Case XXXIV: Never Refuse to Hear a Confession

( 1 ) A zealous priest told the following story: " I had been acting temporarily as parish priest in a very busy place. After six months the new pastor was appointed. He wrote to announce his arrival on a certain day, and I was naturally very busy on the eve of my departure. I had been in the confessional from an early hour until ten o'clock in the morning, and could only hear about half the people who were waiting, for I had to say good-bye to the school children, and was to take the Holy Sacrament to two sick people. I returned from my visit to them quite exhausted, long past dinner-time, and there were still many things that I had to arrange before starting the next day on my twelve hours' journey back to the town where I was assistant, and where a sick pastor was eagerly awaiting me. My time during the afternoon was constantly interrupted by visitors, who came to bid farewell and to bring me little tokens of their affection. Towards evening a perfect stranger came in and asked me to hear his confession. I begged him to put it off, saying that I was very tired and had hardly time to arrange for my departure. He insisted, however, and repeated his request, until I at last yielded to his importunity, though sorely against my will. His soul was burdened with many grievous sins and he had not been to confession for seven years. When he began his confession he said that God had inspired him with great confidence in me, and, if I had not heard him, he would probably not have gone to confession for a long time, but would have continued in his sinful career." (2) Another priest, no less conscientious and zealous than the first, said: " One day I had been hearing confessions from early in the morning until noon, and was glad when I had given absolution to my last penitent. I went into the sacristy to make my Gratiarum actio post missam, for, two hours previously, I had interrupted the confessions in order to say Mass. I had just begun my thanksgiving, when a stranger came up to me and asked me to hear his confession. I was looking forward to being free to return to my comfortable room, and did not like being disturbed, so I asked the man rather roughly to what parish he belonged. He mentioned a parish in the neighborhood, so I told him to go to his own priest, for, our parish being very large, we had more than enough to do with our own people.

" During this short conversation I did not rise from the prie-dieu, for I wished to finish my thanksgiving and then go away. The man, however, remained standing beside me; and, as I prayed, the thought came into my mind that I resembled a Pharisee, who regarded it as a sin to omit or cut short a prayer, but was unwilling to do his neighbor a great service. This thought filled me with shame and made me more charitable. I rose from my knees and calmly invited the man to follow me to the confessional. His confession convinced me that he could not possibly have gone to his own parish priest, for it would have cost him an amount of heroism, of which he was scarcely capable, to force himself to do so."—Canon Anton Skocdopole.