Please describe how sacrament of Confession works

[po18guy]

Well, I’m one of those “weirdo” charismatic Catholics.

Sort of.

I went to a few charismatic masses. But, what changed everything, and I mean everything, for me was to submit to the prayer experience known as the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Our parish priest laid hands on me and I forced myself to be docile to the Holy Spirit.

Very little happened at the time, but I began to notice my interest in the faith developing. Within a year or so, I was praying the Rosary and divine Mercy Chaplet, praying much more, spending 2-3 hours before the Blessed Sacrament, evangelizing.

No tongues. Never. Not my charism. No rolling on the floor. No waving of arms. Just a steady increase in my faith life. Turned off TV, newspaper, secular radio - all media. Except for Catholic.

After being given a 99.5% chance of succumbing to any one of the three cancers (had all three simultaneously in 2015), and the stem cell transplant - up to 30% mortality in the first three years - I think it was all worth it.

 

[OldCAFMember]

I think that many people still tend to say, “Bless me, Father,” even though many priests open with a blessing. A person must then say how long it has been since the his or her last confession, and then list the sins to be confessed. In my experience, occasionally a priest will ask a question or two, but more often they do not. (Then again, I’ve usually recited the confession in my head, to get it succinct and accurate. I learned over the years that it is easy to ramble, or give unnecessary information, making it difficult for the priest, and inconsiderate to the other penitents in line.) The priest then makes some remarks—here is where I have found great variety. Some offer very practical counsel on avoiding the sin in the future, while some may make other observations. And sometimes, especially when there are many confessions being heard, or my confession was more “routine,” the priest will say little or nothing directed at me personally, and proceed to immediately assigning my penance and give absolution. I know that there are some people who feel disappointed when the latter happens, but I’ve grown accustomed to that as much as the other scenarios, and it doesn’t bother me.

Most priests will ask you to say an act of contrition before they give absolution—there are multiple versions of this. I’ve had a few priests tell me to say my act of contrition in the pew—this is a very Irish habit, as the older Irish priests were masters at moving things along. In the EF, i.e., the traditional Latin rite, the penitent recites this while the priest begins the slightly lengthy Latin absolution. The penitent will almost always finish the act of contrition before the priest finishes the absolution, so the priest’s voice slightly raises (as compared to his earlier whispered Latin words) as he declares the final words of absolution. The confessor (the priest) then dismisses the penitent, and asks the penitent to pray for him, because he, too, is a sinner.

 

[runningdude]

Most television depictions that are not obviously irreverent are generally accurate. For someone who goes regularly or frequently (once a year to once a month or more), confession usually lasts just a few minutes.

For someone who hasn’t gone for many years, or who converted later in life, they are only obliged to confess their serious sins to the best of their ability. A few may escape mention, which is ok, but generally, the most serious sin will weigh heavily on their conscious. Such a confession usually does last longer, and it may be best to schedule an appointment.

 

[on_the_hill]

• Is it typical for a Catholic spouse to ask the other one what sins he/she confessed afterwards or is it a given that the Confessional is a private act? I realize this question does not involve the priest but is an issue between spouses.

In my marriage–absolutely no questions asked. I have three kids and have never asked them anything. Nor do I have any desire to.

Personally, I feel the most uplifted after confessing as part of a parish penance service. Roughly once a year, our parish has a penance service, wherein people congregate, our priest says a few prayers, reads from the Gospel, gives a short homily, and then he and several guests priests disperse around the church to hear (private) confessions.

The experience, taken as a whole, is most uplifting for me.

 

[Gorgias]

I don’t know if this still applies but there were certain sins called “reserved sins” which only could be absolved by permission of the Holy See (e g. desecration/profanation of the Holy Eucharist; procuring or assisting another in procuring/doing an abortion which is punishable by automatic excommunication).

Actually, with respect to the abortion question, the competent authority is the local ordinary (i.e., the bishop). However, in many places, the bishop delegated the authority to lift the excommunication directly to priest confessors. Not too long ago, Pope Francis changed this so that all priest confessors had the delegation to lift the excommunication.

Also, in re to the 6th & 9th commandments, e.g. adultery, one has to mention the status of the other person e.g. are they married/divorced/single/religious. If a priest/religious is involved, it’s adultery and
sacrilege.

But, that doesn’t change the priest confessor’s ability to absolve.

(The only time a priest confessor isn’t able to absolve is when he himself is party to that adultery – in that case, he is unable to absolve his partner.)

Margaret_Ann:

If it persists (I.e. the person continues the adulterous relationship), the priest may withhold absolution.

This holds for any sin – if the priest does not believe that there’s contrition and a firm resolve to not sin again, he may defer offering absolution.

The priest then asks questions, gives advice, etc. then says “For your penance ____ ." (Usually, this is something like "say an/ (number) Our Father(s)” or spend a few minutes meditating on Christ’s forgiveness" or something).

Penance isn’t necessarily prayer, although often it involves prayer.

 

[po18guy]

A big thanks to all who responded. I’m getting a better picture now.

Check with your local parish. Most offer inquiry classes (no obligation) where you can ask your questions in real time. You might give some thought to that.

 

[Limoncello4021]

Unless you believe in reincarnation. Which you should confess.