Confused? Someone explain.

[thessalonian]

[quote name='sojourner009' date='Aug 21 2005, 10:36 AM']Personally I prefer not to speculate about whether or not people go to confession, and if they don't, why they don't. For myself, I don't go to my own parish priest; I go to a neighboring parish. I hope people at my parish aren't speculating about why they don't see me in line to confess. Although truthfully I don't really care what they think about it.
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Well the problem with saying, oh well they go to other parishes is that who comes to our pairsh then? I go to other parishes to confessoin as well and I don't see them there either. It's not about judging people. That is not my point. My point is how the heck can people go without this great sacrament. The words of David come to my mind when I think of those days when I avoided the sacrament.

Psalm 32

1: Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

2: Blessed is the man to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

[b]3: When I declared not my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.

4: For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. [Selah][/b]

5: I acknowledged my sin to thee, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"; then thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. [Selah]


THere was deciet in my soul when I did not confess my sins. HOW CAN PEOPLE DO WITHOUT THIS GREAT SACRAMENT. My heart is truly sad for them. This is not a thread about self righteous me. When I was not going to confession, I truly believe that I was among the damned or if not certainly I would have been close to the border of hell. I still doudt my stay in purgatory would be a short one. I am only looking at my life and asking where is the outcry for men to confess there sins? The salvatoin of others is in fact at stake! Are we not to be passionate about others salvation as well as our own?

Blessings

Edited August 21, 2005 by thessalonian

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Aloysius' date='Aug 21 2005, 09:51 AM']when you're dead, you tend not to feel the urge to live.
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I think that's the best answer there could be for this.

[SarahB]

Ok, well....I didn't go because the priest I have become comfortable with wasn't there tonight, but there's adoration every Monday night so I'm going to go tomorrow and see if he's there. It'll be double awesome....adoration and confession.

[thessalonian]

[quote name='Raphael' date='Aug 21 2005, 06:04 PM']I think that's the best answer there could be for this.
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Yes, it was very succintly put I think. But if it is true these people are on the path to damnation. It can't bode well for the priests who leave them in their lethargy either. What can be done to wake people up.

[avemaria40]

Alot of my friends who went through CCD have no idea how to go to Confession or only go once a year.

[Fides_et_Ratio]

[quote name='thessalonian' date='Aug 21 2005, 09:08 PM']Yes, it was very succintly put I think.  But if it is true these people are on the path to damnation.  It can't bode well for the priests who leave them in their lethargy either.  What can be done to wake people up.
 
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...catechesis...

[morostheos]

I think a lot of people just think of confession as something they do on retreats or at religious ed classes preparing for a Sacrament. I was that way for a long time - the attitude of those who taught me (and myself) was that you can go, but God isn't bound by the Sacraments, so you don't HAVE to go....it's horrible theology and practice, but that's the attitude.

I don't go to Confession near as often as I should and I yearn for the grace, but for me right now it's mostly vanity keeping me from going - from asking for a car to get there from my family (who don't go to confession regularly), to telling my friends I can't go out to dinner on Saturday night b/c I'm going to confession, to the priest thinking I'm over-zealous for going too often.......but that's just me personally.

[thessalonian]

[quote name='morostheos' date='Aug 21 2005, 08:29 PM']I think a lot of people just think of confession as something they do on retreats or at religious ed classes preparing for a Sacrament.  I was that way for a long time - the attitude of those who taught me (and myself) was that you can go, but God isn't bound by the Sacraments, so you don't HAVE to go....it's horrible theology and practice, but that's the attitude.

I don't go to Confession near as often as I should and I yearn for the grace, but for me right now it's mostly vanity keeping me from going - from asking for a car to get there from my family (who don't go to confession regularly), to telling my friends I can't go out to dinner on Saturday night b/c I'm going to confession, to the priest thinking I'm over-zealous for going too often.......but that's just me personally.
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I think your answer has insight. Now for the rest of your post. Get over it and go to grow.

[thessalonian]

[quote name='morostheos' date='Aug 21 2005, 08:29 PM']I think a lot of people just think of confession as something they do on retreats or at religious ed classes preparing for a Sacrament.  I was that way for a long time - the attitude of those who taught me (and myself) was that you can go, but God isn't bound by the Sacraments, so you don't HAVE to go....it's horrible theology and practice, but that's the attitude.

I don't go to Confession near as often as I should and I yearn for the grace, but for me right now it's mostly vanity keeping me from going - from asking for a car to get there from my family (who don't go to confession regularly), to telling my friends I can't go out to dinner on Saturday night b/c I'm going to confession, to the priest thinking I'm over-zealous for going too often.......but that's just me personally.
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I should also thank you for your post, as it does give insight in to why the youth are not going to confession. I rarely see anyone under 30 there except for my own kids and one other ladies kids. I pray that there will be a revival of this sacrament among the youth. I will pray that God gives you the grace to more frequently confess. The sacrament is such a great grace.

[DeeDee]

Okay, I'm going to write about what I heard twice from priests about confession, and then I also read it in a brochure about why Catholics come back to the church if they've gone elsewhere -forgiveness being one of the 10 reasons.

and I paraphrase. . . . . . God forgives our sins the minute we ask for forgiveness, but if we want the grace of the sacrament or IF we want to be absolutely sure we are fogriven, we go to confession. As I said, two priests told me this. . . . .

[morostheos]

DeeDee, technically that is correct, provided you have perfect contrition. However, the grace from the Sacrament of confession is such a gift, we should definitely want it more than most Catholics do today!

It hit me once that confession isn't something you should go to because you have to, or because you should - it's an amazing gift of God's grace! Who doesn't want more gifts from God?

[philothea]

I love confession... I think it's the only time I ever actually talk to priests!

That said, I hardly go at all, because my parish only offers it twice a year, and then at very inconvenient times.

OTOH, I'd go the hour to the city if I had mortal sins to confess. Not technically needing to though, I find it hard to convince my husband to take me that far at an inconvenient time. (I don't really drive.)

The most charitable thing would be to assume that either your fellow parishoners are confessing elsewhere, or that they are not guilty of mortal sins.

[DeeDee]

[quote name='morostheos' date='Aug 22 2005, 03:01 PM']DeeDee, technically that is correct, provided you have perfect contrition.  However, the grace from the Sacrament of confession is such a gift, we should definitely want it more than most Catholics do today!

It hit me once that confession isn't something you should go to because you have to, or because you should - it's an amazing gift of God's grace!  Who doesn't want more gifts from God?
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Thank you for your kind, thoughtful response. I was afraid I was going to get blasted.