Confession: Not for the faint of heart.

It was a hot, hot day, and the men were sweltering in their blue wool uniforms. They had marched quite a distance in the Pennsylvania heat, and it was now late in the afternoon on July 2, 1863. They were all members of the famed “Irish Brigade” of the US Army, and were gathered in a Peach Orchard just outside the small market town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, preparing to head into the fight which would take the lives of many of them. Being almost totally comprised of immigrants from Ireland who had fled persecution, most, if not all, were Catholic. The priest who served as Chaplain to the unit, Fr. William Corby, had the brigade kneel, recite the Act of Contrition, and proceeded to give the Sacrament of Reconciliation through the process of General Absolution.

Almost a century later, in the cold, wintry environment of the Korean Conflict, the UN forces under the command of Douglas McArthur were on the verge of ending the Korean War by pinning the remnant of the North Korean forces against the border of Korea and Manchuria. One of the units involved was the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division of the US Army. Without warning on a late November morning in 1950, 10 Divisions of the Chinese Army, hidden in the mountains, struck the unit without warning. Literally overwhelming the unit with numbers, the unit fought desperately, but when the finality of the fight was apparent, Chaplain Fr. Emil Kapaun from Pilsen, Kansas, distributed the Sacrament of Reconciliation through General Absolution. Fr. Kapaun and the survivors were captured, and the Kansas priest died in captivity. He has been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, and is in the final stages of being canonized by the Church.

Those of us who are practicing Catholics are aware of the powerful impact of the Sacrament of Confession. As one of the seven Sacraments, which are true signs of God’s presence among us, they are the lifelines to us, a true, physical sign of Christ’s current love and desire for all of us to be with Him in eternity.
Christ gave the Church this duty....this commission. It is confirmed several times in Holy Scripture...” Christ told the apostles to follow his example: "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you" (John 20:21). Just as the apostles were to carry Christ’s message to the whole world, so they were to carry his forgiveness: "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 18:18).” Those are the words of Christ. Period. To those detractors who attempt to explain it away, my suggestion would be to take it up with Him, as He is the one who gave this commission to the Church.

This was confirmed as being literal by the early Church in several instances throughout Scripture. "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:18). Indeed, confirms Paul, "So we are ambassadors for Christ" (2 Cor. 5:20).” Apostolistic succession has passed it down through the centuries to each generation of ordained Catholic Clergy, as is the other Sacraments instituted by Christ.

Now, there are a couple of conditions that must be met prior to General Absolution being given......time must be of the essence, where it is not possible to have the time to hear each confession individually. In addition, the possibility of imminent death must be very much present. Obviously, the above incidents met that requirement in spades.

One more incident of note has come to light in recent years.....Fr. Thomas Byles, an English priest was on his way to the US to perform his brother’s wedding, which was to be celebrated in Brooklyn. The method of transportation to travel to New York City was the ill fated Titanic, the well known White Star ocean liner that would strike an iceberg and sink on it’s maiden voyage with great loss of life. Fr. Byles was offered a seat on a lifeboat to save his own life several times, and refused each time, choosing to remain with the doomed passengers on the famous ship. He led the Rosary, heard confessions, and one of his final acts was to give General Absolution to those remaining before they disappeared in a watery, icy grave.

Christ thought of everything, and every situation when He gave us the Sacraments. I do not intend to state the validity of the Sacraments, that has been already done so many times from folks much smarter than myself. Some of the stories regarding the mercy of forgiveness are amazing and mind boggling. Even in the midst of great tragedy, Christ’ presence is very definite, both spiritually and physically. Just another grace among the so many that we’ve already been given......stay close to Christ, stay close to His Mother, and stay active in His Church. He’s got it all covered.