Is Confession Hard on the Priest?
Went to confession on Saturday… the weather was still pretty bad and I have a feeling I’m the only one he saw. I’ve enjoyed reading the perspective of Father Longenecker on the ‘priestly’ side of confession and find that a source of joy and comfort. However, after I spent some time in prayer and was leaving the sanctuary I caught a glimpse of Father through the open door to the confessional. He was sitting in his chair but leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. Certainly, it appeared a prayerful pose but also a bit of a melancholy one and I couldn’t help but wonder if my confession (fairly run of the mill and certainly nothing very exciting… I am just a homeschooling housewife after all… and nothing like the silly women on that Desperate Housewives show I see advertised) had somehow been burdensome to him. Not JUST mine of course, I began to wonder about confessions in general. Father Longenecker’s posts have gone a long way to put such a notion to rest and still I wonder. Perhaps after many years of hearing confessions, do our confessions burden our confessor?
Have you ever thought of writing a book? Maybe you could compile all your blogs…I’d buy it!
Your blog made me wonder: is this where “…bearing one another’s burdens in love….” comes into play? (I probably don’t know enough about priests to even comment, but that is what I thought when I read this…).