian.

(And it did a long time ago, while I was still a Protestant)