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Views from the Choir Loft

Confessing Our Sins

Fr. David Friel · January 27, 2013

S IT HARD to go to confession? Sometimes even very faithful Catholics find the Sacrament of Penance daunting. There are many factors: sometimes we feel unprepared; maybe we know the priest very well; we easily forget the form or the Act of Contrition.

Then, of course, there are times when we know we need Reconciliation, but we avoid going because we’re not sure how to say some of the things we know we need to say. Some things are just difficult to say. Others are embarrassing, complicated, or even (in a strange way) humorous. But they need to be said. How?

One thing that should be a solace to us is that what the Church asks the penitent to say in Confession is minimal. Penitents are required to state only the nature and frequency of their sins. As a confessor, I sometimes experience penitents who say too little, but more frequent is the penitent who wants to say too much. What needs to be said is simply enough to convey the essence of what the sin entailed (not necessarily every specific, gory aspect) and how many times the sin was committed. This is not permission to skip confessing some sins; we must confess our sins, but not in graphic detail.

When we find ourselves nervous or afraid to confess, it may be helpful to see things from the other side of the confessional. I cannot think of a single confession I have heard that has caused me to think less of the penitent, whether I knew them or not. As a priest hearing confessions, I am consistently impressed by the humility of people who come to receive the mercy of our Lord. I’ve often heard folks remark that “You can’t say anything Father hasn’t already heard,” which is probably true. But, more importantly, you can’t say anything that God doesn’t urgently want to forgive through the ministry of his priests.

The Sacrament of Penance is not just for Lent or Advent. Chances are high that each of us sin every single day. We ought not to let any obstacle delay our reception of God’s grace, which He so desires to share with us through Reconciliation. After all, He came to call sinners, not the just.

When we approach Him in humility, He always gives us pardon & peace.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and teaches liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Don’t You Agree About These?
    If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
    Here's a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you like, you can freely download that vocal exercise.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“The following question is asked by the Most Reverend Lord Bishop of the Diocese of Chur: May this Diocese’s ancient custom be continued of having the Celebrant in Sung Masses (excepting more solemn Masses) intone the Credo and when he is finished reciting it going on immediately to the offertory and finishing it while the credo is being sung by the choir?” (Dubium of Dec 1909)

— 11 December 1909

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