Some of you may be old enough to remember those commercials back in the 1980's where there was an announcer who spoke so fast you almost could not understand him. It was not a blur of words, because he actually voiced all the letters in each word he said, but it was like listening to something on fast forward. I think that I heard the confession of one of his grandchildren earlier this week. I got the impression that the individual wanted to get the confession over as soon as possible and had practiced saying the whole thing in under a minute.
The only thing that is actually worse than those "lightning confessions" is when someone wants to turn their confession into a counseling session. I once heard a confession where the actual confessed sins would have taken about 60 seconds to state, but the penitent was in the confessional for 30 minutes (yes, I tried, politely, to end it but it is not as easy as it sounds)! Although I do not mind giving counsel to a sinner who is repenting and wanting guidance about how to find holiness, it is not supposed to occur during the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
These are two errors that occur in Confession which are vital for all Catholics to avoid. Let us consider the first. It is true that no one really likes having to say those sins out loud (that is why the sacrament works -- it forces us to deal with our sins and not ignore them!). Yet, if we approach the Sacrament with the intention of speeding through it as fast as possible it is doubtful that we will be paying proper attention to what is going on, and thus not receive the fullness of the grace that is available.
Sometimes a priest can tell that a "penitent" is not there because he wants to be and that his heart is not really into it. The most obvious sign of this problem is when the penitent says the act of contrition so fast that he garbles up the words and ends up saying something ridiculous ("and I test all my sins cause I dread the lost in Heaven"!). If a person is nervous about going into confession, to rush through it is not going to make it easier. To a certain degree one's confession should never be "enjoyable" because we are doing spiritual surgery and sin never leaves happily. Slow down, and allow the grace to come to you (and parents, make sure you help your children with this!).
The other error is even more of a problem though. There are those who do not understand what the Sacrament of Confession is actually about. One of the things that has led to this error (and I pray that it will eventually be banished) is the "face-to-face" chair in the confessional. Many penitents come and sit in the chair and get this idea that it has now become a chat session. "Let's talk about my sins and you can help me figure out how to stop them". We have become a psychologized culture that genuinely believes that psychology has more answers than theology so it is not surprising that people will bring that into the confessional as well (at least no one has a "doctor's couch" in the confessional; at least I hope not).
Furthermore, we must realize that there may be other people waiting to say their confession as well (and one does not know how many others have come into the Church since he entered the confessional). I know of someone who was saying his confession, and then noticed it was taking a while so he said, "I should finish up, but since there wasn't anyone else in line, can I ask another question?" Regardless of whether someone else is there (and like I said, we do not know), that is not the purpose of confession; get an appointment, and ask the question later.
The other thing that causes this is that in a culture that virtually worships doctors, we should not be surprised if more and more people are wanting to have their own therapist for everything. With that desire so prevalent, we should not be surprised that people want to take advantage of a free therapist! To be completely clear, I do not mind giving counsel to those in need. I regularly do quite a few hours of counseling in an average week (and not all of it in appointments). Yet, that is not the purpose of Confession. In the confessional we are supposed to confess our sins, and receive a brief advice from the priest, a penance, and then our absolution. Anything else should be reserved for the office.
In all, make sure that you really believe what God says about the Sacrament. It is for your forgiveness to be granted so that you can find holiness and move forward in the faith. Yes, sometimes you may need extra guidance and counsel, but that is not what God is granting in the Sacrament; He is granting the redemptive grace of the forgiveness that was bought by Christ. That forgiveness does not need any guidance to make it effective; it comes because of the gracious love of God. Receive it with all faith; trusting that God will do exactly what He says He will do. Go to confession!
