“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been one month since my last confession. I have been doing, um, some things… with one of the girls in my class which the Bible says I should not be doing.”

“Oh, my,” responded Monsignor Connolly. “Johnny McCarthy, I know this is you. Did you do these things with Elizabeth Brown?”

“No, Father.”

“Was it with Michaela Martin?”

“No, Father.”

“Well then, surely you must have done these things with Priscilla O’Connor.”

“No, Father. It wasn’t her, either.”

“Oh, well,… I want you to say a three Hail Marys and make better choices in the future.”

“Yes, Father.”

When Johnny exited the confessional, his friends, Mikey and Jason, were waiting for him.

“What did he say?” Mikey asked.

“Did he give you a huge punishment?” inquired Jason.

“No, not at all,” Johnny replied. “But I did get three good leads!”

__________________

Confession, officially called The Sacrament of Penance, yet more commonly referred to as the Sacrament of Reconciliation, isn’t what it used to be. In my childhood, Saturday afternoon confessions drew a crowd. There were also lines outside the confessionals during Sunday Masses. Today, it seems as though one needs an appointment to confess their sins — and people rarely do these days. 

Some might like to believe that there is less sinning happening in our world today. I sincerely doubt it. Quite the contrary, in fact. The Sacrament of Penance, however, has become obsolete for a large number of Catholics. Dare I say most?

I’ve never particularly embraced this sacrament. First of all, I’ve never liked addressing priests with the title “Father.” This is a very special word which, for me, referred only to my biological Dad and to the first person of the Holy Trinity. (Even that one never really made sense to me. Why do we place limits on our understanding of God by attaching human qualities?) 

Is there any value to asking forgiveness for our wrongdoings? Isn’t there something noble about seeking reconciliation with those we have harmed? Of course, the answer to these two questions is affirmative. So why are “good Catholics” expected to confess sins to a priest?

I guess it helps to answer another question? When, exactly, are our sins forgiven? Is it when the priest says, “…and I absolve you of your sins…?” Or, perhaps, it is when we complete the “penance” given to us by the priest for the sins we confessed.

I attended Catholic schools from first grade (1960) through graduate school (1984). Somewhere along the way, it was brought to my attention that our sins are forgiven by God (not by a priest) when we are truly contrite for the wrongdoings we’ve done. Hmmm… So what, exactly, does that have to do with confessing our sins to a priest? It seems that it would make more sense to humbly seek forgiveness, when appropriate, from the person we harmed.

I took the photo above in Saint Ignatius Church, located on the campus of the University of San Francisco. This was a common worship space for my family throughout my formative years. I don’t know if this confessional is still used for The Sacrament of Penance. It does, however, remind me of my own sinfulness — my own need to seek reconciliation with others, and with God. I just don’t feel that I need the intervention of a priest to do so.