What Happened to Confession?

If the Catholic Church wanted to intentionally diminish the Sacrament of Penance in the years since the close of the Second Vatican Council, they could not have done a better job.

Just how do you go from 78,000 confessions in 12 months at just one parish back in 1896 to 75 percent of the faithful never going to Confession today, or (at best) just once a year?

First, don’t preach sin. I have personally attended classes where the Vatican II era Director of Religious Education for the parish stated that “fire and brimstone” went away with the Council and a more “positive” message of love was instituted. I myself am blessed to hear homilies from my pastor on the wages of sin, and the very real possibility of eternal damnation, but I know that this is unfortunately the exception and not the norm.

If you want people to stop going to the doctor, stop talking about cancer screenings, cholesterol levels or hypertension. If you want people to stop going to confession just stop telling them they need to. In addition, stop preaching on those topics, those common behaviors and mortal sins which require confessing.

I have been blessed to be a part of several retreat weekends and conferences where many Catholics heard for the first time a real, grown up, discussion on sin and the need to repent, confess and amend. I never cease to be moved and awed by the responses. Long lines for confession, even face to face, followed usually by tears and relief…even from grown men! People are hungry for the Truth.

Second, hide the confessionals. Pulling no punches, church architecture over the past 40 years has been horrific in many parishes. Catholic identity has often been lost in settings devoid of statues, beautiful art, kneelers and even confessionals. Confessionals which once lined the walls of the naves of many churches now are often hidden off somewhere between the storage closets and the “out of sight” tabernacle (that’s another blog topic in itself).

Third, availability of the sacrament. One hour a week…really? Is there anything better that our holy Catholic priest can do with their time, besides offering the Mass, then to hear the confessions of their flock? The faithful intrinsically know that the sacrament can’t be all that important if they have only one hour a week to avail themselves to it…or by appointment. Not good enough.

Lastly, oppose the Church’s teaching on contraception. I believe that it is no mere coincidence that the widespread implicit, and at times outright, opposition to Humanae Vitae and the Church’s teaching regarding contraception coincides with the rapid decline in the sacrament of Reconciliation. The moment the faithful are told by their confessor that they can “search their consciences” to determine whether a mortal sin is actually a mortal sin to them, moral relativism has entered the confessional. And then, souls are lost.

The Precepts of the Church

Many professing Catholics today approach their faith much in the same way they do the rest of life. That is, why deny myself what I want. Most fail to realize that as Catholics we are only required to receive Holy Communion once a year, “at least during the Easter season”. No more, or less, often then we are called to confess our sins. As defined by the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the first two precepts of the Church are:

You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor.

You shall confess your sins at least once a year.

It is scandalous that the lines for communion are so long and those for confession are so short.

It’s Not Rocket Science

How do we renew the participation of the faithful in this sacrament which so many have abandoned in recent decades? Preach it, teach it and live it.

To our holy priests:
Please, please, please preach on this topic. Do not settle for generic references to sin in the abstract and the amorphous notion of forgiveness. Your Sunday homily affords you a captive audience. Where else in life do you have 500, 1000 or more people before you and (hopefully) listening to your every word. Don’t waste their time on platitudes. Remind your parishioners that hell exists for those who die in a state of mortal sin. Remind them that contraception, abortion, missing Mass and calumny are mortal sins in need of confessing. Then remind them not to present themselves for Holy Communion until they have made a good confession. If it doesn’t “take” repeat it again the next week.

To the faithful in the pews:
Go to confession! Go often! Go as a family! Encourage your fellow Catholics, friends and family alike, to go. Conduct a frequent examination of conscience. Many saints and religious have recommended a nightly examination before going to bed. Learn what the Church teaches on specific matters, and if you fall, run to confession. If you find yourself disagreeing with the teaching of the Church and reject her authority in certain areas of your life, then run to confession since you suffer from pride.

Finally, encourage your priest and support him in his efforts. Pray for him to have the courage and eloquence to address this with the parish. Encourage him to increase availability of the sacrament. Suggest a parish mission, possibly for Lent, and suggest solid, traditional, priests to come and teach on sin, hell and the need for penance. But most of all, develop the practice of frequent confession in your own life so that you may be fortified against temptation and seek to remain in a state of grace.

Liturgy Guy Blog