The sacrament of Penance has become unpopular in recent decades. Pride, fear, embarrassment, and
the denial of sin itself keep many of the laity away. Simultaneously, especially considering its
internal ramifications, the topic of Confession rarely receives the attention it deserves from
the pulpit. Throw in the previous years of Covid-19 restrictions and you're looking at a world
in which comparatively few Catholics have confessed their sins in many months.
In this environment, especially during Advent and Christmas, we need to turn to Saint John Vianney.
"The Cure of Ars" is not only the patron saint of parish priests but he may be the greatest champion
of the sacrament of penance since its institution by Jesus. To defend that bold claim we can begin
by looking at raw numbers. Now we live in an age in which many parishes offer the sacrament of
penance for one hour a week but in an average week of his priestly life, Father Vianney heard well
over a hundred hours of confessions. Vianney commonly heard 15 to 18 hours of confessions
per day. The exact number of confessions he heard every year is difficult to determine
but his biographers put the number in the tens of thousands. The wealthiest dignitaries and
the poorest peasants were absolved by Vianney in that little town of Ars, France. Thousands
of people traveled many miles to confess their sins to Father Vianney. They even traveled from
America. That would be an impressive accolade in today's age of air travel but these people made
this slow and often treacherous journey by boat. It can be truly said that the line for confession
with Father Vianney stretched all the way back to the Harbour of New York city. They came to his
confessional. They came from all over France. They came from the United States and as Pope
John xxiii reminds us "when he was completely worn out and broken five days before his death
and had no strength left, the final penitent came to his bed." Considering all this, Saint
John Vianney was in a position to understand the sacrament as well as any saints since apostolic
times. He understood the sadness of sin but he was also able to see the happiness of the penitent
who is reconciled with God. Perhaps this is why Vianney was so well known for his smile. Now what
advice can Father Vianney offer to the reluctant penitent today? There is a plethora of wisdom in
his writings and sermons but for me a man who has often struggled to go to confession, two quotes
stand out in particular. First, "When you confess your sins, you take the nails out of Jesus"
Over the years when I have stared at Crucifixes, I have often considered that my sins put those
nails in Jesus's precious hands and feet but these words by Vianney, these remarkable words help me
realize that I can comfort the heart of God. I can take the nails out of Jesus and so can you.
Second, "God is quicker to forgive than a mother to snatch her child from the fire"
Vianney's words above highlight that infinitely more than we want to be forgiven, God wants to
forgive us. Sometimes, we reluctant penitents build up the idea of going to confession in our
minds as though confessing our sins is a long and arduous process but the truth is that the process
of going to confession often happens fast. After all, when you're snatching someone from a fire
you do it as quickly as possible and generally speaking mortal sins don't take any longer to
confess than venial sins. Whatever your sins and however numerous they might be, the absolution
is the same. It is a beautiful prayer and no catholic should go through advent or Christmas
without hearing these words spoken by a priest: "God, the father of mercies, through the death
and the resurrection of his son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us
for the forgiveness of sins. Through the ministry of the church, may God give you pardon and peace
and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
To you priests reading this, please allow me to offer a word of thanks for hearing
our confessions. We members of the laity know that you have had a difficult year to say the
least. Please know that you are in our prayers. May God grant you the grace to lead us to heaven.
Saint John Vianney, patron saint of parish priests, pray for us.
"My children, if a person has a serious illness, if it is a dangerous wound, he must have the doctor, after the doctor come the remedies. In the same way, when we have fallen into any grievous sin, we must have recourse to the doctor, that is the priest; and to the remedy, that is confession." -Saint John Vianney