Lost Art of Confession

I found this article in msn Slate this morning, and I found it rather interesting. It discusses the lack of practicing confessors within Catholicism. I was rather impressed that such an article was written and so clearly advertised on msn.com.

For those of you who are Orthodox-- I'm not sure how often your parish priest or spiritual father encourages people to go to confession, but at St. John's, gentle reminders show up as frequently as once a week in our weekly bulletin. At our Young Adult group, many people come for the food and discussion and small Compline... and many of these same people stay until the wee hours of the morning, waiting in line to have confession with Father.

Perhaps the enthusiasm for confession among these young adults derives from (some of) our Protestant backgrounds. We grew up believing that all we had to do was tell God our sins in the privacy of our bedroom/lockeroom/Honda Civic, and our sins would be forgiven. Easy enough, right? "But wait," says 13-year old Presbyterian Katie, "why do I still feel rotten? Why don't I feel forgiven?" Soon enough, though, I convince myself I'm just feeling guilty, when I shouldn't be. Soon enough I forget to tell God my sins altogether because, afterall, He is God and He knows my thoughts and actions, and He knows what I need forgiveness for... so I'll let HIM take care of all my transgression transactions and go on my merry way.

Of course God is a God of love and mercy and forgiveness. He does not, however, serve as a Kleenex for our runny noses, only to be thrown away after use. Rather, He is a God who heals and restores, and we as believers need much more than a Kleenex or a pat on the back if we want to rid ourselves of our sicknesses. Confession (along with the other sacraments) is just one of the "medicines" that only the true faith can offer, for the Church is the "hospital for the soul."

All of this talk about confession reminds me-- I really have to go to confession.