A Sunday Thought About Confession to Start the Week Off Right
Sundays continue in the midst of our C-Virus world mess.
We've mentioned the agonizingly ponderous re-opening of our local parish.
Masks affixed, we socially distance. The priest makes short shrift of Mass. The space is hot without A/C during what's been a really hot, humid stretch for weeks. Masks don't help. But Mass is Mass. You remind yourself: This is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, celebrated throughout the world for centuries, ever since the Last Supper. It's still the reenactment of Our Lord's Sacrifice on Calvary in an unbloody manner. (Even the Novus Ordo Mass - although those who promote it don't seem to want to mention it too much.)
So you take what you can get. God is there. The masks don't change that.
What about not receiving Holy Communion? My wife and I won't take Communion in the hand, and our Bishop won't let us receive Communion on the tongue. We make our choice. We won't get into why here. We've discussed it already on past Sundays. It is what it is. In time - by the mercy of God - we'll be able to receive Communion again. But at least we can make a "spiritual communion." Thank God we know about this. I've even got a prayer on my phone, in case I need words to help me beg for Him come to me spiritually when I can't receive His Body and Blood.
Confession's another matter. We've talked about that too. For better or for worse, I still can't get myself to Confession in the parking lot. Maybe you're in a similar spot. While it's always been a challenge in the past getting to Confession when they're offered for maybe 45 minutes only before the Saturday evening Mass, I had the luxury of getting to Confession during the week when I was in my office in Manhattan. A church was right across the street from the office building. You could go to Mass at lunchtime and to Confession once a month pretty regularly.
While I might miss getting to Confession regularly I've learned a lot about the Sacrament in recent years. And that's been a big help through this ordeal.
So, thinking you might be a somewhat similar position and frame of mind, I figured I'd share some of what I've learned and found really helpful through this mess.
Father Alfred Wilson's Pardon and Peace published in 1946 has been particularly helpful. He seems to have written this wonderful work in response to those who, in his mind, get too "worked up" about Confession. We're not talking mainly about those who have committed mortal sin. He focuses instead on those of us who've got venial sins that need forgiving. It's not that venial sins are not a big deal. They are. But there's no reason for us to make Confession an ordeal. God's wants to forgive us. And because He does, He has provided many ways for us to seek and obtain forgiveness of our venial sins.
One example: In the moment we realize we've committed a venial sin, we can immediately ask God's forgiveness, along with a sincere desire not to sin again. Even better if we perform an act of charity - one simple form of penance that benefits others as well as us. The book is rich with examples and suggestions.
Knowing that Confession is not essential to seeking and obtaining forgiveness has become especially important in this time when - for many of us - Confession is not offered at all. Or if so, offered in weird ways - like the "parking lot confessions" referenced above. Without this knowledge, we'd be walking around with a rather heavy load if we take sin seriously (and, of course, we should).
Speaking of those Catholics who think they can only obtain forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession, Father writes:
"We must not allow our faith in the readiness of God to forgive to be dimmed or obscured by Confession; otherwise our attitude towards God will be far more misguided than that of non-Catholics."
Father here refers to Protestants who think the Sacrament of Confession contradicts the mercy of God. They couldn't be farther from the truth. We know that the Confessional isn't some magic box that takes away our sins regardless of interior disposition or intention. But we should also know that, in fact, it serves more as a means of prevention - certainly not as an exclusively necessary instrument of forgiveness.
I've learned quite a bit about Confession from Father Wilson. Given our current mess, we'll spend more time with him in coming Sundays.
We've mentioned the agonizingly ponderous re-opening of our local parish.
Masks affixed, we socially distance. The priest makes short shrift of Mass. The space is hot without A/C during what's been a really hot, humid stretch for weeks. Masks don't help. But Mass is Mass. You remind yourself: This is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, celebrated throughout the world for centuries, ever since the Last Supper. It's still the reenactment of Our Lord's Sacrifice on Calvary in an unbloody manner. (Even the Novus Ordo Mass - although those who promote it don't seem to want to mention it too much.)
So you take what you can get. God is there. The masks don't change that.
What about not receiving Holy Communion? My wife and I won't take Communion in the hand, and our Bishop won't let us receive Communion on the tongue. We make our choice. We won't get into why here. We've discussed it already on past Sundays. It is what it is. In time - by the mercy of God - we'll be able to receive Communion again. But at least we can make a "spiritual communion." Thank God we know about this. I've even got a prayer on my phone, in case I need words to help me beg for Him come to me spiritually when I can't receive His Body and Blood.
Confession's another matter. We've talked about that too. For better or for worse, I still can't get myself to Confession in the parking lot. Maybe you're in a similar spot. While it's always been a challenge in the past getting to Confession when they're offered for maybe 45 minutes only before the Saturday evening Mass, I had the luxury of getting to Confession during the week when I was in my office in Manhattan. A church was right across the street from the office building. You could go to Mass at lunchtime and to Confession once a month pretty regularly.
While I might miss getting to Confession regularly I've learned a lot about the Sacrament in recent years. And that's been a big help through this ordeal.
So, thinking you might be a somewhat similar position and frame of mind, I figured I'd share some of what I've learned and found really helpful through this mess.
Father Alfred Wilson's Pardon and Peace published in 1946 has been particularly helpful. He seems to have written this wonderful work in response to those who, in his mind, get too "worked up" about Confession. We're not talking mainly about those who have committed mortal sin. He focuses instead on those of us who've got venial sins that need forgiving. It's not that venial sins are not a big deal. They are. But there's no reason for us to make Confession an ordeal. God's wants to forgive us. And because He does, He has provided many ways for us to seek and obtain forgiveness of our venial sins.
One example: In the moment we realize we've committed a venial sin, we can immediately ask God's forgiveness, along with a sincere desire not to sin again. Even better if we perform an act of charity - one simple form of penance that benefits others as well as us. The book is rich with examples and suggestions.
Knowing that Confession is not essential to seeking and obtaining forgiveness has become especially important in this time when - for many of us - Confession is not offered at all. Or if so, offered in weird ways - like the "parking lot confessions" referenced above. Without this knowledge, we'd be walking around with a rather heavy load if we take sin seriously (and, of course, we should).
Speaking of those Catholics who think they can only obtain forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession, Father writes:
"We must not allow our faith in the readiness of God to forgive to be dimmed or obscured by Confession; otherwise our attitude towards God will be far more misguided than that of non-Catholics."
Father here refers to Protestants who think the Sacrament of Confession contradicts the mercy of God. They couldn't be farther from the truth. We know that the Confessional isn't some magic box that takes away our sins regardless of interior disposition or intention. But we should also know that, in fact, it serves more as a means of prevention - certainly not as an exclusively necessary instrument of forgiveness.
I've learned quite a bit about Confession from Father Wilson. Given our current mess, we'll spend more time with him in coming Sundays.
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