Pope going to confession

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I offer this short read for your reflection:
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                                                          The Unique Impossibility of the Papacy                             
                                                          Mar 6, 2013                             
                                                          George Weigel                             
                                                  
                                                  ROME—At the point at which John Paul II began his papacy in the first volume of my biography of him, *[Witness to Hope](http://www.amazon.com/Witness-Hope-Biography-Pope-John/dp/0060732032?tag=firstthings-20-20)*, I borrowed some thoughts from Hans Urs von Balthasar and tried to explain a bit of the uniqueness of the papal office:To be pope is to take on a task that is, by precise  theological definition, impossible. Like every other office in the  Church, the papacy exists for the sake of holiness. The office, though,  is a creature of time and space, and holiness is eternal. No one, not  even a pope who is a saint, can fully satisfy the office’s demands. Yet  the office, according to the Church’s faith, is of the will of God, and  the office cannot fail, although the officeholder will always fall short  of the mark. That distinction between the office and the man who holds  it is a consolation to any pope.According to [Balthasar], it is also “unutterably terrible.”  The office reflects the unity of person and mission in Jesus Christ, of  whom the pope is vicar. Every pope, the saints as well as the  scoundrels, “stands at an utterly tragic place” [Balthasar continued],  because he cannot be fully what the office demands. If he tries to be  that, he arrogantly makes himself the equal of the Lord. If he consoles  himself too easily with the thought that he must, necessarily, fail, he  betrays the demand that the office makes of him, the demand of radical  love. The Office of Peter always reflects Christ’s words to Peter—that,  because of the depth of his love, he will be led where he does not want  to go (John 21:18).
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Perhaps this is a framework around which to consider a pope’s use of the Rite of Reconciliation. We should help strengthen the Holy Father with our prayers.
 
That is certainly some excellent food for thought. While I always mention the pope’s intentions in my prayers, I do believe that I should be more diligent in praying for the pope himself as well. His job is certainly impossible, and not one that I envy, yet I am eternally grateful for him. :gopray2:
 
babochka said:
I’m always repetitive with my confessions as well and sometimes I find that very discouraging. I have found that the more frequently I got to confession, though, the better I am at identifying sin.
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I used to go regularly to one priest, who was also my spiritual director. Sometimes I’d be discouraged and say ‘it’s the same sins again, Father’. I remember him joking once ‘well, you wouldn’t want any new ones would you?’ It was a good way of encouraging me and shifting my perspective on things.
 
Confession is a Sacrament of love. It is an encounter with the living Christ. While it was set up for reconciling one from mortal sin and bringing the sinner back to God’s fold, it is also an occasion of heart to heart talk with Jesus and help one work toward holiness and perfection. Therefore, confession is not only for confessing mortal or venial sins but also for confessing imperfections. I am sure that’s how the Holy Father participates in this Sacrament.
 
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