I don't feel comfortable with Confession to a priest. Many of the priests that I have gone to confession to have since left the priesthood; some were close friends. I realize that at the time they were ordained ministers, etc. However, the fact still remains that they are human first. I feel much closer to God's Forgiveness talking and repenting directly to Him in a one to one personal confession between God and myself.

Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey
Tuesday, December 30, 2008

There is no feeling similar to the fulfilling , warm hearted feelings , of reconciliation. Yes , when you reveal your sins to the priest , it seems awkard , yet at the same time , it is incredibly self satisfying . It allows a cleansing feeling , a feeling undescriable . There is no words that can explain the SATISFYING emotions , after you confess your sins , and when you pray or complete acts of PENANCE . A quote from Tertullian states " Some flee from this work ( reconciliation) as being an exposure of themselves, or they put it off from day to day. I presume they are more mindful of modesty than of salvation, like those who contract a disease in the more shameful parts of the body and shun making themselves known to the physicians; and thus they perish along with their own bashfulness " . Yet , those in this position need to realise , YES it can be SHAMEFUL , but GOD FORGIVING us is ALL we NEED , and ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE US ! There , needs to be no SHAME , because those that do not CONFESS , are not allowing a closer relationship with GOD . Me writing this is IRONIC , because i was searching for ANSWERS , about RECONCILATION and whether it has IMPORTANCE . NOW , i have come to the conclusion , that CONFESSION is IMPORTANT and is just as important as the air we breathe , its needed for our EXISTENCE !! . WELL , at only 16 years old of age , I hope i will continue these SINCERE thoughts about CHRUCH and CONFESSION !! MAJOR LOVE TO ALL !

SydneySaturday, December 27, 2008

I went to Reconciliation during advent at one of the mass pennance services given by our parish and another, I have never been to confession before. I was recently Baptized in March 2008, and really didn't want to go. I was scared out of my mind, I got to the event 1/2 hour late, and stood in line to talk with the priest of my own parish. I stood in line crying and unsure of what Father would have to say to me, and when it was finally my turn, I walked up to him and said "I don't know what to say..." He said, "What?" I said I have never done this before and I have no idea what to do now that I am here. He was truly a blessing, he walked me through every thing,even though I was the last one there, he wasn't rushing me and took all the time I needed. I felt like a child, and rightly so, I am so much a child when it comes to the Catholic faith, I have truly only been Catholic under a year. I just want to Thank all priests who are so kind and take the time to walk with those of us who are new the Church, and new to living lives in Christ. It is true what I've heard, It's the hardest thing to do, but once you're done, you feel like the weight of the world has been lifted from your shoulders. I walked out of that Church that night feeling better than I have in years. I will not feel afraid the next time I receive this beautiful Sacrament.

Indiana
Friday, December 26, 2008

I was at a point in my life where I have given up on God.I decided I was going to accept my "half ways" and get by without Him. Many persons in my parish church reached out to me and prayed in the Spirit for me, but the "God thing" did not really "click". I decided to leave and live without the help of a Christian community.
I did, however, allow God to give me one last tug.I went to confession, told the priest my plans of giving up on God, and left.
A couple weeks later I started to feel better about myself. Amazingly, I was no longer depressed.I made contacts with my pastor and told him I was headed back to the prayer meetings. The most comical thing that happened from this "born again" experience; which I claim from having gone to confession,was me checking out from our public library the soundtrack album from the 1953 movie: St. Francis of Assisi. I played that album over and over. God's Spirit was definitely at work here.Me! A lover of rock and roll was listening to sacred music.
P.S.Ten years later I ended up joining the Secular Franciscan Order in Easton Pa. I am still enjoying their company very much.

Allentown, Pennsylvania
Thursday, December 25, 2008

Due to divorce and remarriage my wife and I were unable to receive the sacraments for almost twenty years.
God ultimately granted me the grace and humility to pursue an annulment
which was granted this past spring. On Nov. 21, 2008, after 14 years of marriage we were remarried in the Church.
For many years when I was able to receive absolution, I did not participate in the sacrament. Confession was to me the most uncomfortable of all the sacraments of the church, and in my mind the least understood.
About twelve years ago my wife and I attended a Marriage Encounter weekend. One of the evenings of the weekend included the opportunity to go to reconciliation. My wife went first. When she returned she was in tears. She was told that because of our situation that she could not be granted absolution. While we knew that we were to abstain from communion the thought had never occurred to us that we were not able to receive absolution.
For a few years after that we struggled in our faith. We felt abandoned by our church. We "church shopped" for a few years after that, trying to find a congregation we could worship in "full communion", but we kept coming back to the realization that our faith was rooted in Holy Communion and therefore the Catholic Church.
We were blessed with two children and as they grew and began to receive the sacraments our hunger grew.
The point of all this is simple...we took for granted our ability to reconcile our sins when it seemed obligatory. It has become for me a privilege of my faith and thus the most beautiful sacrament.
Wouldn't be wonderful if forgiveness was as easy to receive from others in our life as it is from our God and father whom we hurt the most?
This holiday season has and will be one of the most joyous of my life due to the simple act of reconciliation. I can celebrate the birth of Christ and joyfully anticipate his return with a clear conscience and hope to be filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.


Kriss
Illinois
Friday, December 19, 2008

I don't understand why I have to go to confession when God already knows my sins and my heart. On judgement day God will decide if I enter into his kingdom, no matter how many times i have gone to confession. In the past few years I have had to work through some pretty difficult times. I felt anger, and resentment as I am human. It was through prayer and discussions with God and the realization I am not the potter. that I am where I am today. Telling a priest about those times would not have changed a thing, I knew what I had to do. God changed everything. Today I no longer am angry and am in control. I no longer am resentful as I am in control once again of my emotions. I feel to be where I am today, I had to go through many yesterdays. I live as God would have me live. I love my catholic faith and daily intimacy with God. So why should I go to confession? Is it a sin to ignore this sacarement?

Barbara
Georgia
Monday, December 15, 2008

It is a moment spent reflecting on ones abilites to not only forgive themself but to extend the ability to forgive others as well

Kansas
Tuesday, December 02, 2008

My feelings of the sacrment of reconciliation, is very new. I converted to catholosizm on July 12, 2008, and I new one of the first things I would have to do would be to confess my sins for the first time as a new catholic. I had the option to go in person or behind te screen in the confessional and chose to go in person. I was so nervous, I knew there was nothing I could tell he priest that would surprise him, but saying my sins out loud to another person was so emotional for me. It felt like a huge weight was lifted from me, and being absolved by the priest was so freeing. I feel it is necessary for each catholic to examine their conscience before accepting the body and blood of Christ.

Sue
Twin Falls, Idaho
Sunday, November 30, 2008

When I come to this sacrament there is no need for many words - I come because He loves me, endlessly, unfailingly, for ever; in the light of His love I can bear to see myself as I truly am. This is enough to bring me to sorrow and the need for forgiveness. "Lord I am so sorry - I know that you love me and forgive me" Like the Father of the prodigal son, he enfolds me in his arms.

International
Friday, November 28, 2008

I do not think it necessary to receive the sacrament of reconciliation through a Priest and think it is best for Priests to use their time in ministering the sacrament to the sick and infirm. I am of this belief because God knows when you are sincere and contrite for sins committed when you ask for His foregiveness and I am capable and of sound mind and body to ask for foregiveness directly to the One. I am disappointed, however, that my church does not recite the Confiteor prayer (below), which I do recite before accepting communion.

"I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin,all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. "

It's a wonderful prayer and it's also cleansing to hear an entire congregation recite it.

Thank you.



A. Summers
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Monday, November 24, 2008

One of my most positive experiences of Reconciliation (and there have been many) has been at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Manhattan. Reconciliation is one of their major ministries, and hundreds of people come every week from every borough of the city.
In spite of their busyness, the confessors make it a point to be attentive and kind. It has been most helpful to find a regular confessor at St Francis. I have discovered, especially in the face-to-face setting, there is a caring, concerned listener who evaluates my particular struggles to follow Christ.
He provides insights and encouragement, gently correcting what needs to be corrected...showing great wisdom and life experience...
in short, sharing the healing presence of Jesus.

Bronx , New York
Monday, November 17, 2008

The reconciliation/confessional is an essential way of expressing one's sins. If it were used more there would be far less need for therapists. I recommend that it should be kept and expanded. Thank you.

Arizona
Sunday, November 16, 2008

As a returned Catholic who has experienced the process of Annulment as part of my return after approximately 35 years, I found that the Sacrament of Reconciliation provided comfort, welcoming and, yes, even joy in the knowledge of God's mercy. Reconciliation has provided me with the opportunity to deepen my faith. A wise confessor has assists me in my attempts at spiritual growth.

Needless to say, I was nervous at first, but I was quickly put at ease and felt the power of His love. To anyone who is hesitant about receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, I would strongly encourage them to do so. They will find a loving, merciful God through the intervention of His consecrated and kindly servant.

Ellsworth, Maine
Saturday, November 15, 2008

I was raised a protestant. With great joy, on Easter Vigil of 2008, I made my entrance into the Catholic Church. RCIA class was wonderful, and things were going right along when I learned that before I could be confirmed and enter the Church, I must do my first confession. What is that, I wondered? That is when you try to remember every sin you can think of, tell the priest, and he will give you absolution. Oh my goodness! This would be a monumental undertaking as I was 55 years old!

Not knowing quite what to do, I prayed and asked God what I should do. I feel that He told me to use the Ten Commandments as a guide and to write down as many sins as I could remember, and not to worry. I made an appointment to speak with Fr. Dan. My heart was pounding as I entered his office. When he learned of my reason for being there, he reached for his stole, folded his hands and closed his eyes, and asked me to proceed with my confession. Commandment by commandment, sin by sin I went, and when it was all over and I was sitting there in tears, he kindly brought me a kleenex box, and gently gave me my penance. Then he walked me through my act of contrition, said a prayer of absolution, and sent me on my way with a blessing. I walked to my car in a daze, got in and sat down. What had just happened? Slowly I began to realize that I had been forgiven of every sin I had ever committed! Fr. Dan had been given the authority to do that by the laying on of hands which had been passed down since the time Jesus gave that same authority to His disciples! I was free!

Since that time, I have learned to love reconciliation! I am always sorry for my sin, but knowing that I am living in obedience by confessing my sin (I John 1:9), and hearing the words of absolution by the priest is such a blessing that Christ has given us! I am so grateful that the Church, in her wisdom, has understood and made reconciliation one of the Seven Sacraments. To be cleansed from our sin as often as we feel it necessary is an honor and a privilege that no one should ignore, and what a wonderful feeling of peace and blessing comes with it!

Prescott Valley, Arizona
Sunday, November 09, 2008

At one time in my life I found myself in the midst of serious sin in an adulterous relationship- a far cry from the devout Catholic home in which I had been raised and the life of faith that I had been actively practicing to that point. Satan, however, finds a way to lure you unsuspectingly into darkness and that is where I suddenly found myself! I came to rationalize and defend my sin, laughing at God for being able to take what I felt He had denied me in my prayers.
But as with all sin, you fall from grace and you fall HARD! Reality set in when the affair ended abruptly. I was devastated -my heart so broken and my soul equally so! I wanted in some way to go back to God, but wasn't yet sure whether I was even really sorry that I had the affair! I had a change of heart, however, when suddenly a new path and life was open to me , bringing with it a new companion. I was humbled enough to see the goodness God had set before me even as undeserving as I was! I confided in a close friend about the affair as my soul was still very troubled. She told me that God had already forgiven me- I had to forgive myself. That was harder to do. By that time I knew I wanted to participate fully in the Eucharist again (I had been attending Mass through my affair, not taking communion but somehow believing foolishly that my attendance at Mass might be sufficient to save my soul from burning in Hell- see the notions that Satan fills your head with!!)

I finally got up the courage to go to Confession. It was a very moving experience. I broke down in tears as I confessed my sin. It was then the most dear but simple words were spoken to me by the priest, "That is all now in the past".
How easily God had forgiven me and had absolved me in this sacrament! The burden of my sin was cast off- The certainty of forgiveness had been gifted to me! Since then I find myself embracing this sacrament more closely-I view it now as a bridge back to Grace and God and not as a burdensome bi-annual obligation. Perhaps only those who have been knocked to their knees by mortal sin can appreciate the precious beauty of this sacarament.

Nevada
Wednesday, November 05, 2008

The sacrament has always touched me. Each time I have a good confession, I experience some inner delight and peace, and feel once again truly in friendship with God. However, I usually need some kind of overcoming of self before eventually deciding to go to confession. It has not been an easy experience to go and accuse myself before a priest, but once it is done, and I receive absolution and the soothing words of the minister of Christ, I feel overwhelmed with joy. On the whole, I like to visit the confessional often because of the peace it confers, which disposes me auspiciously in all my other endeavours.

Chineme Agu
International
Sunday, November 02, 2008

I have mixed feelings about the Sacrament. When done in the right spirit with a genuinely Christ-centered priest, it is a powerful experience. When done with judgment and with dubious deliberation, it can be damaging. At 19, I experienced pressure from a priest to confess my "dirty" sins or I risked going to hell, though I assured him I did not have any to confess. This kept me away from Reconciliation for many years. It was not until the birth of my second son that I went face to face with a visiting priest who changed my life with his loving presence. Rather than focus on my laundry list, he helped me get to the heart of my difficulties causing my destructive attitude. He suggested reaching out to the person I was broken in relationship in a way that healed our wounds. It was life-giving. I do think not enough emphasis is place on the fact that Jesus wipes away our sins. To say that the priest absolves us of our sins is still misleading. The priest acts as human reminder that God "runs to us while we are still far away" as in the Father in the story of the Prodigal Son.
The Sacrament has the potential to be incredibly grace-filled. I would love to see some reform of the Sacrament with more emphasis on living our lives as wounded healers for one another.

California
Saturday, November 01, 2008

Doesn't God still forgive you if you are truly sorry for your sins but don't attend the Sacrament of Penance? He is always with us. There must be people who are truly sorry for sinning and then those who go to Reconciliation but then go out into the world and continue sinning.

Connecticut
Tuesday, October 21, 2008

I feel the power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation in my life everyday. This has not been true my entire life. As a child, I learned very well the importance of the sacrament from the Sisters in my Catholic school. As I grew older and away from the sacrament, it became difficult. Part of this was the new way in which the Church celebrated the sacrament. However, most of the difficulty was my immaturity and unwillingness to convert. I tried to deny the importance of the sacrament for many years, but deep in my heart, I knew I was wrong and hoped I'd have the courage to return. Shortly after I was married, my husband and I moved to a very dynamic parish in PA. One of the priests was always encouraging people to "Come Home" and return to the sacrament, no matter how long or how grave the sins. He gave me the strength and courage to return. I will always be grateful to him for changing my life. After moving from this parish and the security of such a welcoming priest, I drifted away from the sacrament. This was so difficult, especially when I sat through sacrament prep classes for my children. I always listened to my pastors and priests as they urged parishioners to attend parish penance services. I was excited when the Bishop sent an invitation to attend a diocesan wide "Reconciliation Weekend." Recently, a priest gave a power point presentation with Biblical references on Christ 's directive to forgive sins. There were many more references than I had learned growing up. His passion for the sacrament moved me from this is something I should do to something I need to deal with immediately. I began the next morning with the Examination. I now know I will never get this far from the sacrament again. I appreciate all the support and encouragement from priests over the years, even though I took too long. The issues I feared most to take to the sacrament are now places of strength and grace. I now feel that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a gift that has enabled me to have a closer relationship with God, my husband, children, family and community in which I am able to love with all my heart.

ann
Florida
Monday, October 06, 2008

A Christmas Story: a mystical story on
the sacrament of reconciliation and anointing of the sick

After wrapping up the gifts I realized that the last ones were hidden in the car trunk, and so, hurriedly throwing on warm clothes, I brought them in and finished the task. It was a quarter before midnight. Everyone was asleep. On impulse I decided to attend midnight mass in this parish that I found. I have not gone to midnight mass since my brother and I went a few times as children, walking within that holy night, safe in a catholic country in a time of innocence when sleepy parents did not think twice as to whether two little kids could walk by themselves, ten minutes up an acacia-lined road, to the parish church for Christmas Eve mass. There were quite a few people walking the same way to keep us company, anyway. My brother and I went primarily to sample the various native cakes from vendors who stationed themselves around the church all through the chilly dawn hours, to warm attendees of the novena masses from December 15-23, which then culminated in the midnight mass on Christmas Eve. These assortment of sticky-rice- cake delicacies were usually unavailable outside the Christmas season. Most kids were enticed to the masses only by the aroma of the cakes. But this night, in a foreign country that has adopted me, while the rest of my family slept, I am actually coming for the mass.
I have just recently returned to the faith in which I was baptized as an infant, and the packed church surprised me. I guess I thought it would be like a casual weekday mass. I didn’t realize that catholics in this country would go through the trouble of going to church in the middle of the night in this freezing weather. Women were dressed in their furs and finery, the men in their suits. Wow! I had some kind of old sweatsuit on. I kept my coat on; nobody will notice me in this crowd anyway, I hoped. I was just reconciled with the church a few months back, and hardly anyone knew me in this community, except the young priest who I was convinced healed my son after a medication–induced heart-attack (he was 21 years old and autistic).
Towards the entrance I saw the young priest open the door and look outside. The snow had started to fall rather briskly. The weatherman predicted that we will have the first white Christmas in 35 years in New York City. Here comes the procession. For some reason I felt embarrassed to be here; It still felt strange coming to mass after years of estrangement. I felt like I wanted to hide, but thought that Father will never notice me in this packed crowd.
But as the procession passed, he found me and smiled faintly. He always seemed to know when I was around. Well, why not? I’m one of the hopelessly lost sheep that he’s managed to bring back.
I made first confession with him that year - after fourty seven years of sin. After realizing that those doctors – after convening a staff conference - could not figure out why the cardiac ischemia that they detected suddenly disappeared. When Father asked when my last confession was, I said I never went. My nominally ‘catholic’parents never thought to take me through those steps. Surprised, he asked, “And you just thought you’d start coming?” I answered, “Yeah”. He paused. I guess it took sometime before it finally dawned on him that this really was first penance for me. I said that I tried to go to confession 16 years ago, but did not know how and the priest I went to was not too helpful. He stared open-mouthed for 2 or 3 seconds then bowed his head down and folded his hands together in prayer. He took me through the commandments. He took me through the Act of Contrition. Then he instructed me to do a penance (try to remember and pray for all the people in your life who have helped develop your faith), which made me cry for two days.
The end of the Christmas homily was a narration of his favorite old Christmas hymn (and mine). Having heard it countless times before, the meaning had somehow worn off over the years. But hearing the words again this special night brought me back to a time past when as a child, the awesomeness of God born as a baby in a stable was beyond words. “Fall on your knees! Hear the angel’s voices. Oh, night divine. Oh, holy night!” I was mesmerized by the the song, the solemn prayers, the ‘Alleluiah’ chorus that the choir practiced to (near) perfection for months. I did not want it to end.
Outside the church , the scene was like a picture taken out of a Rockwell Christmas card. There was just enough snow to hush the festive Christmas noises, but not enough to hinder the drive home. After all, Father prayed for everyone to be safe. And when he prays, it seems to me that God pays special attention. Maybe it is because He sends this gentle doctor of souls His most difficult patients and always, Father takes time to listen and reassure. And to heal.
I have reflected on those healings many times. At the time that they occurred, I was so apart from the church and from God that it took me several months to realize what had actually happened. I was trying to find answers from my son’s doctors and they stopped talking to me, one by one. The entire cardiac department made that diagnosis; now they could not find what they diagnosed. Then I recalled that Father anointed my son the night before the doctors took him for the final tests. I did not remember, because I was not there when he came; everything was a mess. My marriage was falling apart; my world was falling apart. Now I thought about that healing and how terrified I felt when I realized what happened. I thought about the subsequent healings in my own soul, coming to light and peace after being tortured by the deep darkness of depression for as long as I could remember, even as a child. I thought about that time that I asked Father to pray that my brother will finally find a job after 2 years of desperately trying. He got a job within three days.
It took all of 6 months for me to piece all of these events together. And then when I finally did, I got so scared that when I saw Father approaching me one day in church, I ran and tried to hide. He found me and took my hand and thanked me for a gift that I sent. I recall staring tongue-tied at him and quickly withdrawing my hand. He looked surprised and probably wondered if he had offended me in any way. I told a friend, “I am terrified; I am not dealing with a priest anymore, there is Someone else there”. (“Depart from me Lord, I am a sinful man!”) But afterwards came the feelings of reassurance and the peace. It is only God after all, working through a man, working through this alter Christus.
Christmas day of 2003 came. True to predictions, the first white New York City Christmas in 35 (or is it 37) years. But that snow was not ordinary city snow; there was something extraordinary that I cannot completely describe in words. A pure, light, glistening mantle that seemed to blanket the jadedness of the city. And the bare tops and branches of the winter trees seemed draped with a perfect communion veil of snowy, sparkling, jeweled lace. The best Christmas gift I have ever received: a transfigured city and a transformed life. My mind recalled that phrase about the heavens rejoicing for the return of one sinner.
My two little children – ages 7 and 5 - had never seen a white Christmas before, except in movies, and they mysteriously christened that day a Father K_ Christmas, after this man whom they have seen, has been ministering to their mother in her sorrows. Every year after that one, they never failed to ask me when we were going to get another Father K_ Christmas. When, indeed? The next question that always came to my mind was, “How many times does one celebrate one’s first communion? It seemed that the choirs of heaven have celebrated this one very specially with me that year.
I wanted to write down this story in case that the crosses of life might make me forget. And whenever I recall what happened, this prayer always came to my mind: “Have mercy on me, O God, ...in your compassion blot out my offense...and cleanse me from my sin. .. in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom. O. purify me, then I shall be clean; O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow…A pure heart create in me, O God.” AMEN.


cgonzalez
NYC, New York
Saturday, October 04, 2008

I KNOW AFTER RECONCILIATION I HAVE FELT SO BLESSED- IT DOESNT MATTER WHO THE PRIEST ADMINISTERING THE SACRAMENT, WHETHER THEY SAY LITLLE OR MUCH, WHATEVER THE PENANCE - I AM ONCE MORE RECONCILED-
REMINDS ME OF HOW MUCH GOD LOVES ME, HOW HE LEADS ME, AND THE SURE KNOWLEDGE THAT HE IT IS WHO FORGIVES AND ENFOLDS ME ONCE AGIAN IN HIS WARM EMBRACE AS IF I NEVER LEFT IT- I CAN LOSE MYSELF IN HIS LOVE, BE STRIPPED OF ALL AFFECTIONS AND RENEW MY SPIRIT. WE SIN AS PEOPLE AND SO HAVE TO GO BACK TO GOD THRU PEOPLE - HIS PRIEST- IT IS THE SACRAMENT OF 2ND BAPTISM-

California
Saturday, September 27, 2008