Waiting to get confession

[mrsdizzyd]

I agree, and since PeterT started down this road as a reaction to my comment let me just say that having to try 4 times before I could make it to confession was humbling and really helped me spiritually. I’m grateful that God allowed me that extra time to sit with and come to terms with my own sinfulness.

 

[PeterT]

PeterT:

What do you think would be more pleasing to God:

I really don’t think it’s appropriate for you to be basically telling a priest what God would find more pleasing.

I was not. I was asking for his informed opinion.

 

[PeterT]

Why would you argue with a priest about this? Why would you argue with bishops about this?

Clearly what Bishop Barron was talking about was confessions that come outside of a church. He spoke about the priest’s life possibly being in danger, and that is certainly not a usual situation in a church, more like in a war zone.

I’m not arguing with bishops about this. I was only expressing a view that other bishops and other priests have expressed to me. I didn’t realize that there was a divide among the clergy on this issue but apparently there is.

And Bishop Barron’s point of view expressed in that video clip is quite clear and unambiguous. I was expressing his point of view that’s also shared by other priests that I know.

 

[InThePew]

And Bishop Barron’s point of view expressed in that video clip is quite clear and unambiguous. I was expressing his point of view that’s also shared by other priests that I know.

Bishop Barron would undoubtedly accept that there’s a difference between what’s personally inconvenient to me as a priest and what’s going to inconvenience others. If you asked him to hear you confession immediately before the start of mass or a public event, I’m confident he’d ask you to wait until afterwards. I’m a firm advocate (and practitioner) of “confession on demand” but there limits because of the competing demands on my time. that not to say that I treat hearing confessions as simply one job among others or that it’s not important to me but it is about having regard to the needs of others as well as the needs of the person seeking confession. So, if I can’t hear a person’s confession there and then, I will work out an alternative time with them.

As far as queues before mas go though, and in answer to the OP’s question, it’s worth remembering that Canon Law does allow you to receive communion where there is no opportunity for confession and a serious reason for doing so provided you make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible. I’d certainly consider having been deprived of the opportunity to receive the Eucharist on one previous occasion as a serious reason but, besides that (and without watering down the restrictive nature of the canon) it’s also worth recalling Pope Francis’ description of the Eucharist as “not a prize for the perfect but a medicine of mercy”.

 

[poche]

I saw a priest do something similar many years ago.

 

[Annie]

This seems highly unrealistic. Do you have a source for this account?

 

[mrsdizzyd]

I wondering how the Pope could possible become aware of the need especially during the days of TLM when he would have been surrounded by people and engaged in all the prayers required of him. It’s not like St. Peter’s is a small place. Not to mention that there would have been a number of priests available to assist the penitent if he was in desperate need.

 

[Margaret_Ann]

Our priest will hear confessions up to 10 minutes before Divine Liturgy but once in a while he will delay starting the Liturgy if a person comes to confession. I try to get to church early but occasionally (like 1 or 2 times a year) Father heard my confession and Liturgy was delayed a few minutes.