In a letter to the chiesa website last month, the confessor recounted two instances that illustrated what he believes is a trend.

One man, who repented of a series of sins against the seventh commandment "do not steal", told the confessor "who are you to judge me".

The man admitted he was only going to confession to be able to receive communion later that day, to which he was entitled.

He expressed surprise when the priest told him of the need for repentance and for a resolution not to fall back into this sin.

"I did what I did. What I will do I will decide when I go from here," the man said, adding "Mercy knows no limits."

And in another case, a young woman, who confessed a grave sin against the fifth commandment, responded with annoyance to a penance given of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and of doing charity.

She told the confessor "no one must ask for anything in exchange for God's mercy, because it is free".

She said she didn't have time to go to a Church to pray, because she had to do Christmas shopping, and she didn't have money to give to the poor, who didn't need it anyway.

In the letter, the priest noted that other pastors he had contacted had experienced similar encounters in the confessional of late.

"The picture that presents itself is certainly not a happy one, both concerning the awareness of sin and in reference to the awareness of the prerequisites for obtaining God's forgiveness," the priest wrote.

The priest also observed that the lines of people approaching confessionals during the Year of Mercy are shorter than during previous jubilees.

Sources

• Chiesa
• Image: Catholic Ireland

It didn't help that it arrived and demanded my attention on the cusp of fall, when I did not want to think about Lent.

(Granted: I never really want to think about Lent. I am not one of those "I love Lent" people.)

However, this book was exactly what I needed. I found myself appreciating that I was reading it then, long before Lent.

My thought was that, when Lent came around, I would have this book beside me for round 2, even though I'm not a big re-reader of books.

And that's the plan.

This book is part treasury, part practical toolbox, and part kick in the pants.

D'Ambrosio has tapped into his experience as a normal guy and his expertise as a theologian-type, wrapped it up into a book that's both digestible and good reading, and then shared it with all of us.

The premise of this book is that it provides you with 40 different activities, one for each of the 40 days of Lent, and then a reflection for Sundays.

As someone who's in a season of "Easily Overwhelmed," I'll say this: I will not be doing all 40 activities. Not even close.

For example, there is no way that I'm planning a contemplative retreat this Lent as day 20 so cheerily suggests. Nope. Not happening. (I'm about 100 weeks pregnant. I have all the contemplation I can handle living within me.)

However, the suggestion on day 10 to learn the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and then start incorporating one — one! — into my life? That I can do. And should do. More than once. Continue reading

• Sarah Reinhard in Integrated Catholic Life

Sarah is an author, freelance writer, editor, blogger, and speaker with experience in online, magazine, newspaper, and business writing.

In England and Wales, Catholics are usually required to abstain from meat on Fridays.

A spokesman for the bishops noted that Boxing Day, or St Stephen's Day, falls within the octave of Christmas, which is an ongoing celebration.

He said it is "contrary to the mentality of what an octave is to consider one of its days as penitential".

Easter and Christmas are the only two official octaves left in the Catholic Church's year after others were discontinued in the calendar of Blessed Paul VI.

Octaves are weeks of joy, not abstinence, even though the Easter Octave ranks unambiguously higher than that of Christmas.

Continue reading

From what I've been told, Father Charles has never been known to withhold his forgiveness and mercy.

He understands the frailties of human virtue.

He knows about the appetites of the flesh.

In fact, I'll wager he has surrendered to a few of them himself.

So I expected to be forgiven.

I did not, however, expect to be pitched into a full-blown midlife crisis as penance.

Father Charles, whose last name contains no vowels so it can't be pronounced except by first-generation Eastern Europeans, is unlike any priest I've ever known.

Normally you might expect to find a Catholic priest in his study, poring over ancient biblical texts, chanting over incense, or polishing his chalice.

If he isn't in church, you expect to find him out and about dispensing communion to the sick and homebound, not up on the roof of the church, where Father Charles spends an inordinate amount of his time.

If he isn't up there patching leaks or reinforcing the bell tower, he is out back with a chainsaw messing with the vines and the branches, or down in the cellar where it is rumored he brews his own beer.

On Saturday afternoons, though, you can expect to find him in the confessional.

For faithful Catholics who subscribe to the legitimacy of priestly absolution, preparing for confession is punishment enough.

You have to stop whatever you're doing on a Saturday afternoon—hanging out laundry, weeding the garden, or napping on the couch—to wash up and change into something presentable, not fancy but at least clean.

When you get to church, you line up in the back with all the other sinners and wait your turn.

This affords you plenty of time to prepare a list of your most shameful transgressions, lest you forget how bad you've been.

And if your list isn't long enough, suggesting that you're too holy for words, you can always throw in a few of the old standards.

Greed, jealousy, and laziness are usually high on my reserve list. Continue reading

Source

• Janet Cincotta in U.S. Catholic

Janet Cincotta is a family physician and author.

Auxiliary Bishop Peter Elliott of Melbourne, Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett of Lismore and Bishop Michael Kennedy of Armidale are among prelates who would back the change.

Friday penance regulations were relaxed in Australia in 1985, allowing Catholics to perform an alternative form of penance.

This was in accord with teaching by Pope Paul VI on penance and with the 1983 Code of Canon Law.

Looking back at the decision to end Friday abstinence in Australia, Bishop Elliott said it was a "big pastoral and spiritual mistake".

"I can understand why that happened, in the mood of that era, but I believe it failed to take into account human psychology," he said.

"Allowing people to work out some penance was idealistic and unrealistic," Bishop Elliott said.

Since the change, Bishop Elliott said, most Catholics are unaware of or have forgotten the obligation entirely.

Having the Church decide what penance should be done would make it easier to remember and would promote stronger Catholic identity, he said.

Some bishops worry that the practice of Friday penance by Catholics has all but disappeared.

There has been no formal discussion on the issue at the Australian Catholic bishops' conference level.

In 2011, the Catholic bishops of England and Wales restored Friday abstinence.

Sources:

• National Catholic Reporter
• EWTN
• Image: Suffering with Joy

Even a cardinal, Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, has called for "proper reform to the sacrament" - an idea Pope Francis has signalled he does not want to look at.

Recently I came across some models of the life journey.

The first was of a wavy line that began with the 'I' at the bottom and 'God' at the top.

Life was a journey to God, and was about taking up one's cross, denying self, acquiring virtue, learning to pray, and stop sinning. That was the way to get to God.

I suspect that model will resonate with older people but I have been told by younger Catholics that they, too, drift into that mind set as well. Weekly confession, especially for priests and religious was part of the journey in this model.

Model two was the same wavy line but right beside the contours was a second parallel line, the God who was with us, from birth to death, encompassing, carrying, accompanying us every step of the way. Continue reading.

Br Kieran Fenn is a Marist teaching Brother who lives in a young adult community in Wellington, and has spent many years teaching the Bible in New Zealand and abroad.

Source: The Tablet Blog

Image: CNS/The Catholic Sun

Since 1985 it has been possible for Catholics in England and Wales to substitute some other form of penance instead of giving up meat, however the English and Welsh Bishops' decided to restore meatless Fridays because they believe Catholics forget their obligation to do Friday penance.

The bishops' say abstaining from meat is easy to remember and simple to witness to, for example at work, school and even in the home.

"The law of the Church requires Catholics to abstain from meat on Fridays, or some other form of food, or to observe some other form of penance laid down by the Bishops' Conference," the bishops' said in a statement.

Keen to remind Catholics of their obligation, "the Bishops have decided to re-establish the practice that this should be fulfilled by abstaining from meat."

Vegans and Vegetarians are also obliged to do penance, and are required to abstain from some other form of food.

Quoting Canon Law, the Bishops Q&A says the obligation to do penance on Fridays binds those who are aged between 14- 60.

The obligation to do penance, Meatless Fridays, should not place a real or substantial burden on the lives of Catholics the bishops' say.

"Those under fourteen years of age, the sick, the elderly and frail, pregnant women, seafarers, manual workers according to need, guests at a meal who cannot excuse themselves without giving great offense to their hosts or causing friction, and those in other situations of moral or physical impossibility are not required to observe abstention from meat; in other words, we should act prudently," the bishops' explain in their Q&A.

September 16 coincides with the first anniversary of Pope Benedict's trip to the United Kingdom.

Sources

• Catholic Church of England and Wales Media Centre
• Friday Penance Q&A (pdf download)
• Image: Anglicans Ablaze (blog)