The Curt Jester discusses an important question today in his post Pick a sin, any sin. The title is a good parody of "Confession Lite" where a priest invites the congregation at a Communal Penance service to go to an individual priest but says that people only need to confess one sin.The website of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops gave a good short answer to this one. The text reads:
[Question] When the Reconciliation of Several Penitents is celebrated, is it allowable for each penitent to confess just one sin?Jeff also mentions the question of General Absolution. In this connection, it is worth recalling that it is the defined doctrine of the Council of Trent that the three acts of the penitent: confession, contrition and satisfaction are essential to the sacrament. The Church simply does not have the power to dispense from one of these. In the case of General Absolution, the obligation to confess any mortal sins remains. This is made quite clear in the preamble to the new rite of Penance:
[Answer] No. In recent years the practice has grown in which, in consideration of a large number of penitents, each penitent is asked to approach a priest and confess only one sin. Such a practice does not allow for an integral confession as required by the Rite of Penance. In order for a valid confession to take place, a full and integral confession must be provided for in every instance. Canon 988 §1 refers to the obligation to confess all serious sins in “kind and in number.”
Those for whom grave sins are remitted by general absolution should go to auricular confession before they receive another absolution of this sort unless they are impeded by a just cause. Unless impeded by a moral impossibility, they are entirely obliged to go to confession within the year. For the precept is also in force for them, by which all the Christian faithful must confess alone, to the priest, once a year, all their sins (that is, grave sins) which have not yet been singly confessed. (Ordo Paenitentiae 1974 Praenotanda n.34)The easiest way to understand what is going on in General Absolution is to think of it as an alteration in the order in which the essential parts of the sacrament are celebrated. In the ancient celebration of public Penance, the order was
Confession (and contrition)In private confession which developed from the missionary activity of the Celtic monks, the order was (and still is)
Penance (or "satisfaction")
Absolution
Confession (and contrition)In General Absolution, the order is
Absolution
Penance
(contrition and) AbsolutionGeneral Absolution was given by chaplains during the first World War before a battle in which it was very likely that a large number would be killed. That was appropriate. The occasion of a Penance Service and "Oh my, aren't there a lot of you today!" is not. Rome has spoken on this. The case should be finished. Sadly it is not.
Penance
then - when possible - Confession
7 comments:
Thank you for posting this information. The more people know about this, the better, and consistent teachings from priests specifically carries MUCH more weight than the average faithful Catholic blogger, no matter what links we provide to which solid Catholic resources.
I fear it's not just 'Confession Lite' Fr Tim, but 'Sacrametal Lite'. The Divine and Supernatural nature of the Sacraments is being lost (or deliberately diluted and eroded). They are being turned into 'things' that are on the department store shelves much like pizza, package holidays and TV sets so that the 'faithful' can pick and choose a 'version' that suits them.
Just a few examples as I see it:
1 Baptism - seems to me, having observed many over recent years, to be no more than an excuse for a family and friends party. The 'dress sense' for a Sacramental occassion in Church is no more than either going to the beach, a BBQ or out to a night club rave-up! There appear to be several 'godparents' all who firmly shake their heads in aggreement when the priest asks them if they will 'help the parents of this child to bring them up in the Catholic Faith' and then sit and chat through the Consecration.
2 Confession - as Fr has already pointed out is something most catholics don't like to talk about. Sin is all relative. What is sinful to you is not sinful to me. It's all up to your own conscience. I don't need to go because I don't sin etc.....
3 Holy Communion - oh everybody loves this Sacrament. It's what the whole Mass is about after all. Gathering, sharing, smiling to each other and chatting about last night's TV soap as we walk up the aisle to receive Our Blessed Lord's Body and Blood. Then smile and stop to chat to friends in the pews as you walk back to your seat. Isn't this nice and cosy. Wasn't Jesus a nice guy.
4 Marriage - how many Catholics understand the Sacramental nature of marriage??? Hey, marriage is marriage and let's have ours in this nice old church with all the pomp and ceremony, I really don't fancy that one inside an aquarium or in a hot-air balloon. Do we promise blah blah blah, can't wait for the reception and off to Miami for the honeymoon. Go to Mass??? What, you must be joking, well OK Christmas Day, it's nice then with all the carols and communion. Sacramental Grace - you what?? To get you through difficult times together - eh? Divorce? What - isn't that a 'sacrament' also? Where's my Catholic Catechism.
I see the reason for all this is that Catholic formation is seriously at fault and has been for over four decades! Parents expect the schools to form their children in the Faith. This hasn't and isn't happening. Parents! you are the PRIMARY educators of your children. It's YOUR responsibility but sadly YOU have no formation either and are adrift without a compass. What's the answer???
If we start now with a monumental effort and focus we might redress the situation within the next forty years. I shudder to think what will be if we maintain a status quo.
Holy Mother please intercede for us, we beg you, and lead us closer to your Son Jesus.
I wish more priests and laity were aware that not only is General Absolution in inappropriate situations illicit, but is invalid.
George - the problem is that the Catholic Church in this country is full of Pelagians. They think they don't need the sacraments - they are just a nice add on if you're up for it. We need a new St Augustine of Hippo.
George,
Re: Parents.
Amen.
But before parents can educate, they must be educated. Modern Catholics are so sure that their particular brand of Catholicism (whatever that may be) is perfect, and that they are in no need of instruction. Priests, please, you must continue to instruct - remember, many young parents today were improperly catechised children in the 70s and 80s.
Talk about Confession, and how it is a mortal sin to receive Our Lord not in a state of grace.
Talk about birth control. Mention how today's NFP is vastly more successful than the Pill - and how couples using NFP are infinitely more happy than couples using ABC.
Talk about legitimate use of NFP, and how babies are the fruits of marriage, a great gift.
PLEASE talk about abortion, and how it's ALWAYS wrong. Having a rapist for a father should not incur the death penalty.
Let people know that there are no exceptions to "abortion is murder", "ESCR is murder", "The Pill is a mortal sin", "Communion without sacramental confession is a mortal sin".
These are things that they seemed to skip over in my CCD classes in the 80s.
My parish priests of that parish talked about God is Love and helping the poor.
But not the poorest of the poor, the spiritually dead.
I think some have forgotten many advocates of general absolution still indulge in the fantasy that it will bring people out of the Church back into church. A kind of easy way back to the Church.
In fact that doesn't happen. The people who go to services of GA are the usual catholics who would go to individual confession anyway.
fr paul harrison
I think it would be right to add that, at various Catholic youth events I have attended in recent years, Confession - done in very much the authentic and traditional way - has been a MAJOR component, and indeed has often been the thing that has touched people most, been the subject of much genuine discussion among the young people concerned. ("I hadn't planned to go...but ...we heard this amazing talk about it and then I decided to go...and it was just somehow awesome and I feel so much better...." etc etc)
This may be all fairly emotional, but it's real and important. It's all much more genuine than the sanctimonious woffle I heard at some (ghastly!) Catholic things I had to attend in the recent past, where the idea seemed to be to denounce lots of sins by ....oh rich people and politicians and so on....but never even to consider the possibility of kneeling before God and admitting one's own personal sins before His priest in the knowledge and joy of Divine forgiveness....
For what it is worth, I think we will see a revival of Confession in the next few years, especially as groups such as FAITH and Youth 2000 set the tone and also as groups such as post-abortion healing efforts quietly continue their apostolate.
And...it sounds daft but one can sometimes help some one by simply mentioning about Confession. I once saw some one return to this sacrament simply because it cropped up in conversation between a group of Catholics at a chatty event, which made it all sound sort of normal ...."yes, it is still the Church's teaching"...etc...etc...and some one eventually felt able to return after a gap of many years....something which brought very evident joy and peace of heart.
Auntie Joanna
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