Confession -- How often? Why so inconvenient?

  • Thread starter Thread starter milimac
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

milimac

Guest
How often do you receive the sacrament of reconciliation? Do you go at the “regularly scheduled time” or do you make an appointment? I believe the Church recommends at least twice per year. Weekly seems a little too scrupulous to me.

I would like to go more often, perhaps monthly, but most churches seem to have confession at the most inopportune time – Saturday afternoon. I realize that the sacrifice of taking time out from other activities on a Saturday is a good way of showing God that you know what’s most important, and I realize that our priests are spread thin.

Depending on a person’s sinfulness, though, the idea that you are showing God what’s most important by taking time away from other weekend activities may not even be considered. Ironically, it may more likely be considered by someone who is able to frequently avail themselves of this sacrament.

Why not have confessions over lunch hour(s) on a weekday, a weekday morning or evening, or Saturday morning? It’s hard enough for many to muster the courage to partake in this humbling sacrament. Why make it more difficult? I always hear the complaint that the confessionals are empty, but it doesn’t seem like much is done to make the sacrament more available.
 
If the demand for receiving the sacrament of reconcilliation were higher, we would probably see it being offered more frequently (even with a shortage of priests in many areas). Often when I go, there is no line at all.

Don’t despair though. Priests are very likely hearing confessions at many other times in your diocese. Try logging onto Masstimes.org . I found an outstanding confessor just a few minutes drive from where I work.
 
My pastor will hear confession before every Mass, and so does my friend. They always have lines, though, so sometimes they’re in the confessional after Mass, too. I see the lines as a good thing. 🙂 Perhaps if you contact your parish office and suggest it to the priest, he will take it into consideration. Saturday afternoon has always been the “traditional” confession day, but if more people want it at different times, most priests are only too happy to oblige.
 
I go every month…upon my re conversion to the faith and church, it took about 4 confessions for me to recall everything! I was going nuts…I would do a good examination, and then like 2 days after confession, I would have a memory trigger, and recall more sins… it was like God was slowly allowing me to recall and take care of this in increments…cause I think that if I had recalled EVERYTHING at once…I probably wouldnt have gone back! He knows our minds better than we do!

At my parish, its just before Saturday evening Mass…if I miss that one, I go to another parish a few miles away on Fridays at 8am…
 
My goal is every 2-3 weeks, which I usually make. Sometimes it might be a month.

Usually, I got to scheduled times, but occasionally, I’ve had to make an appointment. The priests I’ve done this with have generally been very receptive.
 
Milimac, I’ve given this a lot of thought, and although I can’t prove it, I’d be willing to bet that the reason for Saturday confession is to absolve you of your sins as near in time as possible to the obligatory Mass you should attend(Saturday vigil, which fulfills your “day of obligation” requirement as it counts just as well as a Sunday Mass)so that you don’t have a chance to fall into sin before you receive Communion for the week. It’s kind of like the priest told me at the reception following my baptism, confirmation and first communion. He said I was now cleansed of the sins of my former life, and if I were to die that moment, would go straight to Heaven, having not had the chance to relapse into sinfulness yet. If you confessed on a Wednesday at lunchtime, say, then found yourself coveting your neighbor’s wife on Friday, you’d have to confess all over again in order to receive Communion. Make sense?
 
Our family tries to go every two weeks. We live in a large metropolitan area which has many Catholic churches in the surrounding suburbs, so, thanks be to God, we have many opportunities and choice times.

I believe that I have heard it said that frequent confession helps us overcome habitual sins. This, in addition to prayer and reception of the Holy Eucharist, help us to receive God’s grace to become perfect as He is perfect.

Even if they are venial sins, as they pile up, many venial sins lead to mortal sin.
 
Dr Paul:
If the demand for receiving the sacrament of reconcilliation were higher, we would probably see it being offered more frequently (even with a shortage of priests in many areas). Often when I go, there is no line at all.
Click to expand...
I agree, but when I have gone at my parish, there are usually several waiting after the hour is up. I usually go during Advent and Lent, though, and one or two other times during the year. The Saturday times are too easy to put off.

I’m reminded of the quote from “Field of Dreams”: “Build it and they will come”.
 
Jason Hurd:
I’d be willing to bet that the reason for Saturday confession is to absolve you of your sins as near in time as possible to the obligatory Mass you should attend…Make sense?
Click to expand...
Yes, and one of the most moving receptions of the Eucharist was when I went to Confession while a funeral Mass was being celebrated. When I got out of the confessional, the Eucharist was being distributed, so I hopped right into line. I think I managed to stay pretty much sinless in that brief amount of time.
 
Faithful 2 Rome:
I go every month…upon my re conversion to the faith and church, it took about 4 confessions for me to recall everything! I was going nuts…I would do a good examination, and then like 2 days after confession, I would have a memory trigger, and recall more sins…
Click to expand...
I know what you mean. Sometimes after receiving absolution I remember something that I wished I would’ve confessed. Too late though – it was already absolved. I just give a prayer of thanks to God that he even cleans up the messes I miss or forget about.
 
40.png
milimac:
Why not have confessions over lunch hour(s) on a weekday, a weekday morning or evening, or Saturday morning? It’s hard enough for many to muster the courage to partake in this humbling sacrament. Why make it more difficult? I always hear the complaint that the confessionals are empty, but it doesn’t seem like much is done to make the sacrament more available.
Click to expand...
I agree! I don’t think the problem is there’s not enough people I think the problem is that most people can’t (or won’t) make the 30 minutes or 45 minutes it’s available once during the week.
I’m so happy that I’ve moved to a parish that offers it every day(!) from 5-5:30.
I’ve always thought that if the sacrament were offered more and during times that are “convenient” maybe more Catholics would become more knowledgable about their faith, maybe we’d see more conversions to being loyal.
Just my :twocents:…
 
Several years ago I worked in downtown Chicago. There is parish within several blocks of the train station that celebrates Mass during the week every hour until 1:00 PM or so, and confession during the same time period.

My local parish only offers confession on Saturday from 8:30 to 9:30. My three children and I go to confession once a month.

Mark
 
I do not agree with the argument that going to confession once a week is just a little too extreme… in my case, it certainly isn’t. Remember that the Book of Proverbs tells us “The righteous can fall even seven times a day, and rise again; but the wicked stumble with evil.” I’m not exactly close to sainthood. But every time I go to Confession I’m a little bit closer.

Although I may not always have mortal sins to confess, I always confess the venial sins I can remember and usually if there isn’t a huge mob outside the confessional, the priest is able to give me some advice on how to deal with the situations that lead me to sin, be it arguing with my parents about some trivial thing, or going to the park and having to stare at scantily clad women all day… you get the idea. A good confessor is willing to help one of his own flock refrain from sinning in the same manner again. Many of you may not fall into Mortal Sin on a weekly basis, but I think that we are all guilty of committing at least one venial sin per week. Personally, I fit into the “Seven times a day” crowd… Even if you’ve just got a venial sin on your soul and conscience, it’s still a sin. Remember, God urges us to be holy, for He is holy.
 
40.png
mlfranz:
Several years ago I worked in downtown Chicago. There is parish within several blocks of the train station that celebrates Mass during the week every hour until 1:00 PM or so, and confession during the same time period.
Click to expand...
I remember that parish from a business trip. St. Peter’s in the Loop, IIRC.

It was a Franciscan friary. They offered confession continuously from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm through out the work day. Masses every 2 hours during the same time, with Adoration in between.

What a blessing to those in downtown Chi-town!
 
I always go twice a month, once on First Saturday and another time in the middle of the month. Scripture says even the just man falls seven times a day! I don’t think going weekly is being scrupulous. The Pope is said to go weekly! After all, you do receive grace from the sacrament which strengthens you so that you don’t fall into graver sin. If you are examining your conscience worthily, going to confession frequently will help you amend your life. When you have to take a good look at your failures, it helps you to work on improving. I also go twice a month to give my children the opportunity to go without having to embarrass themselves by asking to go. You can never be sure what sins they have committed and since they’re dependent on me to get them there, I want to make sure I take them frequently.
 
At my parish, the regular schedule is
Daily: before (and often after) daily Masses and
Saturday: before the noon Mass, 3:00-4:00 p.m., (Mass is at 4:00), 5:00-5:30 p.m., and 8:00-9:00 p.m.

I heard a Bishop on CA-Live talk about people going to confession more often than what he felt was necessary.
My thought was that there is more than just forgiveness of sins involved, there is GRACE GRACE GRACE.
 
Every 3 weeks, more often during Lent or Advent, and I try to go just before I take a lengthy trip. I will go wherever I am if possible, but sometimes one’s schedule isn’t completely predictable. Even though my sins are nearly always venial – and predictable – my recidivism is my shame, I just like to keep the books cleared.
 
<<<I’ve always thought that if the sacrament were offered more and during times that are “convenient” maybe more Catholics would become more knowledgable about their faith, maybe we’d see more conversions to being loyal.>>>

**I have to agree with you…I really do believe that if the sacrament were offered more often, and if it were emphasized from the pulpit, there would be more penitents. **
 
40.png
CatholicNerd:
I do not agree with the argument that going to confession once a week is just a little too extreme.
Click to expand...
Nor do I. Isn’t that how often the Holy Father goes?
40.png
kaj3:
Our family tries to go every two weeks.
I believe that I have heard it said that frequent confession helps us overcome habitual sins.
Click to expand...
I go every two weeks (in fact, I have an open appointment for Thursday afternoons). I have seen how it has helped me to overcome my habitual sins - especially anger.

John
 
I try to go every 5-6 weeks. It is offered Sat. a.m., which is okay, I guess. A parish in our city offers confession daily and at various times.

Interestingly, my parish offers NO scheduled time for confession. ( a disgrace, I think)- the bulletin offers by appt. only. As you can guess, our pastor is liberal- minimal emphasis on confession.

A neighboring parish (also liberal) offers confession monthly. Awhile back I went and a few other people were waiting, but no priest. We all looked at each other. Finally, someone said “I think he is in the gym watch the b-ball game, maybe someone should go get him.” I left sadly and haven’'t returned there for confession.

I usu. go to a young, orthodox priest, and have waited up to a hour!! What a blessing to see young, old, men, women, entire families availing themsevles of the beautiful sacrament. Recently, this priest extended the time due to the lines.

I think these examples point to the direction of the future and hope for the Church. Pray for vocations, and seminarians, and of course priests!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top