Who does the priest go to

[tom25]

Since the RCC has a more well developed theology on Confession, could someone in the know please help on this.
People unload stuff on me, and I don’t know what to do with it. Either I gloss over and don’t engage, or I try to listen and shoulder what they have, and has a result, it gnaws at me cause I don’t want to betray confidence but if I don’t share this with anyone, it feels like it eats at me.
The Lutheran Brethren of which I am a part of does not have a well established “Confessional” practice so they practice the “tell them you are not counselor and leave it at that” approach (unless of course you are one).
I would like to know, how do priests deal with situations like that?

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

Many priests are blessed with the grace of forgetfulness and don’t remember the sins as soon as the penitent leaves the confessional. Part of being a priest is taking on the suffering of other people in the confessional.

That being said, the confessional is the place for confessing sins, not a counseling session. People aren’t supposed to be going into great detail about stuff anyway.

I don’t know exactly what priests do, but the best thing they can do is listen, empathize, and kindly counsel them to seek an actual counsellor. Perhaps suggest the person make an appointment with the priest, and explain it to him again outside of the seal, and the priest might be able to make a referral to a solid catholic counsellor. If you’re not a counsellor, you shouldn’t try to act like one.

 

[DJK100]

Since the RCC has a more well developed theology on Confession, could someone in the know please help on this.
People unload stuff on me, and I don’t know what to do with it. Either I gloss over and don’t engage, or I try to listen and shoulder what they have, and has a result, it gnaws at me cause I don’t want to betray confidence but if I don’t share this with anyone, it feels like it eats at me.
The Lutheran Brethren of which I am a part of does not have a well established “Confessional” practice so they practice the “tell them you are not counselor and leave it at that” approach (unless of course you are one).
I would like to know, how do priests deal with situations like that?

Hi Tom,

While I don’t know for sure about what priests do many of them do have some training in various aspects of counselling. I am in a proffession where I have to shoulder a lot of what people say to me. I think a lot of what you need to do is, if they ask for you for advice specifically and you feel you can give good advice then go ahead an do it. Do it honestly and with the best intentions. If you can’t speak on the situation or feel uncomfortable to do so then refer them to someone who can. In both cases, you are actively helping someone and not feeling like you have to keep it all on you and carry the load and worry about the situation because now you have put the action back onto the person asking your advice. It is now upto them to decide how they want to proceed. You can’t force them.

If they are just looking to vent and bring up various topics of concern that they have then again just by listening and being concerned with them you are helpng them. I often will take those problems and offer them upto Jesus during Mass and ask him to continue to give me strength. I find it really helps caregivers to know that they aren’t the only one carrying the burdens around and this is what I suspect priest do with things that are weighing heavily on them. They seek advice from their fellow priest and seek strength in Jesus.

Bottom line trust in God to give you that extra strength you need. And also, if you need to, unload some of that burden on your own counsellor.

 

[tom25]

Thanks guys