Reconciliation

Last weekend, the archdiocese I lived in had a Reconciliation Weekend.  It is a Catholic's duty to go at least once a year and coincidentally, I had managed to sin, so off I went.

Fr. Z talks about Confession a great deal.  I have to wonder if it is his favorite Sacrament.  He's always posting these stories about how people went to Confession after a very long time and are so relieved or what have you.

I have to say, Confession doesn't usually make me feel good/better.  It usually makes me feel worse.  If I was depressed before, I get even more depressed.   Why do you ask?  Although the priest is acting in persona Christi,  they really don't give advice like Christ.  Which is understandable.  

But some of the advice I've gotten--

• You are just saying that for attention.  (I didn't darken the door of a Confessional for 10 years after that.  And I left the Church.)
• You are going to be sorry.  And when ____ happens, don't come crying to me!  (Clearly.)
• You need to go to AA. (hmmmm)

And the winner:

• If you were a nice pleasant person and kind and weren't clingy, you'd have friends.  (He'd never met me before BTW...apparently I have an aura that precedes me)

Then there are the penances that are near impossible:

• Thank Jesus for your blah blah blah.  (Uhm)
• Spend 5 minutes thinking about how you can deepen your relationship with Christ.  (I don't have one....so )
• Think about how Jesus loves you.  (Did I not just confess that Jesus doesn't love me?)

OF course the best one was I confessed anger issues and Father said to read Psalm XX and then was like wait, it's full of anger and bloodshed.  Perhaps a more peaceful psalm instead.  

I just hate going with a passion.  

I suppose the solution to this is to stop sinning...