When You're Going To Confession...

[Ash Wednesday]

When you're going to confession, unless it's a private appointment or something, or if it's been 40 years since your last confession, and ESPECIALLY if people are waiting behind you -- [b]don't turn your flippin' confession into a psychiatric counseling session![/b]

There was a lady who took, I don't know, almost 20 minutes today. Given that the priest only has an hour to hear the confessions and there's several people waiting -- you know, speed it up a bit.

Love, your local fellow parishioner.

[Alycin]

Maybe it HAD been a long time since her last confession or maybe it was an emergency. I'm sure she didn't intend to take just long enough that other people couldn't have their turn.

C'mon now. Give her the benefit of the doubt.

(That being said, I will keep time limits in mind if I go to a confession where people are in line behind me.)

But I really think that the problem is that so many priests only hear confession once a week for one hour.

[Ash Wednesday]

True, but people can make an appointment, though. I agree that don't think she meant any harm. It's just a general observation and a polite reminder. The anger was really just in jest, that's why I capped the ending with a

[Alycin]

Understandable.



I just imagine my first confession will take, ohhh... at least half an hour. I'll have 19 and a half years worth of confessing to do.

[Paddington]

Mine's gonna take a long time too if I ever do it.

[Ash Wednesday]

I don't want to dissuade anyone from making a thorough confession.

I'm just crabbing about confession of the weekly everyday parishioner sort.

[Ash Wednesday]

[quote name='Alycin' post='1448183' date='Jan 19 2008, 11:03 PM']Understandable.



I just imagine my first confession will take, ohhh... at least half an hour. I'll have 19 and a half years worth of confessing to do.[/quote]


Don't forget to subtract 7 years, you know, 7 years to reach the age of reason!
(Just kidding!)

[Alycin]

I like to think my age of reason came later, but at the same time, I count things I did when I was like... 5.

[jeffpugh]

Er, even if you have that long... just make a mental list of the BIG ONES. And go for the biggest one first. Once that's done, it's over.

[Ash Wednesday]

Yeah, I always get the big fat ones out of the way. Usually by then, the priest starts to get nervous and likes to speed things along too if possible.

[Nathan]

I got "told" once by a fellow parishioner for taking too long in the confessional with a line-up behind me. When I exited this guy was like "Hey you!" and tapped his finger on his watch, clearly infuriated. (He must've had some urgent transgressions to unload!)

Then I was like, "WHAT! You got a problem with me confessin' my sins, homes? I takes howeva long I wanna takes, sucka!" Actually, no, I didn't say anything.

[Theologian in Training]

[quote name='Ash Wednesday' post='1448153' date='Jan 19 2008, 10:49 PM']When you're going to confession, unless it's a private appointment or something, or if it's been 40 years since your last confession, and ESPECIALLY if people are waiting behind you -- [b]don't turn your flippin' confession into a psychiatric counseling session![/b]

There was a lady who took, I don't know, almost 20 minutes today. Given that the priest only has an hour to hear the confessions and there's several people waiting -- you know, speed it up a bit.

Love, your local fellow parishioner. [/quote]

While I understand your frustration, perhaps that was a moment she needed to experience the fullness of grace, maybe it was something incredibly big, or maybe it took her years before she had the courage to confess that sin. Granted, the priest could have offered to speak to her further outside of the confessional, but, in my experience, they never call and it could result in her possibly missing out on a great opportunity for grace that she, perhaps, desperately needed at that moment.

Of course, I am speaking as one who has been on "both sides," as it were, and I remember how annoyed I got, until I got to see, firsthand, why a priest may take more time than usual. It is those types of confessions, in my experience, that lead to a change in that person's life forever, they are never the same person as they were before they entered. I am not trying to make you feel bad, but maybe better understand the need we sometimes have to take more time than "usual," and why, if we didn't, we really would not be doing our job and fulfilling our reason for being ordained. That is not to say your sin is not as important, but it might not elicit as much time as this one.

Hope that helps.

[CatherineM]

If I was going to be longer than a few minutes, I would call to make an appointment, primarily because I'm not supposed to kneel at all, and ours is the old closet kind, plus the only confession time he schedules is 30 minutes before masses. If someone keeps him too long, mass starts late. Nothing like making a spectacle of yourself.

[CrossCuT]

[size=1]Hey now, these things are tough!
At least she went!
[/size]

[Ash Wednesday]

[quote name='Theologian in Training' post='1448252' date='Jan 20 2008, 12:01 AM']While I understand your frustration, perhaps that was a moment she needed to experience the fullness of grace, maybe it was something incredibly big, or maybe it took her years before she had the courage to confess that sin. Granted, the priest could have offered to speak to her further outside of the confessional, but, in my experience, they never call and it could result in her possibly missing out on a great opportunity for grace that she, perhaps, desperately needed at that moment.

Of course, I am speaking as one who has been on "both sides," as it were, and I remember how annoyed I got, until I got to see, firsthand, why a priest may take more time than usual. It is those types of confessions, in my experience, that lead to a change in that person's life forever, they are never the same person as they were before they entered. I am not trying to make you feel bad, but maybe better understand the need we sometimes have to take more time than "usual," and why, if we didn't, we really would not be doing our job and fulfilling our reason for being ordained. That is not to say your sin is not as important, but it might not elicit as much time as this one.

Hope that helps.[/quote]

Thank you for explaining that in a very thoughtful and balanced way.

I guess I was feeling ancy because I think she's a regular and I hadn't gone in 6 months. I felt like a kid that REALLY NEEDED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM.

[Ash Wednesday]

[quote name='Nathan' post='1448248' date='Jan 19 2008, 11:56 PM']Then I was like, "WHAT! You got a problem with me confessin' my sins, homes? I takes howeva long I wanna takes, sucka!" Actually, no, I didn't say anything.[/quote]

Now if someone said that to me in response, I think that would be awesome. Especially if it was the old lady. "Aight Mrs. Fletcher. That's da way you roll..."

[CatholicCid]

I decided a long time ago to try and be as optimistic as I can when waiting for Confession like that. Every second I have to wait outside of the confessional is a second where a brother is growing closer to God.
I always like to stay at the back of the line now when I can. The extra time to help examine my conscience doesn't hurth either.

[isilzha]

I always laugh when I wait behind my Mom for the confessional. She's in there a long time (there's never a line at our church though) and the confessionals aren't completely sound-proof - you can't make out what people are saying but sometimes we hear her laughing in there.

[Ash Wednesday]

One time this kid I knew growing up was eavesdropping on his dad, and he started laughing and said "Dad said 'I beat my kids and I like it!"

His mom was on him and had him by the ear SO FAST.....



(he really didn't beat his kids like that, btw)

[CoffeeCatholic]

The best line a priest ever taught me to add to the end of any confession "For these and all the sins I know i have forgotten, I am truly sorry".

Saved me many a time, I swear! I go in with my mental list and come out knowing that one of them got forgotten half way through!