It's Confession Time Again

Lent has flown past and now we’re in Holy Week. If there ever was a time for confessions...it’s now.

First, let me confess that, since returning from Hong Kong, life has been unbelievably hectic and for more than three weeks I have been forced to abandon the blog in order to get 1,001 things done and to meet deadlines. (I did not even think to celebrate one whole year of the Blog - yes, the first entry was posted on 31st March 2013, on the subject of the Easter Vigil).

Now, I’m back.

 

As I mentioned before, Confessions have gone out of fashion over the last 50 years. A large US poll in 2008 found that almost half of all Catholics never went to Confession at all and only about a quarter went once a year or more frequently. Maybe we’ve misplaced our sense of sin, what with automatic contraception, freely-available terminations, a nanny-state to care for bothersome social issues, binging as a rite of passage, the dark corners of the ubiquitous internet available to all...it’s easy to become a Jeremiah, an angry prophet.

But, maybe the tide is turning, there are some green shoots to point to. In fact, ever since Pope Benedict XVI said that the New Evangelisation begins in the confessional, there have been the stirrings of a renaissance.

There are now excellent websites devoted to encouraging good Confessions, like www.GoodConfession.com that explains five benefits of making a good Confession: helping us to ‘know ourselves’; to overcome vice; bring peace; strengthen our will – and make us more saintly, more like Jesus. There are even a number of smartphone apps that make the process of preparation much easier.

Bishop Kieron Conry, who is responsible for Outreach in the Catholic Church in England and Wales, says that more young people are coming to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This seems to have been encouraged by a more informal approach to reconciliation, together with an increased focus on the essence of behaviour - my relationship with God and my neighbour - rather than a mechanical recitation of sins. The effect of Pope Benedict’s visit to the UK and the impact of Pope Francis have also been mentioned as contributing to the resurgence. For example, a survey in August 2013 of clergy in cathedrals across England & Wales found that two-thirds had noticed an increase in Confessions that they attributed to ‘Papal bounce.’ And, of course, Pope Benedict himself knelt – very publically – in Confession with a regular priest at St. Peter’s, just three weeks ago.  

My own contribution to the statistics is even more impressionistic. When I was in Westminster Cathedral this week, there was a queue of 40 to 50 people in front of the four confessionals - which seems to be more than usual!

So, whatever the reason, let’s celebrate if more people are coming home to God.  

I Confess...

 

Recently I spent the best part of a year studying, one evening a week, for the Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies (CCRS). It was taught in the university chaplaincy house in Falmer, Brighton, by a core team of Dr Kate Williamson, Adrian Richards and Fr Paul Wilkinson, assisted by Sister Antonia and the Catholic writer Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith, who is also a doctor of moral theology,

It was an immensely enjoyable, challenging and fruitful experience, the quality of the material exceeded only by the warmth and dedication of the teachers. If you have an evening to spare during the week check out CCRS in Brighton. You can attend the entire course or dip in and out of modules that interest you; these include Christology, The Church, Sacraments, Christian Morality, and Liturgy & Worship.

Anyway, plug over, back to the theme...

One of the areas that I researched when I attended the course was ‘Confession’ (aka the Sacrament of Reconciliation). In fact, I wrote an essay titled ‘Confession: Is It Still Relevant?’

The reason for the title was the enormous change in practise over the last 50 years or so. In the 1960s and earlier, many – if not most – Catholics attended weekly confession. However, the situation has now changed dramatically. A 2008 survey of 1,500 British Catholics found that 47% strongly agreed or just agreed that “I can be a good Catholic without the Sacrament of Confession.” Another 2008 survey of 1,007 self-identified American Catholics reported that 45% never went to confession and another 30% confessed less than once a year. 

For me – relativism and secularism aside – choosing which doctrines or community practises one follows, rather like choosing from a dinner menu, doesn’t work when it comes to religion. To pursue the analogy, confession is a vital part of a healthy diet, as is a sense of sin, belief in divine mercy – and also an understanding of divine justice. However, there are some legitimate choices we make while participating in the sacrament of reconciliation, for example...

How often should we confess? The answer is ‘as often as we need to’ and at least annually. We should confess whenever we commit a ‘mortal’ sin. Committing murder or serious assault definitely qualifies as a mortal sin, but what about spreading false gossip about a colleague, or even passing on unpalatable truths about someone for no good reason? Often our (informed) conscience acts as a watchdog, and the principle ‘if in doubt, confess’ is a good one. We are even recommended to confess venial (less serious) faults frequently as part of our journey in the path of Spirit.

The saints confessed frequently and many Popes often went to confession, even weekly (Pope John Paul II) or daily (Pope Pius XII). Myself, it varies anywhere between two weeks and two months (or – whisper it – more), but if I run past four weeks my conscience starts flashing like the warning light on a car dashboard.

More frequent reconciliation is recommended for various reasons. Leave it too long and we forget our sins. Regular confession encourages humility and self-correction, it sharpens the exercise of conscience, strengthens the will, gives us time with God and restores a fractured relationship.

What do we confess? This is down to our examination of conscience prior to confession. Daily examination is recommended but I suspect that only the saints and the Popes do a good job on that one. There are several ways to go about it but they seem to fall into two main categories. The first is an exhaustive list of possible sins based on the framework of the Ten Commandments or the Beatitudes; there are plenty of examples of these lists on the internet.

The other category is based on open-ended probes into how we fail to love God or our fellow human beings. For example, I’m currently looking at a small booklet, ‘Making a Better Confession’ by Con O’Connell O.F.M. This asks a number of questions sorted into different categories including My Relations With ...God; Those Nearest To Me; Everyone; God’s Other Creatures, and Myself.  The questions are simple but direct and thought-provoking.

 

Then there is the free and highly-rated iTunes app called ‘Mea Culpa.’ I’m not familiar with it - but it sounds like a great idea!

For anyone who feels their confession is becoming routine or stale, or anyone just starting, these resources can provide a boost. Just as in praying the rosary meditation, a variety of inputs provides stimulus and a wealth of ideas. 

Where do we confess?  I’ve never felt comfortable with open confessionals, they seem too informal, like a chat with a friend. Fortunately, we can go to confession anywhere. Maybe, like me, you prefer an old-fashioned one, a wooden box with a comfortable kneeler, a fretwork divider and the bowed head of an elderly Irish Jesuit...We can also choose to go to particular confessors, ones whose insight and advice we value, who encourage us on our path to holiness. Even if the occasional confessor is awkward or abrasive, it doesn’t matter, the grace of absolution is unaffected.

Confession is necessary, easy, invaluable – and recommended in messages from places as diverse as Rwanda, Medjugorje, Akita and Fatima.