Confession is 'centered on God's mercy'

Converts to Catholicism, and those in RCIA classes on the path to entering the Church in Easter, say that confession is both an exciting and intimidating part of becoming Catholic. Several candidates and catechumens in RCIA classes said that their teachers went to great lengths to emphasize that the priest-confessor is not there to judge the penitent or to remember their sins. They took consolation in the idea that the priest is a mediator between the penitent and Jesus Christ, and not a harsh judge.

Pope Francis and Bishop Michael Mulvey have placed considerable emphasis on the sacrament, known colloquially as confession. Both have been promoting an increase in the availability of confessions and have made the sacrament of reconciliation a frequent theme of their public statements.

"May every man and woman who comes to confession find a father who welcomes them and the Father who forgives them," Pope Francis said recently. He rarely misses an opportunity to mention the sacrament of reconciliation.
Bishop Mulvey echoes the pope's invitation. In his homily opening the 24 Hours for the Lord initiative, Bishop Mulvey urged everyone to confess sins often during this Year of Mercy, particularly because the sacrament of reconciliation is “centered on God’s mercy.”

“Have we been merciful to others? In the depth of our beings, do we know what mercy really is?” Bishop Mulvey asked, after telling the faithful that mercy does not end in the confessional.

In the early Church, confession was tied closely to the sacrament of baptism. Converts to Christianity made public confessions and renunciations of sin in conjunction with their baptisms. Later, confessions could be heard after baptisms, but they were still rare. Penitents confessed grave sins and the penances assigned were often severe and public.

Today, frequent private confession is commonplace for many Catholics. Most parishes in the Diocese of Corpus Christi have established times once or twice a week for penitents to come and confess, and confession is available at all parishes by appointment.

Priests in the diocese say there is an increase in the number of people receiving the sacrament of reconciliation. Priests acknowledge this reality by explaining the sacrament of reconciliation, exhorting the faithful to partake of it and correcting misconceptions about it.

“Mortal sin is forgiven through the Sacrament of Confession,” Father James Farfaglia, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Corpus Christi said.

On the other side of the confessional, Father Farfaglia points to the link between the sacraments of reconciliation and Eucharist, lamenting that “many times the lines of people going up to receive Communion do not match up to the size of the lines of people waiting to go to Confession.”