Santa Rosa, Calif., Jul 17, 2009 / 06:49 am (CNA).- Comparing the Sacrament of Penance to “an oil change for the soul” and weeding one’s garden, Bishop of Santa Rosa, California Daniel Walsh has urged Catholics to return to regular confession of their sins.
Writing in the Summer 2009 of the diocesan newsletter The North Coast Catholic, Bishop Walsh noted that car engines which don’t receive oil changes build up minor impurities and eventually result in “major and costly problems.”
Likewise in other common tasks, failing to clean hard-to-reach parts of a house will result in areas “filthy with dust.” Failing to weed a garden allows weeds to “take over” and crowd out the garden.
“The sacrament of penance is like an oil change for the soul,” the bishop said. “It’s like moving the furniture of our souls and getting to the places that escape everyday cleaning. It is like periodically checking the garden of our souls for weeds that hamper our discipleship.”
He cited Pope Benedict XVI’s exhortation for Catholics to rediscover the “liberating power” of the Sacrament of Penance in which an honest confession is met by “God’s merciful words of pardon and peace.”
“Since the Second Vatican Council and the cultural revolution of the 1960’s, the Sacrament of Penance has experienced a decline,” Bishop Walsh pointed out. “We can list many reasons but I don’t think one of them is that we have stopped sinning! I think in our permissive society we have lost the sense of sin.”
He encouraged all his readers, clergy and lay, to return to the sacrament.
“I know there are many people who for many reasons haven’t been to confession for a long time and may not remember how to go, or may not feel comfortable going. Whatever the reason, I invite all to come back home, come back to the Lord.”
In confession, Bishop Walsh said, Jesus asks us what he can do for us. After unburdening our hearts, the bishop said, we will hear Him say “Go in peace, your faith has made you well.”
Confession compared to oil change? I wonder if the good bishop has been reading my blog. Here is an entry from 4 years ago.
Perhaps I am a bit off on this, but I have made an informal study of the surrounding parishes in our area. It seems that most confession times are on Saturday afternoon and "By Appointment." So If am to serve Mass on Saturday morning where the heck is one supposed to go to get a confession on Friday Night? Since I take Paul’s admonishment that to partake of the Body and Blood unworthily is to eat and drink damnation, what do I do? Easy. I ask for confession and get a bit miffed when the Priest asks me if I know about the regularly scheduled times for confession.
So… The chicken and egg question today: Is the lack of use of the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation due to the fact that times are not available or is it due to the lack of instruction on the need for this sacrament?
Build it and they will come? If you increase confession times will people flock to confess?
I think the "build it they will come" idea is correct. At my parish they have confession before each Mass which is twice daily and four times on Sunday. There is always somebody in line and our pastor will hold off Mass as long as possible to try to see everyone in line. I have occasionally been to other parishes during the short time frame confession is available on Saturday evening and rarely have seen more than just a few people in line. This is of course only antidotal information, but what I describe seems prevalent by what I have read.
Being a convert I have sometimes wondered how this wonderful sacrament got so deemphasized? It seems doubtful that parishes just all of a sudden switched from having confession generally available to the model we have now. It would seem more likely that people had already started to less frequently go to confession and because of this trend that parishes started to diminish the amount of time confession was available. That the demand for confession was reduced over time because sins themselves had become deemphasized. Cut out sins and you cut out the need for confession. Original sin becomes original complex in this highly therapeutic culture. People will get in line to broadcast their most intimate details on Oprah or Dr. Phil, but will run screaming at the thought of a confessional and confessing their sins to a priest. We have analyzed that having guilt is an underlying cause itself that must be eliminated and ignore the fact that it is a symptom normally of sinful activity.
Regardless of how we got to this point the question is how we can reverse it. There has to be both an effort to make it generally available and for Catholics to understand that they need it. I am convinced that a new springtime for the Church will not blossom until such time as Catholic generally return to confession. Unfortunately confession is just seen mostly as "just so pre-Vatican II" and many priests discouraged the use of regular confession in the case of venial sins. Most of us will readily admit to being sinners in some generic capacity, but it seems another story to admit to individual sins.
We are currently in the year of the Eucharist as proclaimed by our late Holy Father. I think we need a year of mercy to concentrate on the sacrament of confession. People definitely need to be catechized to see the link between confession and the Eucharist. To properly prepare ourselves for worthy reception. I would love to see an encyclical letter written on the subject to emphasize once again this wonderful sacrament of mercy. I also realize though that even when the Vatican has lead on important subjects that unfortunately they are largely ignored or not really implemented a the diocesan and parish level. But even a small amount of people regularly returning to confession will have a large impact on their lives and consequently the life of the Church.
The question though is what is the best method to get American to frequent the confessional? In this fast food culture maybe we could appeal to a fast food idea like drive thru confession. I propose a new company called Jiffy Shriven after the Old English term to go to confession.
Here would be my logo.
And a sample drive thru.
And to easily remind people when to return to confession, the following sticker could be placed on the driver side windshield.
While your there they could also check your holy water font or holy water bottle level to see if more fluids need to be added. Though you won’t have to worry about them trying to hawk other sacrament while there. You won’t hear "I noticed you are not looking so well. We can give you final unction as part of a package deal."
8 comments
The car in this blog post looks just right:
http://catholiclight.stblogs.org/archives/2004/11/if-christ-is-pa.html
Still… you have to have a priest who WANTS to hear confessions… even the “little” stuff.
My husband and I were trying to make consecutive first Saturday confessions. Our priest became so annoyed with both of us that he compared us both to Martin Luther!
It’s a good thing the lines are so short (sarcasm)… otherwise, we wouldn’t get in at ALL as confessions are only heard on Saturdays between 4:00 – 4:45 (give or take 10 minutes on either end).
This is all just so frustrating! Please pray for us, our parish, and our priest!
You may want to use a different symbol not to scare people away. Last time I went to that Jiffy place they forgot to put oil back in our van and costed us a new engine.
To answer your question, here is a real world example:
When my pastor arrived nearly 5 years ago at the parish, it was a once-a-week and by appointment confession schedule. He instituted a new program. Confessions would be offered DAILY, with one caveat: He would be IN the confessional at the specified time (usually around 7:15 in the evening) and he would stay until all seeking the sacrament had been served. If, however, no one was in the confessional by 7:16 (really, 7:20, he’s not that unforgiving) then he would be “out about the Father’s business.”
He tells me he spent a lot of five minute evenings in the confessional as he preached confession those first months. By the end of six months, a person or two came every day. Now, the lines can be 20+ deep on Saturdays and 4-5 every day.
The key is that he enjoys hearing confessions, he PREACHES confession regularly, and he ELIMINATED the “by appointment” confessions. (He’ll still handle you at any time, but he has essentially trained the parish to come at the appointed time.)
Now, during Holy Week and the last week of Advent, he can spend up to nine hours a day in confession, as he offers THREE times each day during those weeks.
PREACH the need and OFFER the Sacrament and people will come.
To answer your question, here is a real world example:
When my pastor arrived nearly 5 years ago at the parish, it was a once-a-week and by appointment confession schedule. He instituted a new program. Confessions would be offered DAILY, with one caveat: He would be IN the confessional at the specified time (usually around 7:15 in the evening) and he would stay until all seeking the sacrament had been served. If, however, no one was in the confessional by 7:16 (really, 7:20, he’s not that unforgiving) then he would be “out about the Father’s business.”
He tells me he spent a lot of five minute evenings in the confessional as he preached confession those first months. By the end of six months, a person or two came every day. Now, the lines can be 20+ deep on Saturdays and 4-5 every day.
The key is that he enjoys hearing confessions, he PREACHES confession regularly, and he ELIMINATED the “by appointment” confessions. (He’ll still handle you at any time, but he has essentially trained the parish to come at the appointed time.)
Now, during Holy Week and the last week of Advent, he can spend up to nine hours a day in confession, as he offers THREE times each day during those weeks.
PREACH the need and OFFER the Sacrament and people will come.
What the good bishop doesn’t mention is the last THREE bishops have been scoundrels.
The last bishop bankrupted the diocese, embezzeld funds to pay hush money to his Gay lover (whom the bishop rushed through a seminary so the lover could be ordained). That bishop, although a wealthy man in his own right never paid restitution and local church authorities shut out all attempts of the faithful to attempt to recover the money whose theft closed schools and ministries.
The faithful have a far better sense of morality than their leadership has demonstrated for decades.
The bishop also fails to mention that upon his isntallation, he abruptly ended his reconcilliation visits to the parishes because he became overtired of hearing what the faithful had endured during 30 years of abuse. A shephard who got tired of hearing the cries of his flock for relief or redress.
Our pastor offers confessions “4-4:30 Saturdays and other times by appointment.” However, he is not there on Saturdays. He is in the rectory. I think that priests should stay for the full amount of time, and pray for sinners to come–or do spiritual reading or Something.
He also does not like to hear confessions face-to-face. This discourages those who prefer that method. They either go without or drive a distance to find someone else.
If you want folks to go to confession, you have to advertise.
IN Our church we have 2 priests. One is ok not great not orthodox but not liberal either. The other is orthodox a man of God who i belive is a saint.
Both sit for confession every saturday before mass. If the congregation knows that the second preist is present the lines beging to form up from 3:30 for a 5:00 mass so that they can have confession with father. He isnt the kind to put kid gloves on things he calls sin what it is but he is compasionate.
whne the other is in the confessional you can walk in at 4:30 and receive confession. no lines casue well he might tell you that what your doing is not sinful.
every first firday the second prest will sit for confessions from 7:30 till the last person has confessed (often late till 10:30pm). he will listen patiently and then give very spiritual advice.
The kind of preist in the confessional and his spiritual life also makes a big difference in the life of a parish and confession attendance.