There are many layers to the gospel story we just heard. The most obvious and simple would be that the rich should not ignore the sufferings of the poor. This theme is repeated over and over in scripture, including our readings last week. Another angle might be to warn us about becoming so caught up in our own comfort that we become blind to the needs of other people. It might seem ridiculous that someone could be as callous as the rich man in the gospel but sadly, his example is imitated over and over again in our world, as people go about their business, willfully unaware and unconcerned about the poverty, starvation, persecution, and abuse of so many around the globe. Finally, there is the possibility that the rich man knew about Lazarus and thought about helping him but put it off day after day; he got used to seeing Lararus’ suffering and got de-sensitized. Or rationalized that the poor man didn’t deserve help or should take care of himself. How many days did the rich man make excuses and procrastinate, missing out on the opportunity to help Lazarus and ease his suffering while also helping himself get to heaven? Eventually he ran out of tomorrows and is condemned to hell for his lack of charity, his sin of not doing anything.
The dangerous twin habits of rationalization and procrastination are familiar to all of us in some way. I would like to home in on one area in particular that seems to be more and more prevalent among Catholics today. I have heard some interesting reasons, (you might call them excuses or rationalizations) to avoid receiving the sacrament of confession. Here are the ones we priests hear all the time, at parish events, wedding receptions, at the grocery store, or anywhere we wear our clerics. Listen to the list and see if any sound familiar!
I don’t need to tell my sins to a priest! I can tell God I’m sorry on my own.
There is no such thing as a private sin. Anytime we do wrong, that sin affects other people, often in ways we cannot imagine and it always wounds the Body of Christ, the Church, of which we are members. The priest is the representative of the Church who gives us forgiveness in the name of God and on behalf of the Church. We have a human need to know, without a doubt, that we have been forgiven. Confession is an incredible gift where we can know for sure that our sins have been wiped away and we can move on.
It’s embarrassing! What will the priest think of me?
Confession can be embarrassing, like a lot of things that are good for us. Think of going to the doctor or the dentist after a long time! It may be embarrassing but it's not humiliating. Most confessionals have the option for you to go anonymously. And, to be honest with you, unless you go to a brand-new priest, chances are, we’ve already heard someone say what you are about to confess. People just aren’t that original when it comes to sinning. Don’t let embarrassment keep you from experiencing God’s love and peace.
There was one time a priest yelled at me.
If that happened, I’m sorry. It shouldn’t have. But that was one person, one experience. We don’t stop going out to eat if we get bad service at a restaurant. Maybe we avoid that particular establishment or make sure another waiter serves us. We move on and realize that that was the exception, not the norm. If we are boycotting confession because of one bad experience, who are we really hurting?
I always confess the same sins.
Welcome to the human race! Could you imagine if you had to run around and commit different sins in order to go to confession? It would be exhausting! Most of us have certain sins or faults that we will struggle with our whole life: maybe its gossip, lying, losing our temper, or anything else. Even St. Paul had a thorn in the flesh he continually confessed. That’s why confession is not a one-time event. It’s part of a life-long process of conversion.
I can’t think of anything to confess.
Ummm…you need to talk to your spouse or friends or family a little more often. They will be happy to give you some ideas. If that doesn’t work, I have some great little books by the confessional that help you go through the commandments and evaluate your life. They are free and trust me, they will jog your memory. If neither of these work, then let me know and I’ll work on getting your statue in this church!
Why should I go to a priest who is not married and doesn’t have a family? What can you know about my life?
Can you imagine if we only went to a doctor who had the same illnesses as us? Or grew up in the same town in the same circumstances? Just because a doctor never had cancer doesn’t mean he or she can’t diagnose it for what it is. And, while it’s true I can’t completely relate with being married or having kids, I do know what it is like to be a friend, a family-member, and to care for others and these are the same principles involved in any vocation.
Priests are sinners too! What makes them good enough to hear my confession?
There is nothing me or any other priest has done to earn the right to hear anyone’s confession. It is an honor and a gift I have only because of my ordination and the call to be God’s representative on earth. Trust me, priests are sinners; I will never deny that. That’s why we go to confession just like anyone else. I need confession just as much as you, maybe even more. God could have chosen angels or the Blessed Virgin Mary to forgive sins…but he didn’t. Maybe because the priest knows from personal experience what it means to be weak, sinful, and most importantly, forgiven.
My sin is too big; God won’t forgive me.
This is the most troubling excuse for not going to confession. God stopped at nothing to redeem the world and offer salvation to every single human person. He did not even spare his Son! Jesus wanted to die for you! He laid down his life freely so that there would be no doubt how much he cared for you. The only sin God cannot forgive is the one that is never brought to him. He won’t force his saving grace on us but he is just waiting for us to ask. God has never said no to someone looking for mercy. If you are a big sinner, guess what? So were many of the saints and some of Jesus’ favorite people in the gospel! Through confession and forgiveness of their sins, they didn’t have to be defined by their past. We know them by their future: eternity with God in heaven.
These are some of the “classic” reasons people give for avoiding confession. If you have avoided this sacrament for any reason, I hope you will make your way to a confessional soon so you can experience the joy of hearing the words of forgiveness, “I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
