Confession: Why it is the Sacrament of Joy

by Admin · Published January 19, 2022 · Updated January 17, 2022

A priest hears confession from a woman during an outdoor Mass. (CNS photo/Malin Palm, Reuters)

Many Catholics shy away from the sacrament of reconciliation, but approached right, it can heal the deepest wounds in our soul, writes Bishop Edward Adams.

When Pope Francis was in Slovakia in September on a four-day pastoral visitation to that country, he told the youth congregated in a stadium that he was aware of their many struggles, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, he urged them, they must not lose heart but trust Jesus who is never far from them. During his talk to them, the pope mentioned the importance of confession and how we must see it as the sacrament of joy. We must try to see the sacrament from God’s point of view, the Father happy to receive his prodigal son back again, and not from the son’s point of view, all repentant for having sinned, the Holy Father said.

When I read the words of Pope Francis, I said: “Amen to that!” This was a papal confirmation of how I’ve seen the sacrament of reconciliation for the past 25 years.

As a young priest I had always tried to stick to canon law, and so I was very juridical; everything had to be done by the book. Our pastoral theology was very clear: in the confessional the priest was the judge and the penitent was the accused. The doctrine as laid out in the catechism too was very clear, and from a young age when a child is preparing for First Communion, he or she must first be instructed on how to make their first confession. Depending on who the catechist is, this could be an ordeal for young children. They are taught to examine their conscience using the Ten Commandments and the commandments of the Church, identify which of these commandments they have broken, and then make a list of their sins.

As Pope Francis pointed out to the youth, we are concerned about our sins and every time we go to confession we repeat the same sins. Sometimes we are too embarrassed to confess certain sins because “what will Father think of me?” For this reason, I believe many people do not like to go to confession. But if we were to understand the beauty of this sacrament, we would be very happy to go frequently to meet God in his mercy, forgiveness and love.

As I mentioned above, for the past 25 years my own understanding of the sacrament of reconciliation has been transformed. My practice of Lectio Divina was instrumental in this change, through the reading and meditating on the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew (chapters 5-7), my personal relationship with Jesus was deepened. My image of God as Supreme Being has also deepened my spirituality. As a Christian, I believe that Jesus Christ is God made man. Therefore I have no problem worshipping Jesus. I shall not go into the metaphysics of being here, but it is important to note that we are all one in being.

How to approach confession

So how do I approach confession today? When I lead a penitential service these days, I tell the congregation that after the service those who wish to make a personal confession mustn’t give me a long list of sins, because God already knows them all. Rather I ask them to examine their conscience and see in what area of their life they need healing most, and to come in all humility and ask God to heal them in that regard. This does not mean that people will receive miraculous healings but that they will become more and more aware of that fault. The next time they go to confession, they then just tell the priest they want to thank God for his love and mercy by making them more aware of that weakness.

I like to tell the people that confession is a fountain of living water where we can come to drink when we are thirsty as we continue our journey of faith, and by drinking at this fountain we ourselves become fountains of living water where others can come and drink. I also tell them what Jesus said in the first beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God.” In other words: blessed are those who know that they need God, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

For me, when one goes to confession, one is actually saying: “My God I depend on you, I trust you, thank you for your great love for me.” So I agree fully with Pope Francis that confession is a sacrament of joy.

Bishop Edward Adams is a retired bishop of Oudtshoorn