Has it been awhile since you went to confession? We are a long way away from the days when we went to confession on Saturday so that we could receive Holy Communion on Sunday. Perhaps some of the routine of that experience and memories of those days account for why we do not go to confession now. But there are other factors in today’s world in addition to these memories of yesteryear.

It is easy in our psychologically preoccupied world to blame someone from our past rather than take responsibility for our actions. There is also a tendency to see sin as a private matter that is no one else’s business. There is an ongoing debate whenever a celebrity is caught in a scandal between those who think that one’s personal life affects one’s public life and those who see one’s personal life as separate and thus no one’s business.

People often question why they need to go to the sacrament of reconciliation. They think it is sufficient to tell God they are sorry. But I think this is inadequate on several levels. First, this can be a cop-out. There is no accountability. When it is just me and God, God can be anything or anyone I make Him out to be. Sin, when truly recognized as sin and not watered down by psychology, affects other people as well as oneself. Thus we need to be reunited with the community when the bonds of unity have been broken by sin. This leads to the second point: staying home and telling God you are sorry is not a sacrament. A sacrament is an encounter with Christ. A sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace.

The sacrament of reconciliation is a sacrament of healing. We could stay at home and tell God we are sorry for our sins but Jesus, in His wisdom and mercy, has given us a way to tell us that our sins are forgiven. And who of us do not need to be told that we are loved, especially when we have sinned?
The sacrament of reconciliation is a beautiful moment of compassion and mercy with Jesus Christ. Only Jesus has the power to forgive sins because He is the Son of God who died on the cross for us. If we could appreciate the profundity of this truth we would flock to Christ for forgiveness. But to do this several other things need to be recognized.

First, we need to admit that we sin and not excuse our behavior or blame it on others. Second, we need to appreciate the nature of a sacrament. People question why they have to tell their sins to a priest. Wouldn’t it be better to apologize to the person they hurt? Certainly we should apologize to anyone we hurt. Certainly we shouldn’t use the sacrament as an excuse to avoid apologizing to others. But, while those whom we offend can forgive us, they do not have the power to heal us of sin. Only Jesus Christ does and He has given us a visible sign of forgiveness through the words He entrusted to the Church.

The priest is there as a minister of the Church to bring the powerful words of forgiveness into our lives. The priest is bound by the strictest of confidentiality called “the seal of confession.” Under no circumstances can he reveal what is told to him in confession. He is simply an instrument of grace. I can say from many years of experience that it is very humbling to hear confessions. It is a true privilege of priesthood. To witness the honesty of people, to appreciate the struggles they face, to see such fervent striving for holiness is humbling and inspiring. Just as the first audience for a good homily is the priest himself, so the experience of hearing confessions is a humble reminder of his own sinfulness and need for forgiveness.

I am not only a confessor. I am also a penitent. I go to confession regularly to the priest who is my spiritual director. Going to confession is an opportunity for me to be accountable to Christ through the ministry of the Church. Reflecting beforehand to prepare for this sacrament (what we call ‘examination of conscience’) can lead me to some painful realizations about myself but, in the light of God’s abiding love for me, this experience is freeing. It may be hard to admit my sinfulness but it is uplifting to honestly face my sinfulness and accept God’s love. I always come away from celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation as a penitent encouraged and free.

You do not have to be a ‘big sinner’ to benefit from the sacrament of reconciliation. We all carry around things we regret and wish we had done better. Why not leave these things with Christ and be free to love? In the light of God’s love for us, no sin is trivial and so all sin needs to be brought into the light of Christ. Has it been awhile?