After the evening Mass that I serve last Sunday, I assumed
my usual position at the back of the church to greet the people as they
left. There was one particular person
who moved by slowly as if they were going to engage with a handshake, but they
moved on with a bashful greeting. I
continued greeting parishioners when the person returned and told me they had
just started going to Church after being away for over 30 years. After I took the chance to welcome them back,
they told me that they needed to go to Confession. As I turned to go get a priest, they grabbed
my arm and said, “Not now! I’m afraid.” Well this opened a wonderful conversation and
invitation.
This person is not alone: According to a CARA Pew survey, 45% of
Catholics do not participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation; 30% have gone
less than once a year; and only 2% participate once a month.
Maybe stories like those in our first reading fuel these
fears. David regrets the census he
ordered, and confesses to the LORD: “I have sinned grievously in what I have
done. But now, LORD, forgive the guilt of your servant, for I have been very
foolish.” God sends the message, here’s your alternatives: 3 years of famine, 3
months being chased by enemies, or 3 days pestilence?" (2 Sm 24:10-13) We’d much
rather reflect on the stories like St. Agatha who lived a virtuous life, committed
to her vow of chastity and love for Jesus, resisting every temptation and even
giving her life as a witness to her faith.
Perhaps the fear of confessing is what keeps many Catholics
away from not just the confessional but from engaging with the community of
faith. Bishop Robert Morneau of the
Diocese of Green Bay, says this to scared Catholics: “Come on in. You’ll like
it!”
When discussing the weight and value of this practice,
Bishop Morneau uses an analogy: “When we become physically ill, we seek the
assistance of a doctor. Failure to seek
medical care can lead to death. The same
is true at the spiritual level. Spiritual
illness needs the healing touch of Christ that comes to us through this holy
practice.”
He continues: “Seeing a doctor for a common cold probably isn’t essential.
Seeing a doctor for a bowel obstruction
is essential. The comparison could be
applied to venial and mortal sins.”
Sin thwarts life. Sin
impairs our spiritual growth. Individuals who seek growth and fullness of
life have to deal with the ‘dark side.’ The
Sacrament of Reconciliation is one way. Seven
words—so difficult to say but so cathartic when said—are the keys to true freedom:
“Bless me, father, for I have sinned.”[1]
[1] FranciscanSpirit, “My Phobia with the
Sacrament of Reconciliation”
posted by Christopher Heffron on 12/27/2018.
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