The Perceived Disconnect between Priests and Laity: Part II

My friend brought up the concern about the seal of Confession, and if it would be broken if a priest preached on what he heard in the Sacrament of Confession?

I answered:

You make an excellent point. It is amazing how the Holy Spirit works, though. What I mean, for example - what I had received in prayer to preach on at Mass on different weekends, before going in to hear confessions, was exactly what had come up in people's confessions. I had to tell people in confession that it was actually something I was going to treat in the homily (mostly to let them know and assure them I was not going to be talking specifically about them - so they know I am not breaking the seal... what they have come to confess just happens to be, by the Holy Spirit, what is in the readings that Sunday, and what has drawn my attention in prayer to preach about...). So, what I am getting at, is that when a priest preaches he is not breaking the seal of confession, since he is not identifying a particular someone and their sin they had confessed. He is still compelled to preach, and at times bring people to conviction... I guess you could say - if the priest had to leave out of his homilies what is confessed in the sacrament, he would never speak from the pulpit... at the same time he is not allowed to reveal what he heard from any specific person what was confessed... does that make sense? If people think the priest is talking about them in his homily, it is more likely that he is not talking about them (and so revealing what was confessed) but rather the Holy Spirit convicting them, and teaching them further in a pastoral way of what to do about it (something often not covered within the sacrament of Confession due to time limit), and a message of hope - that Christ conquers.

Does that make sense? basically: A priest does not break the seal when he preaches about sin - specifically because he is not revealing anyone's particular confession. He must preach about sin, and redemption - he just doesn't use examples from the confessional, but rather the Gospel... which is applied to our lives. Guaranteed, if a priest is preaching about what he is supposed to be preaching about, it will at the same time, normally by chance, be something that someone has confessed.

My friend then asked:

Thanks so much for clarifying. So, as long as a priest doesn't say something to the effect of - "by what I'm hearing in the confessional, I think we need to discuss X . . . " But could certain trends of sins (say he is hearing a lot about road rage), could he then think to himself - wow, a lot of people are affected by road rage; maybe I should preach about this in my next homily. Or would that be too close to breaking the seal, and it would be better for the priest to use an example from the Gospel in order to preach against unrighteous anger, etc.?

I said:

Yes - I think you have the idea. That would be the prudent way to go about it. It is like a step removed, but still helping people - and maybe more broadly than just road rage. For another thing - I may not preach specifically on masturbation, but sexual purity (the positive spin)... On the other hand, I may preach on pornography (keeping in mind there are children in the pews) because it is even from outside of Confession that I know people, and mainly men, have a serious problem with it - even an addiction... or I may save that for a men's retreat or something... but be able to give practical advise about getting away from it. So, a priest can preach on things without breaking the seal, because it is even from knowledge outside the confessional that he would speak on.

All things considered, though, the Seal of Confession is among the most sacred things we practice. To realize how sacred it is, if a priest breaks the Seal of Confession is is immediately, and automatically excommunicated, and can no longer function as a priest until he is forgiven by the Pope, who is the only means of recourse for him at that point. If he is forgiven, usually then he is not allowed to function publicly, and will spend the rest of his life as a priest in a monastery to do penance and make reparation, as well as intercede for the world. So, we need to be very careful, as you can see.

The Perceived Disconnect between Priests and Laity: Part I

A friend of mine asked for a response to a thesis paper she is writing. The thesis is: From your perspective, what effect do you believe a mass return by ALL Catholics to the Sacrament of Reconciliation could possibly have on the "so-called" divide between the laity and the clergy? Is this Sacrament a "voice for the laity" and "ears for the clergy"?

I responded with:

From the perspective of "both sides of the screen," as it were, it is certainly the case that, exactly because of Confession, priests actually are very aware of what the laity is going through. Confession has become not only a place to confess sins, but also a place to receive counsel or even just to vent and dump all their cares and worries. In fact, I would venture to say that priests, because of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, are even more connected and knowledgeable of the laity and in a greater context. The struggles in relationships, in morality, in finances and all the dynamics of the workplace - or lack thereof - is wrestled in the confessional against the backdrop of the eternal, as well as their consciences - the deepest part of a person, and their desire to be good and faithful. The knowledge in the confessional is about things that even a person's spouse may not know! Certainly it is true that if ALL were to come back to the sacrament, there would be a greater connectiveness. But the perceived divide is not so great as many may think. One needs to remember that, with pastoral understanding, a priest would not be fulfilling his ministry and call if outside the confessional he were to simply tell people that whatever they do is alright. He is a herald of the Gospel. And in such a prophetic role, he is the voice that is calling everyone to holiness. So, not that there is a disconnect between the confessional and the pulpit or any other pastoral encounter, but rather there is a standard that by which we are called to live as Christians, in the image and likeness of God. The pulpit, et. al., is the place where the fire is stirred into flame, and the confessional is where we can make sure the fire doesn't go out! It is the place to find the grace and mercy to respond to our high calling. As I like to say - we are called to be faithful, and going to the Sacrament of Confession, which was given by Christ so we would use it, because He knew we would need it, is the practice of remaining faithful. Without the Sacrament of Confession we could not remain faithful.

I think more truly, the divide is between how we were meant to live our lives in Christ, and how our sinful and selfish natures want to live our lives... and the priest is inconvenient to our selfishness because he calls us to greater perfection. So the perception is that he just doesn't understand. If he did "understand" he wouldn't say/teach what he is ordained to say/teach, so says the sinner. Take it from me - a long practiced sinner!

The overall reality, from my experience both in the confessional, and talking with my brother priests, is that they do understand their people very well, and carry their burdens and sorrows that they know from Confession and counseling in their hearts in prayer and to the altar. They look out at the people from the pulpit and see the faces of those they are preaching to, and they know them personally, and what they are going through. I was praying over it just recently, and this is the image I came up with about this whole thing: for the priest, being in persona Christi, the confessional (or even counseling) is like the Garden of Gethsemane - he takes on all these burdens of his people, and bears them to Calvary at the altar. There is where God's people find resurrection and life, as the priest lays all these things there to be sacrificed and offered to the Father in Christ. I find myself quite distracted at Mass some times - not about things I have to do (although that happens, selfishly), but about what I know that people in my life are going through - and I bring it there, especially as I prepare the gifts, and pour these things in that cup and lay them on the altar, like that bread. Then, as I pray those words of consecration, I put as much of my heart into it as I can - and I mean all the things and people in my heart as well. This is the Church's offering on which the Father looks with favor - and by our whole union with Christ, with all our worries and our whole lives poured out and laid out on the altar with Him, He may make us an everlasting gift to the Father, and enable us to share in the inheritance of His saints (Eucharistic Prayer III). Notice in the First Eucharistic Prayer that we ask the Father to "accept this offering from your whole family." And then we ask Him to "bless and approve" it; and we ask Him to "Let it become for us the body and blood and Jesus Christ." In other words, as we lay everything there on the altar, we are asking the Father to transform, and not let it remain as it was before, just as the Eucharist is no longer what it was before, but now has become Who we are meant to be. We could not do this on our own, for ourselves. It is only by the power, grace and mercy of God, which is allowed us through the sacraments, and so through the hands of a priest.