Catholics: Do you go to confession?

I cannot remember the last time I went to confession! I think I have to go before we get married.

I go a few times a year. Before I got married I use to have so much more to confess. now it is the same old stuff.

I used to dread having to go. The last few years I have developed a real appreciation and understanding of this sacrament. By examining my actions and thoughts on a regular basis, it really makes me a better person.

As Catholics, I think we are lucky to be given the opportunity to start again, work harder, become a better Christian. Also, to know that God will forgive us for making mistakes, as long as we are truly sorry and truly intend not to do it again-- one of the requirements for a valid Confession, of course, being actual contrition. Being a Catholic is not for everyone.

To the poster who said it had been like 15 years, believe me-the priest will most likely be very helpful to you. They will not be harsh and you will feel SO good when it is over. I had a 13 year stretch, after I came out of the confessional, I felt like a new person.

I'm not sure how much I feel I need the priest as 'intermediary' between me and my God. I tend to speak directly to God and try to make amends with the person I have hurt.

I do sometimes go during Easter week, but I think that is more of a custom for me, than it is from getting a great deal out of it.

Catholics who pick and choose the doctrines they want to believe and live by, as if we're some sort of Christian buffet, are a mystery to me. Part of being a Catholic is to believe that the church is infallible in her teachings. If you protest, that makes you a Protestant. That's how they got the name.

How can you believe that a priest is an instrument of the holy spirit to turn bread into the body of Christ, but not an instrument of God's forgiveness? What is forgiven on earth, will be forgiven in heaven-this is from the Bible, the sacrament of reconciliation was not some torture device developed by humans.

Not trying to flame, this is just my belief and the teachings of the Church. I also used to think I was better than a 2000-year-old institution led by some of the most spiritual, intelligent and well-educated men and women in the world. We may agree to disagree.

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Posted by carlsbride

Self-called 'Catholics' who pick and choose the doctrines they want to believe and live by, as if we're some sort of Christian buffet, are a mystery to me. Part of being a Catholic is to believe that the church is infallible in her teachings. If you protest, that makes you a Protestant. That's how they got the name.

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I think your points are well-articulated, however, in referece to the comment above, I would have to ask, do you believe in and live by every single Catholic doctrine? By our nature, we all fall short of the glory of G/d. No human being can fulfull the 'law' - Mosaic law or New Testament law. The person that probably came the closest to doing so was Saint Paul, who was a Pharisee of all Pharisees. That is why we needed Christ. I think that some people, myself included, are well-intentioned toward the religion but fail to comply with all of the Catholic precepts. Not out of any intentional lack of respect toward the religion or G/d, but because by my nature, I am not perfect.

wow - I'm shocked at the 'no's

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Posted by carlsbride

Self-called 'Catholics' who pick and choose the doctrines they want to believe and live by, as if we're some sort of Christian buffet, are a mystery to me. Part of being a Catholic is to believe that the church is infallible in her teachings. If you protest, that makes you a Protestant. That's how they got the name.

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Then I am a mystery, and we can agree to disagree. Part of being a Catholic is the infallibility of the teachings and that is something I do struggle with a great deal, especially in recent times, when a very human Church has failed so many of its faithful. I find it hard these days to have confidence in priests I don't know. I don't think it makes me a protestant, I think it makes me a Catholic who questions, reasons and follows my conscience.

I think it would much easier to follow everything the church teaches without ever questioning it.

I go every few years...I feel horrible that I don't go I need to go..it always makes me feel better

I know a lot of people are kind of mystified or upset about 'cafeteria catholics' but I think we're all cafeteria catholics, protestants, jews, whatever we are, we all pick and choose. Some of course do that more than others, but no one can follow every single doctrine. It simply isn't possible. Every other story in the Tanach/OT is about the apostasy of the Jews. It's a recurring theme that people are incapable of being a perfect part of any religion, because we're not perfect, we're not God. Everyone picks and chooses, some are just more obvious about it than others.

About infallibility and protesting making you protestant, I personally don't believe the church is infallible. God is infallible. Humans are human. So maybe I don't believe in the infallibility of the church (the church BTW followed the geocentric theory..wer they infallible then> Just one example), but there are things I do and don't believe in that would make protestants want to throw me out too. I spend a lot of time reading jewish texts, going to temple, celebrating jewish holidays, but I believe in Jesus, so I'm clearly not Jewish. I'm in my own category i thinki with just how much of a cafeteria catholic/protestant/jew I am, because I don't believe that one religion has all the answers, but I think there are plenty of people who do pick and choose and by that definition we'd fit into no category at all.

On confession, I hadn't gone since probably my confirmation, and I went around christmas time, and it was such a good experience. The priest was so sunderstanding of me not having gone in years and helped me through it and afterward I felt this incredible lightness. I can't even describe it. I came out grinning. I'm thinking of going again soon. I don't feel Ive committed greivous sins, but I do feel good after coming out and I feel it forces us to be mindful of our sins. I don't believe we NEED an intermediary, but I think being forced to say your sins out loud in front of another person in witness of god, adds a whole dimesnion and keeps you really mindful of what youre doing wrong. of course there's a conflict. i left out the obvious 'sin', premarital sex, b/c I don't really feel it's 'wrong' and I knew I'd just go do it again, so i couldn;t make a sincere apology, but I did feel better after confession.