Just started the East District penitential services for confessions today. Holy Family began first with three services at 10.30 am, 7.00 pm and 9.00 pm. It is that time again to renew and reconcile ourselves properly with God and our neighbour or whomever we have made life difficult.
It is amazing how I can hear the starting lines to making a confession that goes like this: "Bless my sins, Father...." I can't help but do a doubletake at this and roll my eyes in wonder as to what sins the penitent wants to have blessed!! But, you know what they mean and go on to hear them out and absolve them and send them off on their way towards, hopefully, a renewal for a better start in the right direction. Then again, I sometimes seriously wonder if some penitents give a hoot as to whether they needed that kick in the right direction. :P
Throughout the services today, the timing and standing up to administer to the penitents were tolerable and wasn't too tiring or bad on my back. I noticed there weren't too big a crowd, too, of the penitents coming to do their confessions today. Perhaps they are:
a. biding their time to wait till the last moment to let go all their sins, so that, meanwhile they can continue 'sinning'.
It is amazing how I can hear the starting lines to making a confession that goes like this: "Bless my sins, Father...." I can't help but do a doubletake at this and roll my eyes in wonder as to what sins the penitent wants to have blessed!! But, you know what they mean and go on to hear them out and absolve them and send them off on their way towards, hopefully, a renewal for a better start in the right direction. Then again, I sometimes seriously wonder if some penitents give a hoot as to whether they needed that kick in the right direction. :P
Throughout the services today, the timing and standing up to administer to the penitents were tolerable and wasn't too tiring or bad on my back. I noticed there weren't too big a crowd, too, of the penitents coming to do their confessions today. Perhaps they are:
a. biding their time to wait till the last moment to let go all their sins, so that, meanwhile they can continue 'sinning'.
b. staving off till the last moment because then they can force themselves out of this 'fear' and finally go to a priest to confess their sins.
c. unaware that such penitential services are currently going on.
Anyway, we expect the crowd to get bigger as we move steadily towards Queen of Peace parish who will end this service next week on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, have you gone for YOUR confession? ;)
Posts
3 comments:
Yes i have :-) Thank God for giving me the courage and its such a relieve to have been there..God bless Father :-)
"Blast me, farr-jheeer, for i have sinned."
Oh no, I really don't think this is what I want! :P
Hi Father,
I went for the 7.00pm Penitential service which was my second since my last confession, just before Baptism.
What struck me most were the different postures adopted by the many priests there. Some were serious, some were light hearted, while some were contemplative. But all gave their patient,listening ear hear to the sometime trembling penitent.
The atmosphere was so moving and touching to me that you feel Christ being there and lending his ear to our transgressions.
The various postures of the priests gave us the different aspects of Christ and we get to choose the one that we are most comfortable with to "unload" our sins.
Thank you Father for your forgiveness.
Archangel.
Post a Comment