Confession help.

[Albany]

Hello all,

I find myself in an awful situation. I returned to the Sacrament of Confession about three years ago. I couldn’t face going to my own parish priest because, although he’s nice, he makes me really nervous. So I went to another parish and confessed to the priest there and although he was really old he was brilliant. I’m one of those who try to rush through the sacrament to get it over with as quickly as possible but he always had a lot of time for me and understood where I was coming from. He was also really friendly and did not expect too much from me.
However he has recently been re-located to another parish and I find myself without my confessor. The last time I went to confession was the week before Easter and, although I always dreaded going, I miss it. I’m only twenty and I worry that I’ll never go to confession again. I know the obvious answer is to go to another priest for confession but it’s honestly not that easy. I also don’t want to make a long travel to the parish my confessor was sent to because I’d look a bit pathetic doing that. So I’m feeling a bit lost.
Also I love being a catholic or to be exact I love Jesus becuase He’s wonderful and I thought about changing religion for no other reason than curiosity and a new experience and viewpoint. What do you think about that?

Albany
XX

 

[ConstantineTG]

What I think is you just need to convince yourself to go to confession to someone new.

 

[jtodisco]

I think the response Fr. Serpa gave you in the “Ask an Apologist” section was the right answer.

I don’t want to seem unsympathetic either, because I’ve gone through similar issues to what you seem to be going through now. I had a great confessor in my old parish, however I moved recently over 100 miles away so going to see that particular priest for the Sacrament of Penance just isn’t going to happen. So you just go to a different priest. It is that simple. Sure I’m not as comfortable or famliar with the new priest I’ve got, but that’s not the point of the Sacrament. The point of the Sacrament is to receive absolution from Christ. The priests don’t forgive you, Christ does. The style and personality of the priest is truly secondary. Also, feeling a little embarassed, feeling a little out of place and uncomfortable is good! It may help you to sin less in the future as a result. Spiritual growth will not always be fun and easy.

As for converting to another faith just to satisfy your curiosity, that ranks among the most shallow things I’ve ever read. If you want to learn about other faiths in order to grow in understanding of what others believe and to increase how much you appreciate your own Catholic faith, that’s a perfectly fine thing to do. I love getting into discussions with people of different faiths and read up on their beliefs, but this is out of a desire to understand my non-Catholic brothers and sisters, not so I can try out their faiths as the impulse strikes me. Anyone of real faith would find that behavior offensive to say the least.

Conversion is serious business, it should be motivated by a deep conviction that your current faith is not true but another faith is and that is the one you’d like to belong to. But to change religions like one changes their socks clearly reflects a lack of any spiritual depth, of any real faith in anything or anyone.

 

[PJM]

=Albany;6941737]Hello all,

I find myself in an awful situation. I returned to the Sacrament of Confession about three years ago. I couldn’t face going to my own parish priest because, although he’s nice, he makes me really nervous. So I went to another parish and confessed to the priest there and although he was really old he was brilliant. I’m one of those who try to rush through the sacrament to get it over with as quickly as possible but he always had a lot of time for me and understood where I was coming from. He was also really friendly and did not expect too much from me.
However he has recently been re-located to another parish and I find myself without my confessor. The last time I went to confession was the week before Easter and, although I always dreaded going, I miss it. I’m only twenty and I worry that I’ll never go to confession again. I know the obvious answer is to go to another priest for confession but it’s honestly not that easy. I also don’t want to make a long travel to the parish my confessor was sent to because I’d look a bit pathetic doing that. So I’m feeling a bit lost.
Also I love being a catholic or to be exact I love Jesus becuase He’s wonderful and I thought about changing religion for no other reason than curiosity and a new experience and viewpoint. What do you think about that?

Albany
XX

Know your not the ONLY one in this boat.

Confession is not an option if one desires to get to heaven. Can’t say that I ever met somone who “actually enjoyed it.” And that friend is one of the KEY ASPECTS of the Sacrament as institutd by Jesus Himself.

We are to be nervous, a bit fearfull, and frankly embarased that we goofed up. BUT friend read thse three bible passages carefully:

** 1John.1 Verses 8 to 10:** "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

** 1John.5 Verses 16 to 17**"If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, **but there is sin which is not mortal. **

** John.20 Verses 20 to 23**]" When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.** 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 **.”

Jesus as our Creator knows us well. It is His hope that by making us uncomfortble about Confessing our sins; that tis fact will alone assist us in reducing our sinful acts.

Keep in mind that THERE ARE NO NEW SINS! That Everyone of is a sinner! And that
each of us must someday stand before our Loed in final Judgment. The only truly unforgavable sin asside by rejecting God; is NOT Confessing our sins.

Priest take a solem vow of secrecy and cannot even if threatened with death, reveal our sins to another person. You can’y possibly tell them anything new! And on can get a great lesson in humility [a virtue we need to get to heaven], and get some tips on how to avoid our sins in the future.

From personal experience I find the more I go the more “comfortable” [not comfortable saying it] I become. The Sacrament of Confession is a Extrodinary source of the grace we need tocome closer to Christ.

Suck it up and do the right thing. God will help you and BLESS for your effort.

Love and prayers,
Pat

 

[Theophorus]

The Sacrament of Confession is a wonderful thing but it can be difficult at times I know. We must try our best to overcome our fears and our worries because the graces we receive are worth it.

One of the first things I would is ask myself is, what about my own parish priest makes me nervous? If it stems from embarrassment or shame that he will know what you’ve done then please bear in mind that the priests are often reassured that people benefit from the sacrament regularly and remember also that he is bound by the seal of the confessional and will never say anything about your confession.
Remember as well that your priest will also go to confession and will know what it’s like to sit where you’re sitting and to make a confession of sins.

As for the curiosity ask yourself why you would convert because of curiosity and what keeps you Catholic? May I suggest you turn your curiosity towards Catholicism, as it is rich and deep in a way I have not found in other belief systems

God bless you, you are in my prayers.

 

[Albany]

Thank you Theophorus and Pjm for your reply it has really helped and made me feel better and stronger. My faith is weak at times because I’ve gone though a lot of difficult times lately and I am getting my life back together.
Your quotes were great PJM thanks for taking the time and looking them up for me, you are very sweet
I posted this in the question forum earlier and received a very harsh response which did upset me becuase they stereotyped me in the few lines I had written but both your responses have helped me and reminded me what is important.

All the best and God bless,

XXX.

 

[acadian]

Confessors being relocated happens. Happened to me about three years ago. I had just started to develop a habit of frequent confession, and I was sad when my confessor was reassigned. He only moved about 25 miles away, so I knew if I needed to, I could always make the trip, but I also thought it made sense to see how things went with my new pastor.

The first few times I went, my impressions were rather neutral. Nothing that said, “Wow, this priest is a great confessor.” But also nothing that said, “Run for the hills.” So I kept going back, and over time a wonderful relationship has developed there. The Holy Spirit works through him on a regular basis. In a few years when he is reassigned, I will feel a huge sense of loss again.

There may be the option to follow, but more likely, I will look at it as a chance to uncover other gifts that God may give to me through other confessors.

Although I have kept in touch with my previous pastor, visiting for Mass and a meal once or twice a year, I have not been to confession with him since he was reassigned. Change isn’t easy, but it can be good.

Go ahead. Just go.

 

[Claire_from_DE]

Hello all,

Also I love being a catholic or to be exact I love Jesus becuase He’s wonderful and I thought about changing religion for no other reason than curiosity and a new experience and viewpoint. What do you think about that?

Albany
XX

Umm…, you love Jesus, He’s wonderful, so you might give up the most intimate contact He made it possible to have with Him in this life, receiving the Eucharist, for a new experience???

You might leave the Church He left behind for a new viewpoint???

What are you thinking, dear Albany? There He is, humbly, quietly, there in the tabernacle, waiting for you to notice, waiting for your love. If you want an awesome new experience, ask your priest if he would lend you a key to the church for a month. Go there every day and sit in front of that tabernacle for twenty minutes and talk with Him. I can pretty much guarantee you won’t want to give the key back.

 

[georgewithfaith]

Albany,

We got some good people on this board. Please take their replies to heart. DO NOT under any circumstances throw away your Catholic faith! Consider how lucky you are to be a Catholic. Only through the Catholic Church is your salvation assured.

I understand the frustration with finding a priest to hear your Confession. Part of the problem is that too many priests reserve a scant amount of time for Confession! Keep looking and try to find a good confessor.

In my past I have committed sins that I felt embarrassed to confess to my parish priest. This led me to not go to Confession and not receive Holy Communion for long periods. Finally when I started going to Confession again, I addressed this with my priest. He had a wonderful answer. It was my pride that was preventing me from going to Confession, going to Jesus for absolution of my sins.

If you can only go to Confession to your parish priest just go. Just tell him your sins and receive absolution. Don’t worry about his personality. Remember he is acting in the person of Jesus Christ. Remember that the most important thing we do is to die and then HOPEFULLY go to Heaven. If you have committed a mortal sin and die you will NOT go to Heaven. Put aside the personality of the priest and by all means go to Confession and don’t take lightly leaving the Catholic faith. Your very soul depends upon it!