Have you got a minute?
The Sacrament of Reconciliation in a Church With Few Priests.
Welcome to our new Pope, Leo XIV.
+Hugh Gilbert of the Diocese of Aberdeen has written a brief summary of his life. Click here to read.
Have you got a minute?
Kirsten Schouwenaars-Harms on confession in an age with few Priests.
“If the poor world could see the beauty of the sinless soul,
all sinners, all unbelievers would be instantly converted”
St. Padre Pio
A few months ago, I was at Westminster Cathedral in London. I knew I needed to go to confession. Having visited the cathedral on other occasions I had seen the long lines of people waiting to receive the sacrament before. I lined up 40 minutes before the noted start time, already being 4th in line. When my turn came, an hour later, people were queuing around the corner. It was lovely to see all these people coming to the hospital of the Lord, waiting to be healed by Jesus through this beautiful Sacrament. St Augustine of Hippo (354-430) described Sacraments as, “an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace”. And while they are all equally important, confession, also known as the Sacrament of Reconciliation, is ultimately there to help save your soul. So, what happens when you live in an area where, due to priest shortages only a single 30-minute slot is offered every week? What happens when rather than being able to line up for confession when I you want or need to, you must try to run after an extremely busy priest asking, “Have you got a minute?”.
The church teaches that every Catholic should receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a year (Cf. Code of Canon Law 989), and as often as necessary to put us in a state of grace which is removed when we commit grave sins. Receiving Holy Communion is only permitted when we are in that state of grace unless we are unable to do so. Therefore, omitting confession when needed is a grave sin in itself (Cf. Code of Canon Law 916). It shows we have to take the Sacrament of Reconciliation seriously and put in every effort to ask our priests, “Have you got a minute?” which shouldn’t feel like too much effort … should it?
The feeling of embarrassment, not really knowing what to confess or struggling to talk to a priest about our shortcomings are only a few of the reasons why the Sacrament of Reconciliation is often experienced as challenging. However, it is made even more problematic if one has to “grab” a priest who is already overburdened. There are fewer boundaries when you can walk into the confessional knowing a priest is waiting for you, rather than having to ask for it. Nonetheless, most priests will be more than happy to hear your confession whenever they can. They don’t want anyone to be in a state of sin for a moment more than necessary and are also aware of the difficulties and obstacles. Moreover, what a beautiful thing it must be to witness a person wanting to heal their relationship with God. In fact, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we read,
Priests must encourage the faithful to come to the sacrament of Penance and must make themselves available to celebrate this sacrament each time Christians reasonably ask for it (CCC 1464).
Personally, I have never been turned down, but I have felt uncomfortable knowing that he may have had other places to be at that moment in time.
The Church is a hospital, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the onsite pharmacy. St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) in his wisdom noted,
In the life of the body, a man is sometimes sick, and unless he takes medicine, he will die. Even so, in the spiritual life, a man is sick on account of sin. For that reason, he needs medicine so that he may be restored to health; and this grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Penance.
The medicine waiting for souls in confession is therefore important to take as soon as we can even if it takes the effort of finding a priest available to minister to us. When we are sick in spiritual life there is a great chance that we will cease to realise that we are sinning, that we are sick and that we are in need of medicine. Which in turn will lead us from sin into sin. Therefore, however uncomfortable or difficult it is, we must take responsibility and realise it is a cross we must bear living in this beautiful and often very rural country with fewer diocesan priests.
Like in many places all over the world, Scotland is seeing a real lack of men answering the call to the vocation of priesthood. Although we are blessed with wonderful priests of great ethnic diversity, the reality is there are not enough of them. A priest running in a couple of minutes before mass and having to rush off afterwards to celebrate mass elsewhere is a reality many of us must cope with. However, it is not just doom and gloom. We learn from the Catechism of the Catholic Church we can receive forgiveness for our sins even if we are unable to go to confession. For it reads,
When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called "perfect" (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible (CCC 1452).
It is important to remember that this is not ever a get-out-of-jail-free card. We will still need to make sure to ask a priest “Have you got a minute?” when next he is available or attend a time for the sacrament by the parish. But, it does take away some of the pressure when a priest is unavailable.
Another consideration in areas where priests are thin on the ground and overloaded with many duties is whether we are going to confession for the right reason or if we are going because we need counselling. While it is considered good practice to confess our venial sins, it is important to realise that, for instance, Holy Communion also removes venial sins. This therefore omits the need to ask an already busy priest to act in Christ’s name to forgive these sins, when really, he could use his busy time more effectively. If we feel we need spiritual guidance, booking a separate appointment might be more valuable. Or even meeting with a spiritual director could be a good idea to allow us to grow in faith and spiritual strength.
Obviously, if you are going to confession for the first time in a long time if would be courteous to book an appointment rather than assuming that the priest will have the time at any given time. Making a good confession, in general, shouldn’t take very long. Assuring yourself that you are prepared by having done a thorough examination of conscience. Furthermore, sticking to the facts when meeting the priests sums up your sins simply and honestly, without making it into a therapy session. That way your time in the confessional won’t take a disproportionate amount of time, allowing for others to equally receive the Sacrament.
In essence, we should take responsibility and not merely blame the lack of diocesan priests for the lack of opportunities to go to confession. Trying not to be prideful about having to ask for the sacrament, even if walking into an anonymous confessional is easier. Properly preparing ourselves and minimising our time allowing others time with our overloaded priests, without them spreading themselves too thin. It is therefore not necessarily about greater accessibility to the sacrament but taking responsibility for ourselves, not waiting for the opportunity to come to us, but making sure we are accountable regardless of the circumstances. Meanwhile, we should have faith, hope, and pray for more men to answer the call to the vocation of the priesthood while also being pragmatic about the reality we find ourselves in. Therefore, next time you need the healing, and eventual comfort, from the Sacrament of Reconciliation, be brave and just ask, “Have you got a minute?”.
Bibliography
Catholic Church, (1983), Code of Canon Law < https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/cic_index_en.html>
Catholic Church, (2016), Catechism of the Catholic Church, London, Catholic Truth Society.
By Kirsten Schouwenaars-Harms
Writing in the Coracle This Week
Hew Lorimer’s Quiet Catholic Scotland: Lucy Fraser on Scotland’s quiet Catholic arts movement.
The Fetternear Banner: Eileen Clare Grant writes about the survival of a pre-Reformation Scottish relic.
The Pilgrims Example of St William of Perth: As we approach the Feast day of St William of Perth (May 23rd) a throw back article from Kirsten Schouwenaars-Harms.
Things That Might Interest You
Oneofnine: The other week I discovered a phenomenal young couple making brillant films around the UK on Catholic and family life. Based in England, they came up to record a film with one of our own contributors - Lucy Fraser. Have a look at the video below or go to their youtube page.