Sometimes our pets teach us a lot about ourselves. The video below shows various dogs resisting the taking of a bath. Some hide; some go limp and become passive; others get feisty.
I see here a similarity with Catholics when they hear that it is time for Confession. Advent is an important time to go to Confession because we are preparing for the birth of our Savior. He is called Jesus (a name that means “God saves”) because He will save us from our sins. It would be a rather perfunctory and hollow Christmas without a preceding Confession, would it not?
And yet some Catholics, much like the dogs in this video, scamper away to hide. Others just look nervous and resist. Still others get hostile and say, “No way!”
This is just a fun way to say, “It’s time for Confession, time to wash our sins away!”
Enjoy this video. Dogs are so much fun, aren’t they?
Hilarious!
My wife and I in recent years have renewed our commitment to the practice of regular confession. We aim for monthly confession most of the year and weekly confession in Advent and Lent. I can’t begin to tell you the benefits this has brought to our spiritual lives, indeed to our whole life period.
We live at a time when our church in in need of serious renewal in spite of all the “happy talk” we hear from some of our leaders that the church has never been better. Some of the things we need to do for that renewal are difficult and complicated. Happily some of the things we need to do are really simple and straight forward. Renewing the practice of regular confession is one of the those simple (though not necessarily easy) things.
To the Bishops and Priests out there – please vigorously call your people back to confession. There is little that can benefit people’s spiritual lives more than a return to confession. Consider that many, many Catholics, even those who attend church regularly, are living in states of serious sin, in many cases mortal sin, and are yet coming to communion regularly. Their communions are likely not helping them. Indeed they may even be harming them. Their communions are also not helping the church, at least not as much as they could be. In order for communion to be truly fruitful, it is necessary to deal with the effects and consequences of serious sin in our lives and by far the most effective, indeed the necessary way of doing that, is confession. A return to the practice of regular confession would unlock the power of the Eucharist and would work enormously towards renewing the spiritual lives of individual Catholics AND of the communities to which they belong.
“many Catholics, even those who attend church regularly, are living in states of serious sin, in many cases mortal sin, and are yet coming to communion regularly.”
This should read “many Catholics, even those who attend church regularly, are living in states of serious sin, in many cases mortal sin, and are yet coming to communion regularly *without first going of confession.*”
Reminds me of the nuns dragging me to the confessional when I was young tot in the early 60’s.
When should one consider doing a “General Confession”? I know in the case of previously bad or illicit confessions, general confession is indicated. There are always lingering doubts from previous confessions of whether all serious sins were stated, one’s degree of contrition, and resolve of amendment. Thank you.