The following was part of a Mar. 9 story, titled “How to make a good Confession” in the National Catholic Register.
- Be objective. Choose a priest who can help you grow spiritually, not one who simply makes you feel good (or bad) about yourself.
- Avoid priests who seem to downplay your sins or dull Church teaching.
- Remember the three goals of the spiritual life: grace, union with God and forming your conscience.
- Do all that you can to help the priest serve you.
- Remember that priests are human, too, and prone to weakness, just as you are.
- Choose a priest who follows the proper formula for the sacrament: hearing your confession, giving penance, requiring an Act of Contrition and giving absolution.
- Pray, and ask God to guide you to the right confessor.
- Be open and honest, with yourself and the priest.
- Make a preliminary appointment so that you can get to know each other.
- Pray for your confessor before you go to confession.
- Always put your need for the sacrament before your preference of confessor.
To read the entire story, click here.
If more Catholics had a spiritual director and a confessor, the Church would be in a lot better shape today. St. Alphonsus Liguori wrote that it is a serious sin not to have a confessor.
Let us all remember that it is an obligation – mortal sin if we do not –
Confess our sins at least once a year;
Receive Holy Communion at Easter Time.
These are two of the Precepts of the Church. (See CCC 2042 & 2043 for all the Precepts.)
Priests need to spend more time in the confessional.
Priests would spend more time in the confessional if PENITENTS spent more time in the confessional line.
At too many churches, no one comes to confession, or almost no one, which means our priests sit there in the box for an hour with no one bothering to do the right thing — and come to confession!
There are always long long long lines. I wish there were more priests to help the lines go faster but we can offer it up as we reflect and wait in line. Its true we need more priests spending more time in the confessional. I notice that exactly on the hour, some say its over, please come back or schedule an appointment. Its sad when they rush you too especially if they have to go somewhere.
Anonymous you may be right at many parishes. But it is because Priests do not preach about the need for Confession (plus the once a year obligation) from the pulpit, nor do they preach about Mortal Sin.
This is why so many lay Catholics are going around lazy Priests and telling people to read the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition”, so everyone will know their Faith accurately.
We all are probably in need to confess sins daily. None of us are that perfect and if those from the pulpit, not those who shouldn’t be there, would talk about forming a good conscience maybe at least once a month would work for us and not just once a year.
BINGO!
Points well taken. This is an issue for me and many in my parish… and some of your points are right on point.
I visited a priest once for confession, (it was obvious he was a flaming homosexual)…he had morbid curiosity about my heterosexual dalliances with the ladies,…the more I shared, the angrier he got!…not because I sinned, but because it was with a WOMAN!…I told him he was a lousy confessor, who had no business in the confessional…he was literally flaming away!…
You sound like a total nut case.
How in the world can you know he was made about your sexual escapades BECAUSE they were with women?
Furthermore, many men who “appear” homosexual are not, so you have no idea about his orientation, or whatever it’s called nowadays.
To me, it sounds clear that (a) you confessed a load of sexual sins, (b) got grilled by your confessor, and (c) got mad at him for not letting you slide with one Hail Mary.
It’s not a priest’s JOB to let you gloss over your sins and make you feel all good about sleeping around.
You might want to try asking Centurion for clarification instead of jumping to the very judgment you castigate him for, Anonymous. Centurion was ‘there’ after all, not you.
“You sound like a nutcase” “Furthermore, many men who “appear” homosexual are not, so you have no idea about his orientation, or whatever it’s called nowadays.”
Someone certainly touched an obviously sensitive nerve. Thou doth protest waaaaay too much. To ignore the rot or deny the rot means you are either part of the rot or an enabler of rot. The L.A. District Attorney’s office has evidence of this same kind of rot that Centurion describes.
Don’t believe Centurian.
“Don’t believe Centurian.” = Translation = “Don’t believe those parents or the victims of sexual abuse.” Sweep it under the rug.
Prayer for Priests and for a Holy Church
O my Jesus, I beg You on behalf of the whole Church: Grant it love and the light of Your Spirit and give power to the words of priests so that hardened hearts might be brought to repentance and return to You, O Lord.
Lord, give us holy priests; You, Yourself maintain them in holiness. O Divine and Great High Priest, may the power of Your Mercy accompany them everywhere and protect them from the devil’s traps and snares, which are continually being set for the souls of priests. May the power of Your Mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring to naught all that might tarnish the sanctity of priests, for You can do all things. I ask You, Jesus, for a special blessing and for light for the priests before whom I will make my confessions throughout my lifetime.