The spiritual benefits (graces) that result from the sacrament are connected to the psychological dynamics which play out only in a live encounter, and which are shielded by the protective distance of cyber-space. To speak and to name (out loud) has theological significance even in biblical times. (A “Confession of Faith,” such as we read about in the New Testament, is an oral acknowledgement of belief, which signifies personal ownership and commitment.)
And to speak one’s sins, honestly & out loud to another person in a live setting requires courage and humility: acts of submission & surrender which in turn allow God to “inhabit” the person. The penitent’s tone of voice, the penitent’s questions, the priest’s questions & counsel, are all uniquely possible in a live setting.
The concept of live acknowledgement is a pattern that is paralleled in criminal law. Someone who is accused of committing wrongdoing must be personally present to those he is accused of wronging (victim or victim’s family), and to a live judge. The idea of a distant “presence” in the courtroom, via electronic messaging, would deny this basic element of justice. (And the confessional is both justice and mercy.) Personal justice is live, not electronic. At sentencing (“penance”) a convicted or self-convicted criminal is often asked to stand to receive his sentence of punishment (to reinforce the concept of encounter & of taking responsibility), and is also allowed, even encouraged, to acknowledge his guilt, sorrow, remorse – even directly to those he has injured.
Encounter, justice, healing, and satisfaction are all interrelated, and are not achieved by long distance communication.
Finally, distant communications have a sterility to them that protects the owner from emotion and feelings. God uses our feelings (embarrassment, dread, fear, shame, humiliation, sorrow) as avenues of healing.
Would it really be that bad? Think of the benefit to shut-ins? The Vatican has addressed the wonders of modern technology and computers, and uses them themselves, are we not considered to be in a new age of evangalization?
