Simcha Fisher on the Beauty of Confession

"On Saturday, we went to confession. Mine was a pretty standard operation: 'Bless me, father, for I have sinned. It has been two months since my last confession. I did that thing I always do, and that other thing I always do. I also did that other thing I always do, except more so than usual. And I stopped doing that thing I usually do, but then I started again. And I was mean on the internet. For these and all my sins, I am truly sorry.'

"And the priest said what this particular priest always says: 'Thank you for that beautiful confession.' He says this when I have a long and sordid list, or a short and sordid list, or when he can barely understand me because my nose is running from the sordidness of it all. The point is, I am not aware of ever having made a confession that any normal human being would consider 'beautiful.'

"But the confessional is not a normal place. It's the one place that no one would ever go for normal, worldly reasons. No penitent goes to confession to get ahead in life, or to make money, or to get a full belly, or to impress anyone; and no priest goes to confession to be amused or entertained. It's where we go to unload our miseries, to show our wounds and our infections, to take off the disguises that make us appear palatable to each other.

"So, not beautiful. No, not especially."

In a recent commentary, writer Simcha Fisher reflected on why the reception of the sacrament of Reconciliation is a beautiful experience.

To access her complete reflection, please visit:

NC Register: Simcha Fisher Blog: It Was a Beautiful Confession (9 DEC 14)