More Thoughts About Confession on This 13th Sunday after Pentecost

Last week's thoughts about Confession continue with the help of Fr. Alfred Wilson. We've addressed the views and objections of those who think Catholics are wrong-headed in confessing to "a man." Now we'll begin to see the unfolding of the "facts" about Confession.

Recall again that Confession was not the hardly-spoken-about-barely-available-if-at-all Sacrament it is in many parish churches today. And the habit of going to Confession relatively frequently was something encouraged in Catholic schools and by priests back in those days. But even in our own vastly changed environment, a serious Catholic knows the importance of Confession.

Note that Father here wants to temper a certain view of that importance. His words don't minimize the importance of Confession. But they do place Confession in its proper context. They explain it carefully. And we see that it's not to be a terrible burden on us; it's not to be something we dread. If it has become this to any degree, we don't really understand the nature of Confession or its real purpose. 

As we read through these remarks, allow the full meaning and purpose of Confession to unfold and sink in. The fact that we can obtain forgiveness of our sins outside of Confession does not demote Confession to a second-rate Sacrament. Instead it helps us see just how valuable it can be to bring us closer to God.

     “Confession expresses a human need, not a Divine need, and is necessary to satisfy man, not to satisfy God. When our Savior instituted Confession, He was thinking of us, not of Himself. Whenever there is sincere contrition, He pardons in a flash, and would pardon without more ado, if such an arrangement were good for us. He saw, however, that it would not be good for us to be let off without an apology for serious sin. Parents often insist on an apology from an erring child even when they have long since forgiven it in their hearts. They insist, not for their own sake, but for the sake of the child, whose ultimate good they unselfishly consider. In the same way, God insists on an apology from us, for our sake not for His. It is evident that penitents often fail to realize this, because if they did realize it, they would not approach Confession as they do. Many of them seem to think that they have no hope of recovering the Divine Friendship until they have been through all the formalities of Confession, and woe betide them if they make any slips. What a complete misconception of the Sacrament! In that case, God is more difficult to propitiate now than He was before the Incarnation. If they are truly contrite, they are already in the grace and friendship of God. Confession is designed not to placate the Divine Justice nor to win a tardy concession of mercy, but to enable us to gain the maximum benefits of Divine Mercy. If you are contrite, He has already forgiven you, and Confession means that He wants to enfold you in His arms and bathe you in His Precious Blood. …
    “Besides being (as we have seen) indispensable medicine for the regaining of perfect spiritual health, Confession is also necessary to intensify our realization of the malice of sin. If we ‘got away with’ sin too easily, we might make light of it. God insists on a formal, penal apology for serious sin to prevent us from confusing His mercy with unconcern. If He made no fuss about serious sin, we might easily conclude – to our own undoing – that it is not really so heinous and so odious to Him. He has, therefore, obliged us to confess our sins because He is wise and kind.” - Fr. Alfred Wilson, C.P. (Pardon and Peace, 1946)

Happy Sunday!