"I Confess"

(from Alfred Hitchcock's "I Confess")

•  "A poll conducted in November by EWTN News and RealClear Politics showed approximately 36% of Catholics go to confession at least once a year, which is the minimum frequency required by the Catholic Church. Even among self-described 'most active' Catholics, who say they accept all or most of the Church's teachings, only 52% go to confession at least once a year.
  
  "Only 6% of Catholics are going at least once a month to the sacrament of reconciliation, an interval that is within the frequency recommended by confessors and recent popes. And that was before the coronavirus pandemic interrupted normal confession routines....
  
  "creating a culture where frequent sacramental confession is normal in Catholic life really depends on how the clergy approach confession. If they downplay the seriousness of sin or the need to reconcile with God, people will not realize what God is offering them in the sacrament, which is first and foremost about 'reconciliation with God'....
  
  "'If we're willing to go through such efforts to save the life of the body, which eventually is going to die anyway, we should make stronger efforts to save the life of the soul, which will live on in eternity'....
  
  "'we need to preach the truth boldly and be that lion roaring, just like John the Baptist in the wilderness, that Jesus Christ is here. But then when it comes to those moments of encounter [in the confessional], we need to be that merciful lamb'....
  
  "'The reality is we need to leave confessional going, "Wow, Lord, I'm so grateful for Your mercy. I need to rely upon You more. How can I rely upon You more? How can I leave this confessional saying, 'Okay, Jesus, it's now You and me'"' (National Catholic Register, 4/4/20)