On Confession - by Deacon Roger Navarra (Mater Dolorosa/St. Dominic)

(Note from Fr. Paul Yi: The following is a homily given by Deacon Roger Navarra on the 3rd Sunday of Lent at Mater Dolorosa/St. Dominic. He preached eloquently about a need for the Sacrament of Reconciliation)

When I [Deacon Roger Navarra] was a youngster, believe it or not, I was very shy and bashful. I remember hiding under the bed when company who I didn’t know came over. I think part of the reason for this was that I had a minor speech impediment. I had trouble saying my “S’s and L’s”. I went though a couple of years of speech therapy, and since that time I haven’t shut up and I haven’t met a stranger.---So I don’t really know if the therapy was a success or not!!! It’s not that unusual for someone, especially a child to have trouble saying a particular letter, or sound, but with therapy and practice this can usually be overcome. However; there is one phrase that most of us have trouble with, adults as well as children. That phrase is: “bless me father, because I have sinned…” This is, of course, how we begin the sacrament of confession or reconciliation. It seems like many of US Catholics have a problem admitting sins…..We want to be forgiven, but lack the courage to ask for it. Why is this? It seems like we almost make an effort to avoid this sacrament of forgiveness. I ran across an article this week with ten common excuses for avoiding confession----along with a response to each.

1. I have nothing to confess. It’s very easy for us to believe---contrary to reality (and to the opinions of those who know us best!)---that we’re innocent and have “nothing to confess.” However, except for Jesus and His Mother Mary, no one-—not even the saints can truly make this claim. Surely all of us have something to confess: irritability, anger, a lack of charity, distractions while praying, and complacency regarding our religion, duties, and the list can go on. Make a sincere and honest examination of conscience and I promise you will find something to confess.

2. My sins aren’t that big or important. I doubt any of us in here are going to rob a bank or kill anyone, but we all sin. It is even a sin to have a “lukewarm” faith. We must never let our faith falter, because if we do we will see our love of God diminish and this can lead to an eventual loss of faith. ----It is so easy to convince ourselves that our little sins don’t really matter. If we’re to reach heaven God expects us to make an honest effort to continue growing in His grace, and the sacrament of confession is an important step in that direction.

3. I’m too uncomfortable or ashamed. Whether you’re embarrassed because it’s been so long since your last confession or because of the particular sins you have to confess, you can be sure Father has heard it all before----he won’t be shocked or scandalized by anything you tell him.

4. I’ve forgotten the procedures and prayers. When it comes to confession, getting the procedure and prayers right isn’t all that important. God doesn’t look at the precision of our words, but at the sincerity of our hearts. Instead of worrying about words, ask for the Holy Spirit’s help and enter the confessional in a spirit of humble trust.

5. I’d just be confessing the same sins over and over again. Our souls, just like our bodies, need regular cleansing and care. Sin can be addictive, but with God’s help, we can and will eventually overcome our faults. The sacraments, especially confession and the Eucharist, give us the grace to continue fighting our faults---and none of us are so strong that we don’t need this divine assistance.

6. I’m afraid Father will recognize my voice. We must never let our spiritual welfare be held hostage by other people’s opinion. Even if a priest does recognize your voice, he’s bound by the seal of confession never to reveal what he’s heard. And guess what, right now Father Paul doesn’t recognize ANYONE’S voice, so come on down and line up!!!

7. I once had a bad experience in the confessional, and I don’t want it repeated. This unfortunately can happen, it shouldn’t, but it can. Even if you caught a priest on a “bad day” or one with a gruff personality, don’t let that keep you from this sacrament. Jesus was always kind and merciful toward repentant sinners, and He expects His priests to follow this example.

8. I dislike standing in long lines. If only this was a problem! Unlike waiting at most doctors’ offices, waiting a long time for our time in the confessional will rarely be a problem. Remember none of us can claim to be free of all sin, and each of us needs God’s mercy. If we had the chance to spend a few minutes with a miracle-worker who’d heal us of all of our physical problems we’d jump at the chance---no matter how long the wait in line.

9. The times scheduled for confession are inconvenient. If the scheduled confession times are impossible for you to make call the office and arrange a different time, or take advantage of all of the Penance services that are available at the area churches.

10. My life is difficult right now, so this isn’t a good time. One of Satan’s favorite tricks is to make us fearful or uncomfortable about the very thing we need most to be at spiritual peace. If our lives aren’t on track, it could very well be that our sinfulness is alienating us from God, from other people, and even from ourselves. If so, this is precisely the RIGHT time to admit and confess our sins, allowing us to receive Gods mercy and peace.

A few years ago I was in confession with a priest while on retreat. This priest had earlier spoken to our group and talked about how the Eucharist forgives sins. He, of course, was correct that the Eucharist does forgive sins. We talked further about personally asking God for forgiveness and how loving and forgiving Our Father is.---Then this priest said something, which to me, just made a light bulb light up in my feeble mind. He said that God wants to forgive our sins, and does forgive them, ---But to receive the full graces from God, we need to confess our sins to a priest. We need to remember Our Lord’s love for us. We need to remember that God loves us so much that He sacrificed His flesh and blood for us---And yes, we need ALL the graces from God that we can get, and to receive them we need to remember that the priest is representing God---We need to remember that God wants us to talk to Him, through the priest. So please make note of the upcoming Penance services and include the wonderful sacrament of confession in your Lenten plans.

Just like I needed the speech therapy when I was younger, we all need the sacrament of reconciliation as we are all troubled and sick with sin. The practice of making a good confession relieves the bondage which sin can have on us. The bondage that prevents us from living the life of freedom the Lord calls us to.

I’m going to close with a quote from a Bishop, who was speaking to a group of Seminarians who he was about to hear confessions from. The Bishop said: “When you enter the confessional, it’s just two sinners, sitting around, talking about what God has already forgiven!” God Bless!!!