Thoughts on Confession

Do you ever look back on the last couple of years in your life, and just think "Wow! That all happened so fast!" I haven't been Catholic very long in the grand scheme of things. I converted very recently - Easter 2014 in fact - and it has been a whirlwind of a journey. Going from being a candidate in RCIA in 2013 to being a Catholic Theology student in 2015 can make your head spin a little bit. It's easy to look at any converts journey and decide whether we think their path to the Church was easy or hard, inspiring or rather ordinary. But even the most ordinary journey is full of twists and turns, some more dramatic than the others. This is especially true, I think when the path is leading to the Catholic Church. There are many things in Catholicism that throw non-Catholics and aspiring Catholics for a loop, and Confession seems to be at the top of that list.

I was baptized Methodist when I was 14, and I learned in the process of conversion that the Catholic Church would recognize that Baptism since it was a trinitarian baptism. That being the case, I would be required to make a First Confession before Easter Vigil. I had heard a lot about Catholic Confession while growing up Protestant - how Catholics believed a man could forgive their sins, how Catholics could do whatever they wanted so long as they went to Confession, how priests would abuse the Sacrament and use it to coerce people into doing whatever they wanted. Of course, I now know that none of this is true, and have been blessed to have been taught the truth of the Sacrament and also to have been to Confession with several holy priests who take this obligation seriously and are a true example of Christ's love shining through in the Sacraments. But I think it's safe to say that this is one of the most misunderstood parts of the Catholic Faith, by Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

I was recently blessed to be a part of creating this graphic with the knowledge from several holy priests who volunteered what they would like people to know about the Sacrament of Confession. It really helped me understand the Sacrament even better, and I am so grateful for priests that work so hard to spread knowledge and understandings of the Sacraments. If you haven't been to Confession, or are struggling with going back, or even if you are a non-Catholic or aspiring Catholic that is struggling with the concept, please let this be a jumping off point for you. Jesus waits in the Confessional, alongside the priest, to welcome you back!