Your palms are sweaty. There is a tightness in your gut. You feel apprehension, almost
trepidation. You are not quite ready for what comes next. Nevertheless, you open the door
slowly and enter.
Am I describing a visit to the local haunted house on Halloween? Perhaps to the Porta-John at
a chili cookoff? No, of course not. I’m talking about going to Confession.
Confession… Reconciliation… Penance… However you call it, this vital Sacrament offers a path
to reconciliation with God. It restores our relationship with our creator.
Why is it important enough to make it the topic of today’s reflection? For starters, our last two
pastors have made it an emphasis for the parish:
- Fr. Lumpe referenced going to Confession in a large percentage of his homilies; also, he
added the Wednesday evening Mass, followed by Holy Hour and Confession. - Fr. Stash expanded opportunities to receive the sacrament before the weekend Masses.
If the shepherd of the flock thinks something is important, then the flock should take note.
So then why do some of us avoid it? The reluctance to enter the confessional is
understandable. It’s human nature to bristle at the notion of voluntarily stating out loud the
wrongs you have committed. Personally, my own faith journey involved wandering away from
the church after high school, and spending many years away from the faith, before returning as
an adult. But I did not immediately seek the sacrament of Confession. On the contrary, it took
several years into my reconversion before I worked up the courage to take that step. The
longer I put it off, the less desire I had to go back. When I finally did, imagine the scene:
“Forgive me Father for I have sinned. It has been more than 20 years since my last confession,
and I don’t even know where to begin.”
I expected a thorough beating. Father was surely going to condemn me, and lightning bolts
would come right through the ceiling and strike me down. I must have been the first person to
wait that long, right? These were uncharted sin waters. NOPE. On the contrary, Father calmly
walked me through the process, giving me practical steps to follow (such as regular Confession
moving forward).
But was that experience magical? Did I walk away feeling completely free and light, ready to
take on the world? Actually, no. It was an important and necessary first step in the journey. It
wasn’t a cure all for what ailed me. But even if I didn’t feel 100% of the grace that I received
that day, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. And each subsequent confession after that became
easier. Since then, I try to stick to a monthly cadence of receiving the Sacrament.
A friend of mine who had a similar decades-long lull between confessions shared with me
something that the priest said to him: “The human soul is not meant to carry such a burden.”
Amen to that!
I once confessed to a priest who was visiting from the Josephinum. He used a metaphor that
has always stuck with me: compared to my sins, God’s ocean of mercy is unimaginably vast.
Wow. An ocean of mercy.
According to an article on The Jesuit Post.org there are two common misconceptions about
Confession:
- My sin is just about me, so I shouldn’t have to talk to a priest.
- Confession is a shameful or hurtful process.
Regarding the first point:
“…through confessing to a priest we are not only reconciled with Christ, but with the community
of the Church as well. Often we can liken our relationship with the Church to that of a
membership within a club or our political affiliation. But that is not the case.
Our relationship with the Church is personal, intimate and like any honest relationship, it
requires forgiveness and healing. The priest is the representative of both Christ and the Church
which is Christ’s body.
And it is through the sacrament of confession that Christ offers us the privilege to bear our
hearts to him, seeking his help as we strive towards a life of holiness and ultimately, eternal life
with him.”
Regarding the second point, that it is often regarded as a shameful or hurtful process… sure,
you may have had a less than positive experience with Confession in the past. Perhaps you
were left feeling uninspired or even disappointed. You may have fear or hesitation to look at
parts of your heart, or a loss of control over your struggles. My advice is to remember why you
went in the first place, and that Christ desires closeness with us. Sin is a boulder between us
and Christ. It separates us. As Scripture says, the wages of sin is death. Removing that
boulder is a path to life.
My challenge to you, Brother Knights, is if you haven’t been to Confession in a while, prayerfully
consider going. Bring your family. Go to Wednesday Holy Hour. If you’re not comfortable going
here at St. Michael because you know the priests, try a nearby church. I went to Confession at
St. Peter last week – they hold it every evening after the 5:30 PM Mass.
If there has been something holding you back, like there was for me all those years, hand it over
to Jesus. Place it at his feet. Open that door and step in. You may be pleasantly surprised at
the outcome. Just think. It could be worse. Remember the chili cookoff.
