I hope this sharing of my experience is helpful, especially to my brother
priests and those who prepare people for the sacrament of reconciliation.
I have been a priest for thirty-three years and a preacher of parish
missions and retreats. During my first year of priestly ministry, I was
sent to a small rural parish to preach a mission. On Saturday afternoon,
I went to the church to “hear confessions” as we used to say back then.
The church was empty, and I sat in the small, dark confessional wonder-
ing why no one was coming. I opened my breviary and began to pray. A
long time passed without anyone coming into the confessional.
I was a little disappointed that no one seemed to want to “go to con-
fession” when suddenly I heard a voice: “What are you doing here?”
The voice was so clear that I thought someone was outside my confes-
sional talking to me. I pulled the curtain aside but found no one there. The
church was completely empty. I sat back once again and the voice came
a second time: “What are you doing here? You have no right to hear what
you are about hear. Only I have a right to hear what is said in this place.”
I suddenly realized Who was speaking to me. “They are coming to
Me, not you. Only I can forgive their sins. You are given a great privilege
to share in the most intimate moments between Me and My people.”
A great peace came over me and a deep sense of awe. I realized in
that moment that celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation was not a
job a priest did, but an awesome responsibility and privilege.
Since that day, I have always loved to celebrate the sacrament of
reconciliation. I find that my knowledge of God deepens through being
His instrument. I am amazed at the ways God uses me during the sacra-
ment of reconciliation, and the blessing it is to those who approach the
sacrament in faith and hope.
101 Inspirational Stories of the Sacrament of Reconciliation
Fr. Edward R. Wolanski, CP
Shelter Island Heights, New York