Is Confession still encouraged?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lisa44
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Thanks be to God, our pastor frequently mentions in his homilies to connection between confession and reception of the Eucharist, and he encourages us to confess monthly (ideally) or every three months. We often have long lines at the confessional, and Father stays late to get to everyone.
 
I just tried to make a Confession less that 2 hours ago. And like always, the Priest refused to absolve my sins and allow me to have the Eucharist. The reason being that 20 years ago I was married outside the Catholic Church. Honestly, my wife and I have lived a very strict Christian life for 20 years, but that’s not good enough for making a Confession.

Richard
 
banished said:
I just tried to make a Confession less that 2 hours ago. And like always, the Priest refused to absolve my sins and allow me to have the Eucharist. The reason being that 20 years ago I was married outside the Catholic Church. Honestly, my wife and I have lived a very strict Christian life for 20 years, but that’s not good enough for making a Confession.

Richard
Click to expand...
So why don’t you get married in the Church? If you need an annulment before your marriage can be convalidated, get to work on it. Then you will be able to receive the sacraments. You can make a confession but you cannot be absolved because your marriage is not recognised by the Church.
 
I’d say confessions have not been discouraged. But they are only really encouraged in traditional churches. Not at mine. I think weekly confession is a good amount if possible.
 
banished said:
I just tried to make a Confession less that 2 hours ago. And like always, the Priest refused to absolve my sins and allow me to have the Eucharist. The reason being that 20 years ago I was married outside the Catholic Church. Honestly, my wife and I have lived a very strict Christian life for 20 years, but that’s not good enough for making a Confession.

Richard
Click to expand...
Richard,just responded to you on the Divorce marriage and communion forum. By I see Joannom has given you the same advice.
Can’t get absolution or the Eucharist until you are in the “state of grace”. Go for the radical sanation, that will take some time. And than your concerns will be addressed.

Fair enough?
 
baltobetsy said:
Why would that be? I’ve never heard anything like that before.

Betsy
Click to expand...
Betsy, this is advice I received from my confessor. He is a good and holy priest so I have shared it with others. His reasoning as he explained it to me was that it cheapens our understanding of mortal sin if we laundry list them out mixed in with venial sin.

I find that as I make confession a regular part of my schedule, going once a month at a minimum, I am better able to avoid habitual sin and can make a clearer distinction between mortal sin, venial sin, and simple mistakes.

If this advice is not appropraite to the OP, I would ask him to ignore it.
 
PJM said:
While it is true that as an absolute necessity, one is not required to confess ones venial sins [less seriois sins] The Evangelist John simply quotes Jesus: “whose sins you shall forgive are forgiven and whose sins you shall retain, are retained.”

It is a common and highly recommended practice to Confess all of ones sins in order to grow in humility and piety and to allow ones Confessor to suggest ways one may make even further growth in ones own spiritual life. There have been great Saints who Confessed daily, as a means of self improvement. Many, Many Saints Confedded weekly, and most were only Confessing venial sins. One is given extra grace every time one Confesses.
Click to expand...
That is very true and I agree that confessing venial sins is important. The distiction I was taught is that if you has a mortal sin on your conscience, to go immediately to confession to confess that sin. At that time, you wouldn’t also confess to venial sins, but bring those up in your next regular confession.

I see that I did not make myself clear as you are not the first to misunderstand my advice. I will make an effort to spell things out more in the future.
 
PJM said:
You may and you can! It is a pious practice recommended by the RCC. In a strict sense one is not obligated to, still we should do so!
Click to expand...
Certainly we should confess venial sins! The advice given to me had to do with confessing both at the same time.

I think the difference is that I was given this advice as a regualr penitent. Someone who does not come regualrly to confession should certainly confess all their sins whenever they do go. But if you are a regular penitent, than you would want to go immediately to confess a mortal sin and may wait to confess your venial sins at your usual time.

This was advice given to me by my confessor and seeme to not apply to anyone else as I have confused many by sharing it!🙂
 
Sr_Sally said:
Certainly we should confess venial sins! The advice given to me had to do with confessing both at the same time.

I think the difference is that I was given this advice as a regualr penitent. Someone who does not come regualrly to confession should certainly confess all their sins whenever they do go. But if you are a regular penitent, than you would want to go immediately to confess a mortal sin and may wait to confess your venial sins at your usual time.

This was advice given to me by my confessor and seeme to not apply to anyone else as I have confused many by sharing it!🙂
Click to expand...
Hi Sr. Sally,

Yes, I guess I can see the theoretical reasoning behind this, but even as a monthly penitent, I don’t think I would be comfortable with it. I do my examen and write everything down to prepare. I would not feel I’d been “honest” in the confessional if I knew I hadn’t covered my “list”…even if those venial sins do not really have to be confessed and my next attendance of Mass would take care of them. It would just give me the willies for some reason. I would feel I was holding back. Your confessor must know you well to have given you this advice, I think. There are also graces associated with obedience to a regular confessor’s advice…so you are wise to comply. 🙂 God bless.
 
Lisa44 said:
What is it like in your parish? I’ve heard much discussion about whether or not the church has changed sinse Vatican II? With regard to confession, have things changed?

I’m a fairly new convert, I just want to know if confession is still encouraged?
Are we supposed to go to confession regularily? Are we supposed to confess venial sins?

Thanks:)
Click to expand...
I’m sure the legal question has been answered alrady, i’ll only say that the parish I go to offers confession before every mass every day and that there are typically lines formed before sunday mass at one, or both of the confessionals.

I LOVE our priests!!!
 
You are so lucky to have a parish that can accommodate so may confessions. We have one priest and he has confession before Sat. eve mass…but during Lent he spends a lot of time in the confessional…everyday during Holy Week for several hours at a time. He is very traditional and has a Latin Mass every Wed. eve plus the 8:30 am one on the first Sunday of the month plus he will hear a confession before or after a daily mass if asked. I’m a lay Carmelite so I have my own spiritual director at the Monastery nearby. Many go there for confessions by appointment.
I can’t remember who talked about their examination of conscience here and their list but I also try to write down what I need to talk about but I still have a hard time “knowing” my sins. My spiritual director is close to 80 and I’m 65. We’ve been friends since before I became Catholic and I think that might get in our way. He seems to say the same things each time. It seems to me I used to make better confessions years ago when I went to the older church downtown that had regular confessionals. Our parish at the time didn’t but our new one does…2 even but one is not used unless there’s a Penance service. Too bad we can’t have a 2nd priest but I don’t see that happening. M.A. Darn…I keep forgetting to use the smilies. 😊
 
While certainly the Church has never stopped emphasizing Confession, individual priests have surely given it short shrift. The constant repetition of “God loves us no matter how evil we’ve been” not followed by “but we have to repent and confess our sins” has meant that Confession is seen by many as old fashioned and unnecessary. I’ve heard nothing at church to disabuse them of that notion.

When I first came here Fr. was in the confessional for 30 minutes before Sunday Masses. That went out the window 4 years ago when the pastor at the time decided that that wasn’t worth his while since few came for Confession. From that day on, the only set time we’ve had has been the twice yearly Reconciliation services during Advent and Lent. Any other time we want to confess we have to go find Fr. and request his presence in the confessional. Since he doesn’t usually show up until shortly before Mass and few people are comfortable with going to seek him out in his office some folks are not happy with this situation. Granted a great many couldn’t care less since they never set foot in the confessional anyway but those who just want to slip in anonymously, confess and slip out again are certainly not comfortable with the present situation.

For at least a decade we had Reconciliation services with General Absolution. Many people haven’t known any other way of confessing and have not been able to make the transition to private individual confession. I know that it hasn’t been easy for me but a greater problem for me is that the priest is my boss and it is extremely difficult to talk to him about certain matters. I don’t have the luxury of another parish to attend for this purpose.

Have to admit that because of abuse and the lack of traditional confessionals (we have a reconciliation room) parents are loathe to let their children go to confession. The one prior to First Communion is always with Fr. in full view of the parents in attendance. I don’t know how many let their children go into the reconciliation room later – I know that few, if any, children come/are brought to the Reconciliation services.
 
confession at my parish is encouraged. i go once a week even if i don’t commit mortal sins. the priests we are blessed with are great to confess too. often times i go in there more to talk about situations and advice, but nothing feels better than walking out of the confessional knowing for sure that God, through the priest, has forgiven your sins.
 
It is very much encouraged in our parish. In today’s bulletin the remarks were all about confession. It was written by a person named Bill De Luca of Soul Magazine.

Our parish has confession before every Mass on Sunday and on Saturday and Wednesday. Today I was very touched as when I left the church a little girl was outside giving her confession to a priest. Although we have confessionals inside. She was about 10 years old.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette
 
Yes it is still encouraged by a number of priest and The Church as a whole…unfortuneatly, there are some priest who do not encourage it enough…I know it is far from the norm…and not required by any stretch of the imagination, but I go to confession once a week and I confess every sin I can remember whether it is only venial sins or not…Venial sins harden our hearts, but doesn’t make Communion with God an impossibility…it is important to confess all sins, even though it is not required.
Lisa44 said:
What is it like in your parish? I’ve heard much discussion about whether or not the church has changed sinse Vatican II? With regard to confession, have things changed?

I’m a fairly new convert, I just want to know if confession is still encouraged?
Are we supposed to go to confession regularily? Are we supposed to confess venial sins?

Thanks:)
Click to expand...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top