I Don’t think things have changed too much since Vatican II in terms of how private confessions are heard.
When I made my first confession in 1961, it was the traditional formula for the penitent: Bless me Father for I have sinned....I am sorry for these sins and all the sins of my past life, especially for...” Then the priest gave me my penance and asked me to say the Act of Contrition.
Back then, the priest gave the absolution in Latin. But wait, it was prayed while, not after, I prayed the Act of Contrition. My father taught me not to listen to the Latin words the priest was praying for the absolution as it might confuse me as I was praying the Act of Contrition.
I don’t think, for the most part, that most priests have followed the “post-Vatican II” format for private confession. It still is as it was when I was a child, except, the priest prays the absolution in the vernacular after the penitent prays the Act of Contrition.
Do you experience anything differently?
3 comments:
The priest saying absolution while I say the Act of Contrition has been common since I made my first confession in the 1990s. Not all do it, but many do.
My confessoins are almost always as you describe except the Absolution is give after I finish the Act of Contrition. I went to an FSSP priest one time and he said the Absolution (in English) while I was saying the Act of Contrition.
One of the things I experience when I go to confession is noticing that most Catholics have stopped going to confession. And for some years I have wondered how this came about.
Could it in part be that Catholics since the 1960s have lived in a world where there has been so much rebellion against authorities and, for many, an attitude characterised by giving great emphasis to our obligations to others has been largely replaced by a great awareness of “rights” and a sense of entitlement, without responsibilities?
Sorry if this is going off on a tangent but between 2016 to 2018 I wondered how and why Jordan Peterson became such a YouTube Super Star especially among enormous numbers of young men (and how that might be relevant to the Church).... And millions of young men bought his books, when basically all he seemed to say to young men was tell them, in an often stern, strict, laying-down-the-rules, paternal manner such BASICS as:
Stand up straight with your shoulders back;
Tidy your room;
If you rebel against discipline and responsibilities you are not cool, you are childish;
The best way to find meaning in life and grow as a man is get your act together, act responsibly and realise you have a duty to be the best man you can be.....repeating responsible actions will lead you to be mentally tough and courageous....and happy!
Peterson also stressed to young men:
Being nice is a low-end virtue;
Strive to never be dependent but mature, confident and self-reliant, but also strive to be grateful and VERY aware of your obligations to others.
Successfully articulating some often forgotten basics made Peterson a male mentor to enormous numbers of young men around the world and an authority figure they accepted.
What could Catholic Church leaders learn from Jordan Peterson’s great success?
And if Peterson’s message in a Catholic context was preached and taught more often would more Catholics be going to confession?
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