What is wrong with face to face Confessions?

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nohamaria said:
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I prefer to confess by the traditional way in a confessional.
But would like to ask you how it could be possible for
a deaf person to confess there?
:

It would not be as big a problem for a deaf person as it would be for a mute person.
 
When our parish was remodeled, we also restored the traditional confessionals to provide better privacy, but they are not dark but well lit. There is the usual screen between confessor and penitent.

It seems to me that one benefit of the confessional is that people seem to ‘get down to business,’ since the term was previously mentioned, without unduly dragging out the sacrament.
And that can be important when there is 30 minutes to hear confessions before daily Mass and there is a significant line at the confessional. It does not take long to confess one’s sins and receive absolution. Counseling sessions take longer, but this is not the place for them.
 
Our confessionals have 3 doors and ‘rooms’. The priest goes into the middle door. The door and room on the right are divided for privacy. The door and room on the left are open to where the priest sits for confessions in person.

I prefer the in person confession. The kneeler in the divided room is very uncomfortable and hard on the knees.

And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with face to face confessions. Back in the original church you got up in front of everyone in the church and confessed for all to hear.
 
Back in the original church you got up in front of everyone in the church and confessed for all to hear.
But we ARE the original Church. Haven’t you heard?
 
When I become baptized and when I need to Confess I’ll do it face to face. I feel that as part of penance for my sin I’ll need to look the Priest in the eye who’s acting in persona Christi. Thats my personal belief. Plus I’ll feel more personable with the Priest and the conversation will be more intimate.
 
reff said:
When I become baptized and when I need to Confess I’ll do it face to face. I feel that as part of penance for my sin I’ll need to look the Priest in the eye who’s acting in persona Christi. Thats my personal belief. Plus I’ll feel more personable with the Priest and the conversation will be more intimate.
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This eye to eye could be evidence of an attitude of pride and 'the strength to face my punishment and not an attitude of humility and gratitude that God is so merciful.
 
Bejohn said:
This eye to eye could be evidence of an attitude of pride and 'the strength to face my punishment and not an attitude of humility and gratitude that God is so merciful.
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How do you get pride out of that? I think it is more humbling to actually see the person you are confessing to, a person who may see you again and again outside the confessional. It is easier to confess a difficult sin behind a screen but much harder to do it face to face. I always feel I am looking at Christ present in the priest, and yes, I am humbled and do have gratitude for God’s mercy. I don’t really know whta you mean by “strength to face my punishment,” for I don’t see penance as a punishment but as an act of reconciliation and thanksgiving.
 
Bejohn said:
This eye to eye could be evidence of an attitude of pride and 'the strength to face my punishment and not an attitude of humility and gratitude that God is so merciful.
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Well I think that if God is so merciful than why not face the priest who is acting in his name face to face. Unfortunately, when we appear before God, we won’t have a screen to kneel behind.
 
I said that it might and a person would have to examine their own conscience to decide if it is true for them. No fear or expectation of punishment should exist that is true but Adam and Eve covered their nakedness is also true. In the sinful condition we are not a pretty sight. We need to develop the Attitude of Grattitude in all things.
 
We had a priest in our parish that overly encouraged my wife to do all of her confessions in the confessional, a 3x4 room…no…closet. She gets clostrophobic. Our pastor non-sensed that and told her to make an appointment anytime she felt the need.

His sister is SSPX interestingly. He’s the first priest that understood where I was coming from when I told him my long story of why I left the Catholic Church many years ago.
 
reff said:
Well I think that if God is so merciful than why not face the priest who is acting in his name face to face. Unfortunately, when we appear before God, we won’t have a screen to kneel behind.
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It is important to realize that Jesus is present in the persona Christi placed upon the priest through the laying on of hands at his ordination. The priest is not acting. God is there.
 
panoikei said:
We had a priest in our parish that overly encouraged my wife to do all of her confessions in the confessional, a 3x4 room…no…closet. She gets clostrophobic. Our pastor non-sensed that and told her to make an appointment anytime she felt the need.

His sister is SSPX interestingly. He’s the first priest that understood where I was coming from when I told him my long story of why I left the Catholic Church many years ago.
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This and another similar post reveals the willingness of God to meet us where we are at and gently and lovingly bring us to Him. Comimg to know God is a process of change and growth in love where we learn to surender our will and aline it to His. Where we learn to be individual and yet alike. Where we learn patience and trust for without trust there can be no love. It is a wise priest who presents the firm, unchanging yet gentle and loving Jesus to us.
 
As far as I know, while face-to-face confession remains an option, the confessional remains the norm. And utlimately it is the priest who has the final determination as to whether to hear confessions in the face to face mode. Some priests may decide that for privacy purposes they would prefer anonymous confessions only.
 
Face to face confession is good. Confession with a screen separating the priest and penitent is good. Confession is good.

The problem I see is when a particular person or group of persons decides that a particular confessional option “works” better for them and therefore it must be the format that will work best for everyone else.

For many (if not most) people, confessing one’s faults is difficult. I think that whichever format of confession gets the person to confess is the better one for that person. And it would be wise for that person to identify confessors who make that particular format available.

(Obviously I am speaking about “routine” confession. When there are special circumstances one deals with them.)
 
Nothing. I went to an extremely old priest one time and tried face to face confession. (This is what I was used to doing and had done since I returned to the Church.)

He yelled at me and informed me when I was asking for forgiveness I should be down on my knees. Therefore-since the only place to kneel is behind the screen-that may be why some view it as the best way to Confess.

I reflected it on it and I guess the priest had a point. The only thing I don’t like about being behind the screen is that it seems like I am trying to hide from the priest or to ashamed to face the priest but that really isn’t what is going on
 
It would not be as big a problem for a deaf person as it would be for a mute person.

Thanks for the Joke. But am serious in my query
Because I am the deaf person And I am obliged
to make The Face To Face Confession While I
prefer The Traditional .:o
It is more humble on my opinion and more concentrated
than the face to face confession.
God Bless.
Nohamaria.
 
I may be presumptious here and only speaking for myself but sometimes I think that we do notthink about what it is we are doing in the Sacrament of Confession.
Now God, and Jesus is certainly God, is immutable, unchangeable, so that nothing I do or can do will in any way make God more perfect or more happy or more sad or anything as He is I Am Who I Am. My sin does not change in any way The Holy Trinity.
Having said that I direct our attention to Jesus in His Human Form and He did take on a truly human form in order to take on, suffer and die for our sins and transgressions.Our sins did affect the human body of Jesus. I believe that the Cross of Pope John Paul II with its bowed horizontal arms, symbolicaly showed the increased burden placed upon the Crucified Christ through mankinds stubborn sinfulness that prevails to this day.
Jesus, through His offer of Redemtion truly bought and paid for our sins. We sin again when we stubbornly refuse to give Him what is His which is our sins when we refuse to confess and accept His forgiveness. We become other Judases who feel we must suffer and die for our sins. We give Him what is His when we confess and release ourselves from our sin in the Sacrament of Confession by first forgiving ourselves (that is accepting that we are not perfect, that we are sinful and vowing to the best of our ability to turn from sin with the help of God.) and accepting His OFFER of forgiveness. The offer is only completed when we firmly accept it and try to the best of our ability to live in imitation of the lives of Jesus and Mary. Redemption does not come simply because Jesus died for our sins and our saying ‘Yay God’ and going on living as we had before.
In confession we come before the victim of our sin, who is only the victim for us if we accept His offer, otherwise we remain the real victim of our sin. Jesus suffers through the people we have sinned against. They are only living the suffering of Jesus, if they give our insult and injury to Jesus crucified, so that they in turn can receive and give to us Jesus’ love from the cross.
So we, our hearts cloaked, darkened and damaged by our sin, come before the victim of our sin seeking MERCY and Forgivness which we know by Our Victims promise is ours for the asking, if our sorrow and regret for having sinned is sincere. Are we sincere in our confession? We need to ask God to reveal this to us for only God knows our heart in a perfect way. When we approach a fellow human seeking forgiveness we do not usually set the rules of forgiveness nor should we consider that we should set the rules within the Church.
I urge all to meditate on the Tradition and the Sacrament of Confession as you give the Holy Spirit your permission to guide your conscience.
Humans always expect others to come to their way of thinking and so we never resolve issues unless we listen with Love and consider with Love what has been said. Of Course God is Love.
 
nohamaria said:
It would not be as big a problem for a deaf person as it would be for a mute person.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the Joke. But am serious in my query
Because I am the deaf person And I am obliged
to make The Face To Face Confession While I
prefer The Traditional .:o
It is more humble on my opinion and more concentrated
than the face to face confession.
God Bless.
Nohamaria.

Your condition is one of the reasons for there being flexibility within the Church on how we do things. There is usually one way that is preferred and people are urged or in some things compelled to accept that way but God is Love and Mercy and He does make a way where there is no way. Confess as you must. Accept with peace the way He has made for you and do not worry about the outside form but be concerned only with the inside form of your confession. Jesu as told us that too often we are concerned only with cleaning the outside and neglect the inside of the vessel.
 
Bejohn said:
Thanks for the Joke. But am serious in my query
Because I am the deaf person And I am obliged
to make The Face To Face Confession While I
prefer The Traditional .:o
It is more humble on my opinion and more concentrated
than the face to face confession.
God Bless.
Nohamaria.
Click to expand...
Your condition is one of the reasons for there being flexibility within the Church on how we do things. There is usually one way that is preferred and people are urged or in some things compelled to accept that way but God is Love and Mercy and He does make a way where there is no way. Confess as you must. Accept with peace the way He has made for you and do not worry about the outside form but be concerned only with the inside form of your confession. Jesu as told us that too often we are concerned only with cleaning the outside and neglect the inside of the vessel.

You’re right, completely right. God Bless You:signofcross:
Nohamaria.
 
I wonder if a lead screen without holes would repel the absolution?😉
 
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