March 23, 2007

“Confession”—the mere mention of the word brings a whole host of emotions: fear, anxiety, even anger. I often say that when some people hear “confession” they flinch, as if you said root canal or eye surgery. How is it that a sacrament of the Church which promises to bring peace makes people so perturbed?

While the word “Confession” is used and understood, it does present the sacrament in a somewhat foreboding tone—like cops trying to squeeze the truth out of a criminal. Sometimes the word “Penance” is also used, yet to some this also sounds somewhat somber and distasteful. Perhaps the most popular and positive name is “the Sacrament of Reconciliation,” although to me it sounds like an executive subcommittee of the U.N. Finally, at times we hear other names like “the sacrament of peace or healing or mercy.”

A good number of you who read “From the Friars” are like myself, that is, a member of “the over fifty club.” Therefore, you may recall grade school days when Saturday confessions were in vogue. Remember the anxiety of waiting along the wall or in the pew praying you wouldn’t get Father Grouch? Remember entering the dark confessional through the thick curtain, adjusting to the hard wooden kneeler, hearing the mumbling on the other side, then—silence and the sudden slide of the wooden door? Now you know why we flinch when we hear: “confession!”

There are some people who believe the Catholic Church is “hung up” on sin. Actually they’re only half right. The Church is “hung up,” but not about sin, about salvation. Another word for salvation is “health” or “healing.” Actually, it seems that everyone appears to be “hung up” about being healthy—staying in shape, eating good food, taking supplements, and going to the gym. Indeed, in our life’s priorities, taking care of our body is important, but only after what is most important, namely, taking care of our soul. Maybe if sin showed itself like fat, we would be more solicitous to be spiritually in shape!

Now, there are plenty of people who believe in confession, but they don’t believe they have to go to a priest. They believe in dealing with God “direct.” Who needs a “middleman;” it’s really about me and my God, right? Wrong! When it comes to life, we all deal with someone in the middle, unless, of course, you grow your own food, make your own clothes, and perform surgery on yourself. The old saying is true: “No man is an island,” unless of course, you don’t want to be man. Animals and insects appear to fend for themselves; but, in short, people need people.

If you are baptized, it means you are connected to Christ. Unless you sever yourself from God through mortal sin, whether you know it or not or whether you like it or not, you are united to Jesus Christ. This is what the early Christians meant when they spoke about being “born again;” for them it meant being baptized. It wasn’t so much an emotional spiritual experience, but an emotional spiritual event. This is one reason some people put off their baptism for years, because they knew what this sacrament really meant. It was not simply an entrance into a “body of believers,” but more essentially an adherence to the Mystical Body of Christ.

The reason why we “go to confession” is because when we sin, we not only spiritually injure ourselves and others, we also do violence to the Body of Christ. In some mystical way, the passion of Our Lord continues; Our Savior still suffers in His Body. This sobering thought should make us think twice before we behave contrary to Christ. Especially when we are dealing with stubborn sin, we need to think about Who we’re really hurting. Maybe a weekly viewing of “The Passion of the Christ” will do the trick and knock the “hell” out of us.

When the famous G.K.Chesterton was asked, “What’s wrong with the world,” he answered with two words: “I am.” How true! Yet when it comes to making the world right, we can answer with one word “Confession.”

Fr. Glenn Sudano, CFR

Most Blessed Sacrament Friary, Newark, NJ

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