I read an article recently inquiring about the reason for the sacrament of penance, reconciliation, confession. In the article, a writer opined that Catholics no longer have guilt and therefore they don’t need to go to confession. Someone in the same article recalled the times when there was always a line of people on Saturday afternoon for the confessional, and on the Thursday before first Friday when it was traditional for lots of people to make a confession.

The author stated that these lines are no longer the case and it is praised by some as indicating an adult attitude towards sin and life.

As I am ordained a priest in a former generation, it seems to me that people who deride confession and its worth are likely the same people who say blithely, as they consume high caloric food, do hazardous things for entertainment in sport or otherwise, “I never go to the doctor” and “I don’t need the dentist.” They are foolish.

The sacrament of penance is one of the mildest obligations that the Church imposes. Contrary to what many people write and say, a Catholic is bound to go to confession but once a year if he or she is conscious of being in a state of mortal sin. That’s all. This  is stated quite clearly in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1457): “According to the Church’s command, ‘after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year.’ ”

The pious practice of weekly or monthly confession is something we were taught by our parents and grandparents who recognized the value of keeping an inventory of our personal conduct. They recognized it as a healthy habit and put into practice what the catechism teaches: “Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church. Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving more frequently through this sacrament, the gift of the Father’s mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as He is merciful.” (CCC, 1458)

 Confession is the handiest of Catholic institutions in the sense that it is between you and God. The priest is the instrument for God’s forgiveness. Even though one could say the priest has as much to do with the forgiveness we receive, as a fountain pen has to the author of a story — the priest is purely a most necessary instrument through which we can be healed and re-establish our ecclesial communion. Catholic people who make use of confession on a regular basis as a means of keeping track of their relationship to God are wise and we should not laugh at them. We should be supportive of both them and the healthy spiritual habit in which they engage and seek to emulate it in our own life with Christ.

American people spend billions of dollars on psychiatrists, psychologists, and counselors of every specialty and description, despite the fact that the scientific basis for any of these is not yet totally secure.

Confession cost us nothing, except our pride, and that may be its cheap advantage. Regular confession is one element in our necessary inventory of our spiritual lives. A merchant who does not know the quantity and quality of his goods — a business man who does not keep a record of income and outgo — will soon perish.

After he did miracles, recorded in the New Testament, the evangelists all record that Jesus encouraged the recipients of those graces to “sin no more.” Catholic life requires the commission of good acts and the omission of bad ones.

People sometimes say, “It has been so long since I’ve been to confession, I don’t know what to say.” Such a person should go in the confessional and tell the priest just that. A good confessor will help you make a good confession, even after a long period of time.

Some people say, “I am so inured to sin that confession will do no good.” Remember then, what we have to do to make our sorrow acceptable to God is that we promise to “try” to amend our lives. We do not promise God we will succeed, only that we will give it our best effort.

Some people worry about confessing the number of their sins. A confessor can help where memory fails sometimes. Sometimes people are afraid to go to confession because they fear being scolded, even though they know they should be. In the confessional, the priest, however, is to be not only judge of sinfulness, but also one who helps the soul to cure itself. A harsh confessor usually does not have a long line outside the confessional.

If confession is not a part of our lives as often as it should be, or once was, perhaps it is ourselves who would rather forget our sins than correct them.