We began our First Saturday pilgrimage today. We only have one church in our diocese that has a Saturday Mass but no confession or anything in honor of the First Saturday. So we travel to a church in The Woodlands who has First Saturday devotion. They have the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Confession, the Holy Rosary in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mass, and 15 minutes of Scripture meditation wrapped up all into one morning. It's wonderful. There are a LOT of people (60-100) that go to confession which lasts an hour. We travel 2 hours and even when we arrive early in the side chapel where the Blessed Sacrament and Confession happen there's usually a few people already there but not usually standing in line. I hate to jump to start a line before confession (especially when others are there first) starts but I'm a very anxious person by nature and feel if I don't get in line in time I'll have an anxiety attack! So today we waited patiently til someone else started line formation. There are usually 2 priests who do the confessions and the lines form immediately. Of course people who came after us go ahead of us (no big deal) but the side we chose is the priest who apparently loves to take between 5-10 minutes per person. If it were a small line and we were not on a time limit of an hour before the rosary I would not care. But we ended up missing the rosary because of this. Now the other side (where the priest showed up 5-10 minutes later) moved a LOT faster. People who arrived way after us came and went. So even though we arrived at 7:45 we didn't get to see the priest til 9:45. I tried praying the whole time (Sorrowful Mysteries, reading religious books, etc) but I heard the people in front of me state how their patience was being tested as well. I KNOW Mother Mary and Jesus were fine but I hate that waiting in such a short line that should have been relatively quick took so long while everyone else went before us on the other side. As you can tell from my post I'm a bit OCD! But to get to the point is it rude to go straight to forming a line when there are others present. Or should I just shut up and deal with it? I felt I was sinning more by the grumbling going on in my head while waiting. I'm thinking to myself great I'm going to confession and I'm sinning while waiting in line! I know the forum will have words of wisdom and will set me straight! God Bless! P.S. This priest is a really caring and good priest just lengthy!
At least you got into the confessional! I tried to go yesterday and waited for a fair bit in line, but the priest cut off confessions just before I got in! Oh well - I plan to make it up during the week. As for your situation, I think it's ok to form the line, even if others are there. Some people like to take time in prayer before confession and may not be quite ready. You don't want to presume that they are going to do one thing or another. As long as you are not a jerk about it, I can't see any problem with jump starting things, as you say.
Confessions of a confessee stories can be rather humourus. Although quite serious at the time. I remember joining a queue for confession one Christmas Eve some years ago. A women went in and half an hour later she was still in the confession box. By that time everyone in the queue was angry. Some had got up and walked out in disgust, and the remainder were expressing such anger, I thought to myself what must Jesus be thinking of us. Well it has always been my nature to try and take the sting out of things, sometimes with not such good outcomes. Anyway it can always be said "Julia meant well" LOL What I did was, said out loud to the others. Let's be patient with this person. What if her husband has just walked out on her. What if she has half a dozen children and no money to buy them anything for Christmas and what if the Priest is the first person she is able to share her heartbreak, grief and fear with. The other twelve or so remaining in the queue, burst out laughing and we all sat in silence until the woman eventually came out. The poor Priest was over an hour in the confessional by the time I left. And confessions were supposed to be over for everyone in half an hour. So I guess we did a bit extra penance that day including the Priest.
This is one of my pet peeves when going to confession, I think it is very inconsiderate when people that know there are others (maybe some in a state of mortal sin) waiting their turn,.. take up the time with the priest in the confessional because they are looking more for spiritual direction and consolations. It is good to be patient,..but there is a limit. Everyone has their boiling points. The priest should kindly remind the penitent that there are others waiting. Padre Pio once slammed the confessional door in a penitent's face because he knew of their insincerity. That person later returned to Padre sorry for his sin and received absolution. Just sayin..
My worst time was a few years back. There were about six of us outside and the lady inside the box must have been inside for half an hour. There were much angry mutterings and dirty looks from all of us, including myself. When the poor woman came out she had the grace to blush and hurried off. I went in to the box determined to set the record straight and be quick as lightening. But lo and behold the priest was a very old and good friend of mine. He just would not let me go. I told him the folks outside would be getting ready to scalp me but he just waved his hands and laughed. They guy just would not let me go for love or money. I was mortified. When I finally got to go , you could have cut the air with a knife , black smoke was pouring out of their ears. I could have died. But it taught me something. Maybe the lady before me had as good excuse to be in so long as I had myself. You never know what problems they are bringing. Someone for instance who has not been confession for 30 years, someone who is dying of cancer, someone who has got mixed up in witchcraft...you never know... I still grind my teeth, but not as much now. That priest, the devil, just would not let me go....I think maybe it was partly a practical joke
Someone once asked Padre Pio if he never felt guilty for the way he sometimes behaved in Confession, chasing people, giving off to them, slamming the grill in their faces and so.... But Padre Pio simply said, 'The good ones always come back'. This teaches us so much that the graces of the Confessional do not stop and end at the Confessional Door......
I think God is so amusing (after the fact!) when he tries to teach us a lesson when we least expect it. Patience is not a virtue for me especially when I try to be properly prepared for something. Just like if we arrive at church early I specifically go early to get the seating that I want and then someone arrives late and wants us to move down. I'm trying to get better because this is the least of my transgressions that I want to be held accountable for on judgement day. I will say this, if you watch the video about Natan (he's Jewish) and his near death experience one of the things he speaks of God in his judgement was not just the act of praying and going to church but actually being holy and kind. God judges man by his holiness and kindness to others. God Bless!
Yes, I showed that video of Nathan to my brother and a friend last night and they were mesmerized by it. They are going to watch it again at home. I loved the Rabbi in it, he seemed so good and kind and learned.
ok here is a link to part of it... im not buying it at all... obama is going to attack isreal and start ww3 there in the coming months? And if this boy really did see heaven, how come God did not show him Jesus was the Messiah? Dont you think he would have done that so the boy could come back and help proclaim it? Obama and the whole world are going to attack Isreal in the next couple of months... Nothing of this speaks to me and says truth. Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
One thing I've noticed is that if someone has a near death experience it appears to be connected to be connected to one's faith (as far as Judeo Christian). I noticed that little boy Colton Burpo was is protestant had a near death experience (even though he was never classified as clinically dead) his depiction is what I would consider protestant. I wonder if this is God's way of showing someone their state of life because he knows that they will be going back? Not to convert them but to show them God's love and what is most valuable in God's eyes. Luckily we have confession and the sacraments to guide our way. Just my thoughts. God Bless!
I don't understand this query about starting a line when others are there before you. Don't you have pews beside the confessional where whoever wants to go to confession sits in the pew and the "line" starts with the person sitting closest to the confessional and everyone just pushes up in the pew as people go in to confession? I went to confession a while back and the priest didn't even bother switching off the light because he read a magazine right through my confession. No chance of getting any spiritual direction from him.
The worst is when you get a priest who's hard of hearing and you have to shout your sins out, knowing that the people waiting outside can hear every word. I went to a deaf priest once and I had to confess having dabbled with a ouija board. The poor man hadn't a clue what I was talking about and had me shouting "ouija board! ouija board!"... I'm sure the people in line had a great laugh!
One of my friends was very disillusioned with the decision making of the politicians last year and ranted on until she felt guilty. She went to confessions and told the priest she had been uncharitable and critical of the Govt. The priest listened carefully and then said, " shure aren't they an awful shower!"
I went to confession to a priest at St. Peter's at the Vatican and confessed that I had used a ouija board in my younger years and he told me it was no big deal-- just a game and nothing to worry about. So, who knows!!
I went to confession on Saturday to a very holy old priest I often use for the first time in a month. Such a huge joy and relief! I will have to try and get on a more regular basis (at least once every two weeks) . People sometimes forget that the Sacrament is about much more that getting our sins forgiven . It brings a huge inflow of grace to strengthen and repair. It is like the turning over of a whole new page. Like a starting over, it gives me a strong sense of spiritual idealism a sense of, 'With Christ I can do this, lets start again!' , this is so priceless..the Peace! The joy! The new strength! I think a few points in going to confesssion I have picked up down the years. St Teresa of Avila (perhpas surprsingly ) that if she had a choice between a Holy priest and Wise, learned priest she would take the Learned Priest at any tme. St Teresa I think said this because whe had very considerable problems with Spiritual Directors /Confessors some of whom more nor less stabbed her in the back. I think if we can find someone we trust and can relate too in confession it is good to stick with them on a regular basis. This may take a little time but God wants to help us. If we keep knocking on the Spiritual Door there is a good guy out there for all of us. Priests from religious orders are specially equipped for this so they are a good first call. It may take searching, but, 'Seek and you shall find , knock and the door will be opened to you'.
Having found someone we can trust there must be an attitude towards the priest as an , 'Alter Christus' (another Christ). We must receive his advice as coming from Jesus Himself. There must be the msot profound attitude of humble obedience and trust. It is not for us to judge the confessor it is the confessor to judge us. Like all relationships Spiritual relationships like this take time to deepen and develop , time and much prayer. But I think we as Catholics have to invest considerable time in spiritual study ourselves, we need fresh open consciences, but we need to inform them by constant study and reading. We need to take time for this especailly in these very,very confused times. We need to do this ourselves, nobody else is going to do this for us.....
