Do I gingerly walk out right now as if I am going to the bathroom and then have my children follow out intermittently one by one? That seems terribly wrong….Do I wait until we all stand to line up for the various priests and then just walk backwards until I reach the exit hoping no one notices? Either strategy is flawed due to my kids being with me. How did I land in this pickle!? I tried to figure out my escape plan. Holy Moses – this was face to face confessions the worst kind!! Not only were we not getting a general absolution, we also weren’t going to be divided by a partition in a little room. We were then introduced to several priests from surrounding parishes that joined us to hear our confessions. It didn’t take too long for me to figure out this mass was not actually a Communal Penance mass at all, the only part that we achieved together was the prayer. This was my big break! We walked proudly in practically skipping along, found our seats, got comfortable and waited for it all to begin. I promptly cleared our schedule for Wednesday night. Charlie, a wonderfully entertaining priest that was visiting our parish, requested our attendance at a reconciliation mass. True to my mission my ears perked up when the announcement was made during Advent this year that Fr. ![]() Let me tell you though, the church was packed at this mass which was a strong indicator I was not the only parishioner avoiding confession! I have plenty of sins to reconcile, so to wait for the Advent and Lent seasons in the unlikelihood this mass will come around again just to try and wedge in a quickie confession is definitely shameful. I was willing to drive as far as I needed to get this done even though I was fully aware this was somewhat cheating. Unfortunately this is not a preferred mass, they are very difficult to come across and I would need to keep my radar up for other parishes announcing a Communal Penance Service. I didn’t even realize this was an option but I wasn’t going to question it, I just needed to be at that mass! From then on I would listen optimistically for another announcement of my new favorite confession of choice. That was it!! This was the type of solution I was praying for to get me back in good standing with my faith. The priest announced to the congregation there would be a Communal Penance Mass to absolve all our sins in one swoop. ![]() Then several years ago while sitting in church one Sunday morning, something miraculous came along I could really attach myself to. I know it is a loose idea that never gained any traction among my peers but it was a personal temporary fix for the rather large lack of recognition for my sins. ![]() Since my last true and real confession I have comfortably subscribed to the very non-Catholic idea that if I admit my wrong doings to 3 friends it is no longer a sin and I am forgiven. The last thing I want to do is confess that I haven’t been there in 3 decades! I would need to bring a snack and make a reservation for extra time just to get through my list – a lot happens in 30 years. Out and out a scaredy fraidy! (not really a word but I like to use it anyway) Once you have been away from the structure of confession it is hard to be motivated to get back in there. If Ana goes to confession then I know for sure I should be in that line! I am not above this sacrament of confession – I just have issues none of which are with the Catholic teachings. As if I didn’t feel guilty enough keeping this little secret of noncompliance, I would then see my sweet friend Ana faithfully attending. For the longest time I felt the tug of Catholic Guilt whenever I saw the confession schedule listed in the weekly bulletin. It has been multiple decades since I have attended confession.
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