A Few of My Favorite Links

I spend way too much time on the computer, surfing around.  It's my TV and my books.  Anyway, I have a few favorites that I always check out, every day.  Here are a few (just a few).

First is the daily news.
http://www.boston.com/

Maybe some opinion on the news.
www.thebostonpilot.com/opinion/index.asp

I need to step back and pray.
http://harvestingthefruitsofcontemplation.blogspot.com/

Marina's take.
https://graceinmidlife.wordpress.com

Back to the news.
http://paper.li/antoniospadaro/1306325259

And what else is happening.
www.christophersmith-op.com

With Pere Lataste

My friend and confrere, Mr. Charles Adams, O.P. died from cancer last week.  I just came back from his wake.  There were many many people there.  He touched so many.  Now he is at rest and at home with the other deceased Dominicans.  St. Dominic welcomed him home and Pere Lataste kissed him like the French do--both cheeks.  I picture Mary introducing him to Jesus and showing him around.
    This picture serves as his holy card.  Our "cloistered brother," MEK drew it.  That's Charlie in the center.  And he was our center.  My chapter will have a difficult time adjusting.

Why Confess to a Man instead of to God?

Br. Tonto and Cappa

I'm still working on my lesson plan for Confession.  I had a dry run this afternoon.  They loved the skit and everything about it.  When we came to the time for asking questions, everyone felt the question uppermost in everyone's mind would be "Why do I have to go to a priest to confess?  Why can't I just tell God?"  So we're going to dedicate time to address this important question.

First, Scripture.  James 5: 16 instructs us to "confess to one another."  Note, it doesn't say "confess to God."
      Matthew 9: 6 tells us that Jesus was given authority to forgive sins and continue to 9: 8 and Jesus tells us that this authority was given to men.
      John 20: 21-23 is famous for Jesus blessing his disciples with the grace to forgive sins.  "Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."
     The quote from John is the money quote.  This statement is the reason priests have the authority to hear our confessions and absolve our sins.
   
Second, now that I've given the references for the priests' authority to hear confessions, I'll give you the reason why they have to even do this.  It is because we're human.  Of course, the minute you are sorry for a sin and pray to God, you are forgiven.  But Catholics go to a confessor because the priest is acting in persona Christi and is exercising Matt 9:6.  We can actually see physical evidence of the priest (in persona Christi) blessing us and audibly hear the words of absolution.  In persona Christi is a Latin phrase for "acting in the person of Christ."

Isn't this great?  Trust me, nobody ever regrets going to confession.

Skit for Confession

Here is a skit I made up for my "cloistered brothers."  It is written specifically for those in formation for Lay Dominicans and those in RCIA.  Remember these men are in prison.  Yesterday's post was the plan for the evening.  This skit will be the last item on the list.  I need your input.  Do you think the mock confessions are apropros for the men's situation (prison)?  Also what do you think of the last penitent?  Is it inappropriate?  Should it be eliminated?

Mock

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Skit

Props:  two chairs, purple stole

Characters:  narrator, confessor,  3 penitents

Scene: Confessional—two chairs facing each other

Narrator: This is a simulation of different types of confessions.  The first is the no nonsense, just the facts type of confession.  The penitent will just give a list of sins.  The second type of confession is someone working on one area of his life.  The penitent needs spiritual direction.  The third type is …well, different.

The Confessor is sitting and waiting with purple stole.

The penitent comes and sits across from the priest.

1 Penitent: Bless me Father for I have sinned.  (Make sign of the cross.) It has been two months since my last confession. Here are my sins: I lack patience and often bark at people.  Sometimes I make hurtful, snarky remarks when someone asks me a simple question, particularly my cellmate.  I seem to have become very selfish and self-centered because I don’t even have the patience to listen to them.  I’m inattentive to other’s problems.  I’m also angry and jealous when I see others have more than I.  I’ve also been looking at porn and I’m afraid I’m getting addicted because I keep looking for more opportunities to look and fantasize and I don’t want it to get out of control.  I’m trying to stop.  Well, that’s enough.  That’s what I wanted to tell you.  And I am sorry for these sins and all the sins of my life.  I ask for forgiveness, absolution and penance.

Confessor: Well, let’s step back and see what’s going on in your life that has made you angry and impatient.  Has anything changed in your life?

1 Penitent:  No Father.

Confessor:  Have you had bad news from home or the prison administration?

1 Penitent:  No, no Father.

Confessor:  It just might be the porn.  It’s making you uncomfortable, anxious, and you’re slipping in deeper and afraid you can’t stop.  You’ve lost control and it’s becoming an obsession so that when friends speak or make demands on you, you react by snapping at everyone.  Am I right?

1 Penitent:  Maybe.  I don’t know.

Confessor: You have to quit the porn.

1 Penitent:  I want to.  I want to stop.

Confessor:  Do you think you can throw the junk away?  Can you walk away from situations where you see it? 

1 Penitent:  I’ll certainly try.

Confessor:  How about putting your mother’s face in the picture?  Your grandmother’s?

1 Penitent:  Ah…that might do it.

Confessor:  What I want you to do is pray to Jesus for strength to resist temptation?  Ask Mary for help?  Do you know the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel?

1 Penitent:  No Father

Confessor:  That’s your penance.  Look up the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel and pray it.  Meditate upon it.  You’ll understand why, when you pray it.  Now make a good act of contrition.

1 Penitent: O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.

Confessor:  May God the Father of Mercies, who through the death of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, give you pardon and peace.  And, now, I absolve you from all of your sins, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 1 Penitent makes sign of the cross.

1 Penitent: Amen

Confessor: Go in peace.

1 Penitent: Thank you Father.

Narrator: This is only one example of confession.  If you don’t know an act of contrition just tell the priest and say “I'm really sorry for all my sins and, because I love God, I will try not to sin anymore”
        In this next scene, the penitent doesn’t give a list of sins.  He confesses frequently because he says his last confession  was a week ago.  This penitent is looking for spiritual direction, especially if he always goes to the same priest, who know s him well.

Second Scene

The  2 penitent comes and sits across from the priest

2 Penitent:  Bless me Father for I have sinned.  (Make sign of the cross.) It has been one week since my last confession.  I’d like to confess my feelings of helplessness, anger, and frustration towards my wife.  She’s getting into heroin again and won’t listen to me.  When I get mad she stays away.  I don’t know what to do.

Confessor:  I can feel your sorrow and frustration.  You have no control over the situation.  Prayer is really your only recourse.  Pray for yourself.  Pray that you can think clearly and influence her wisely.  Pray for her that she will see what she is doing and step away from it.  Pray for help, for intervention.  Perhaps in prayer, you will think of someone or some way to help her.  I will pray for you two, too.
      Is there anything else you want to tell confess?

2 Penitent:  No Father

Confessor:  For your penance say three Hail Mary’s and make a good act of contrition.

2 Penitent:  O my Jesus, I am sorry for offending You because I have hurt You and Your Church.  I firmly intend, to make up for my sins and to sin no more. Amen.

Confessor:  May God the Father of Mercies, who through the death of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, give you pardon and peace.  And, now, I absolve you from all of your sins, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 2 Penitent makes sign of the cross.

2 Penitent: Amen

Confessor:

2 Penitent: Thank you Father.

Narrator:  You have seen two types of confessions: one who gives a list of his sins, and the other who is working on correcting one area of his life.  The priest will help you confess whichever way is the most comfortable.  Just ask the confessor for help.  Here is the last scene.

Scene Three

The 3 penitent rushes quite hastily to the seat.

3 Penitent:  Hey Father, I just had sex with three women at the same time!

Confessor:  Whoa, wait a minute.  When was your last confession?

3 Penitent:  Confession?  This is my first time here.

Confessor:  Oh, this is your first confession.  You need to tell me that.  Have you examined your conscience?

3 Penitent:  I don’t know what you’re talking about?  I just wanted to tell you that I had sex with 3 women at the same time.

Confessor:  Are you sorry for this?

3 Penitent:  Hell, no.  I’m proud of it!

Confessor:  In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the penitent must have sorrow for his or her sins, must confess them to a priest, and must do satisfaction for the sins.  This is what all Catholics do.

3 Penitent:  But I’m not Catholic.

Confessor:  Then why are you here?

3 Penitent:  Because I’m 95 years old and just had sex with three woman at the same time (Stand up and as he leaves he says.)  I’m telling everybody.

Confessor:  Stands up and explains. The Sacrament of Reconciliation, sometimes called the Sacrament of Penance or Confession, forgives the sins of baptized persons committed after baptism. 

 Narrator: The Sacrament of Reconciliation restores the gift of God’s grace after it has been lost by mortal sin or weakened by venial sin.  In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the penitent has a personal encounter with Jesus Christ who is represented by the priest in the confessional.

Confessor:      As members of Christ’s Body, everything we do affects the whole body.  Sin wounds and weakens the Body of Christ; the healing we receive in this Sacrament restores health and strength to the Church, as well as to ourselves.

Narrator:  The last penitent, penitent # 3 was not sorry.

Confessor:  In fact, he didn’t see any sin at all.  We don’t know if anyone was hurt by his actions; it’s only a humorous story after all.  He was so far away from God that he only thought of himself.  Lust is selfish, self-seeking and hurtful.  His sin besides being fornication or adultery was more worship of himself and whatever whim entered his head. 

Narrator:  No absolution for penitent # 3.  He didn’t fulfill the requirements: 

Confessor:  He was not sincere and honest.

Narrator:  He wasn’t sorry—not repentant.

Confessor: He didn’t resolve to do better.

Narrator:  He is not reconciled with God.

Confessor:  But these are only mock confessions.  The real Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the reasons we should be glad we’re Catholic.  Getting rid of guilt, and hearing from the priest’s mouth that your sins are forgiven is a blessing we all crave.  We can see, hear, and feel the grace of absolution as surely as we can taste the Body of Christ in the Eucharist.

Narrator:  Thanks be to God.

Everyone:   Amen!

Lesson Plan for Confession

I'm having my Lay Dominican formation students give a lesson on the Sacrament of Reconciliation to the entire Catholic community in the prison.  Here's my lesson plan:

Ask if they know these vocabulary words that we'll be using: confessor, penitent, examen, etc.

Catechism definition

Explain why confessing to a priest is better than confessing to a bartender or hairdresser.  Why we confess to a priest instead of directly to God?

History of the Sacrament of Reconciliation

Some Confession facts: mortal and venial sin, when, how, how often, etc.

Fun reading of Psalm 51: 1-13--people pinch their noses when sin is mentioned and hand washing motions for words of cleansing and forgiveness.

Skit:  Someone plays the Confessor and have 3 different penitents give examples of making a confession

Ending by distributing an Examination of Conscience specifically crafted for them in their particular situation

.

Prison is a State of Mind

Drawing by MEK

Blessed Jean Joseph Lataste used to tell the prisoners that nuns in convents lived like them, e.i., got up to bells, went to bed with bells, had to ask permission, ate what was given, and could never leave the premises.  Yet the inmates were miserable because they were in prison.  Yet,  the nuns were happy.  The difference is attitude.

The nuns chose to go behind the wall.  They praise God all day and count their blessings.  Whereas, prison inmates are put behind walls.

If only the inmates could turn to praising God and counting their blessings, they'd be happy even in prison.

Sister Confida has a lot in common with Blessed Jean Joseph Lataste.  Sister thought her convent walls were a prison and she was unhappy.  So she asked for a vacation.  Sister Confida and two other nuns went to Vermont.  One morning Sister was making coffee and in a cup she found a mouse.  She carried it outside.  Once outside, Sister put the mouse in an empty flower pot.  She watched the mouse for awhile and realized that it must be hungry.  She went to the kitchen and brought the mouse a handful of cheerios and dropped them into the pot.  The mouse loved them.  He'd pick one up and hold it in his front paws and ravenously nibble the cheerio.  He was standing on his hind legs and looking up at Sister.  She felt that he was thanking her.  He looked so grateful.  She also realized that he didn't know that he was inside a big flower pot.  He was happy and grateful.  All of a sudden she had an epiphany.  His gratitude made all the difference in his world.  She should be grateful for her blessings instead of thinking herself in a prison.  If only she would appreciate what she had.  Her convent wasn't a prison; it was a flower pot where blessings rained down upon it.

Weekend From Hell

Drawing by MEK

It started Friday night.  The night was spent moving my niece out of college.  We couldn't use my truck because it's broken, so we had to impose on someone else to borrow their truck.

Saturday I had a Lay Dominican Regional Meeting.  I got lost driving there.  I wasn't late but it frazzled me a bit.  At least I got to go to Confession.

Saturday night, my niece and I gave each other manicures and pedicures.  We spilled nail polish on the carpet.  We couldn't wipe it all up.  Luckily the design is persian rug and it's so busy the spill isn't that noticeable.

Early Sunday morning, 4:00 AM the phone rang.  Being asleep and slow to respond, we let the answer machine take the call.  I was surprised to hear my niece's voice!  That woke me up; after all she's asleep in the same house as me!  I couldn't understand what was going on, so I got out of bed and went to listen to the machine.  She was crying because she was in pain.  I went to her bedroom and found her head in the wastebasket vomiting.  The poor kid had been vomiting for hours and in acute pain.

There we were in the emergency room at 4:30 AM.  The ER was a mad house.  So many children crying.  We were in a room for procedures but most of the time we were stuck in the hall.  I was so tired, hungry and thirsty.  She had a cat scan and a sonogram but everything looked fine.  .They were thinking of sending her home but her pain was worse and she felt nauseous.  The morphine was useless.  The only thing left was surgery.

So I went home at 11:30 AM.  I was tired, hungry and needed coffee.  I walked in on a brunch--a Mother's Day Brunch my kids had planned.  "Happy Mother's Day!"  "Oh yeah."  The kitchen was a mess from everyone cooking.  The weather was unseasonably hot and I was dressed for 4:00 AM weather.  I'm trying to say, I felt too miserable to enjoy the Mother's Day surprise.  I couldn't wait for everyone to leave so I could change into cooler clothes and take a long nap.

Besides!  I didn't get to Mass.  I suppose I could have gone to the 5:00 PM but I blew it off.  And I just went to confession, yesterday!

After a little nap, I had a new attitude.  I went to visit my niece in the hospital, who felt much better without her appendix.  It was inflamed.  She'll come home tomorrow.

All's well that ends well.  At least our finger and toe nails looked nice.