Article III: Concerning the Goodness of Life of the Confessor

I. Besides knowledge and prudence, goodness or honesty of life is also required. This consists not only in the state of grace, which is regularly necessary for avoiding sacrilegious ministration of the sacrament, and therefore is ordinarily required in one who is accustomed to hear confessions, nor must he be exposed to a proximate occasion; - but also in the complex of virtues which are desired for duly undertaking the function of confessor, both so that he himself not be contaminated while handling the ulcers of sinners, and so that he can direct others in the way of holiness.

Moreover the principal virtues necessary for the confessor are customarily enumerated:

1. Supernatural zeal of souls, by which from sincere charity toward God and neighbor he consults solely and uniquely the honor of God and the salvation of neighbor and spends his whole self, and loves penitents with a special paternal love as spiritual sons of God committed to him to be led to eternal life, as brothers of Christ, redeemed by His blood and to be formed by His virtues. For this there are required: paternal gravity, which demands reverence, and by which nothing appears in countenance, bodily gesture, or speech which does not befit a mature man, every too sensible affection being excluded; - and meekness, by which, without any manifestation of weariness, anger, impatience, or astonishment, he shows himself kind and gentle to all, putting on the bowels of mercy, not only when he questions, instructs, admonishes, and disposes, but also when he corrects, joining goodness to firmness. Wherefore

a) let him not flee from the troubles of the ministry on account of the multitude or rudeness of penitents, or on account of the mass of sins;

b) let him not prefer the rich and noble to the poor and rude, devout or little-devout women to men burdened with a graver fault, but let him embrace all with paternal affection, and especially the more miserable and those guilty of graver sins;

c) and if a great number of penitents is present, nevertheless let him not hasten more than is fitting, "so that, for the hearing of the confessions of many, there be a deficiency either concerning the integrity of confession, or concerning due disposition, or that he omit furnishing them necessary admonitions" (St. Alphonsus, Praxis confes., n. 179).

2. Patience, which especially befits a minister of Christ, and is very necessary for instructing the ignorant and rude, - for disposing those who approach unprepared, especially if they are occasionaries or relapsers, or have sinned much and have scarcely a spark of contrition, - for kindly receiving those who institute prolix confessions (as the scrupulous), especially if already the session of the sacred tribunal has lasted for long hours, - for not disturbing penitents, who thus could be exposed to the danger of keeping back sins.

3. Fortitude, lest from vain fear and pusillanimity, or from partiality, he omit to admonish and correct, especially the rich, noble, and powerful, and prescribe salutary remedies to them; for which reason let him not be too easy in admitting the good faith of those who neglect their grave duties.

4. Excellent purity, lest, while he cleanses the stains of others, he himself be stained.

5. Finally, as the prerequisite foundation of all other virtues: humility, by which he considers himself a sinner and one needing the mercy of Christ.

II. Observation. - Hence the opposed vices come to be avoided: harshness - impatience and precipitation - respect of persons - affectionate familiarity - vanity and estimation of one's own name. Cf. Aertnijs, Th. Past., n. 18 sq.

III. Especially concerning the charity of the confessor, St. Alphonsus deserves to be heard, H. Ap., tr. 21, n. 1 sq.:

"The confessor first must employ charity in receiving all kindly, whether they be poor, or rude, or sinners. Some spend time only in hearing the confessions of certain devout persons or of persons of standing, because they do not have so much courage as to repel these from themselves. Yet if some miserable sinner approaches them, he is heard with difficulty, and, burdened with insults, is driven away; whence it happens that that miserable man, after he has applied the greatest force to himself so that he might come to confess his sins, feeling himself received so harshly, conceives hatred toward the sacrament of Penance, and, despairing that he can find anyone who will help him and absolve him from sins, rushes headlong with loose reins into the slippery way of a ruined life, and falls into despair of salvation.

"Good confessors act otherwise. When sinners of this sort flock to them, they receive them kindly, and rejoice as a victor over captured prey, considering that the lot has fallen to them to snatch a soul from the hands of the devil. They know that this sacrament was properly instituted not for the just, but for sinners; for venial faults, that they may be remitted, do not need sacramental absolution, since they can be remedied in many other ways; they also know that Christ protested in these words: For I came not to call the just, but sinners (Mk. II, 17). Therefore the confessor, putting on the bowels of charity, the more he finds souls stained by the multitude and atrocity of sins, the more, that he may gain them for God, he embraces them with greater charity, and gives them courage by these or similar words: Come now, brother, be of good courage, do not fear; confess your sins fearlessly. Open all things confidently; be ashamed of nothing. It does not matter if you have not looked into all the folds of your conscience: it is sufficient if you answer the things asked. Give thanks to God, who has waited for you until now unto penance. Now your life must be changed. Rejoice, because God certainly remits all sins, however great, if you have a good will, and therefore He has waited for you, that He might spare you. Therefore with a cheerful mind say all things, cover nothing with wrappings.

"Then he must show far greater charity in receiving the confession. Let him beware lest he show himself impatient or affected by weariness, nor show that he is struck with admiration concerning the sins which are narrated, provided the penitent is not so hard in spirit or petulant that he would set forth more and more atrocious sins without any shame and without any displeasure and sense of soul; because then he has need, according to his powers, to bring it about that the deformity and magnitude of those sins be perceived by the penitent; and therefore then a sharper correction is required, that he may wake from his deadly lethargy. It is indeed true that in the act of confession confessors must abstain from making correction, lest perhaps penitents, being terrified, keep back sins; nevertheless this is understood as speaking regularly... Yet let him take care lest he exasperate or terrify the penitent. Wherefore after he has corrected him as much as necessary, immediately let him give him courage to confess the remaining sins, saying: Come now, brother, do you wish to recover from this vice? And since you are prepared to do this, be of cheerful mind. Therefore narrate the remaining sins, keeping back nothing. Beware, I ask you, lest you be about to commit a sacrilege. For this would be the greatest of all the sins which you have committed up to now. Therefore say all things with a strong mind, conquer yourself, confess all things sincerely: for God is prepared to spare you.

"Then, at the end of the confession, it is necessary that the confessor with more vehement ardor and zeal apply himself, that he make the penitent perceive the gravity and multitude of his sins, and the miserable state of damnation in which

they are found; but let this always be done with the greatest charity. Nevertheless it is more fitting then to use graver words, so that thus he may be able better to return to good fruit of mind; nevertheless he must bring it about that the penitent understand that what is said to him proceeds not from an angry spirit, but from singular love and compassion toward his soul. This could be expressed in this way: My son, do you consider the life of one damned, which you have led? Do you perceive the evil which you have done? What evil did your God ever do to you, whom you have so ruinously despised? If no one had been so hostile to you as Jesus Christ, could you have borne yourself worse toward Him? But, I ask you, consider who this Jesus is. He is the one who, though He was God, needing nothing, became man for you; He willed to die on the cross, that He might redeem you from hell. Ah, son, if meanwhile you had died, if this night, whither would you have gone? Where would you now be? You would be in the eternal fire of hell. What will become of you if you continue in the future to live the life led up to now? Will you be able thus to be saved? Awake, and see that, unless you change your morals for the better, already you are damned. What good have you gathered for yourself by so many sins?... Come then, son, turn away from evil, cease to sin, and commit yourself wholly into the arms of God, which are extended to receive you; enough, how much you have sinned against Him... For God is always prepared, and for this reason He has bestowed this time upon you, that you may turn away from evil and do good. Oh how good it is to have God as a friend..."