Last night I was asked to give a talk to the Salesian Cooperators of Chertsey. They were about 20 of them present. I was asked to speak about Don Bosco and the Sacrament of reconciliation. I shared of how my personal insight changed my understanding of Don Bosco's notion of confession.
The sacrament of reconciliation was always a kind of obligation that I felt needed to be fulfilled, earlier as a baptised member of the Church and then much more later as a professed Salesian. However, it was only a few years ago that I began to really appreciate the sacrament for its great value. And it was mostly the person of the confessor that made a whole difference in this aspect. Have seen ample confessors who were so strict and abiding by the rule that confession was a real act of pain and suffering. After the confession it a sense of relief that a 'job' is done, rather than savouring the grace of being blessed!
What changed for me was the simple insight that the "Father knows!" So it was not something new that I was speaking to him about. There was nothing that would surprise Him, given the fact that I'm living in His presence. So what's the whole confession about if He already knows? It is basically an acknowledgement of my present state of life, coupled with a genuine desire to be better. This realisation helped me change my attitude towards confession and I really began to cherish this sacrament.
Don Bosco's own writings and goodnights are rife with hell, sin, death, and all that stuff usually related to the sacrament of reconciliation, as was the trend of his times. However, from my reading of his teachings, he never advocated confession to his boys as a fulfilment of an ecclesial obligation. He always recommended it as a means of personal experience, for growth and progress. Boys loved going to confession to him. He personally gained and learned much about this sacrament from his own confessor, Joseph Cafasso. It was from all that reading and especially observing the following photo of Don Bosco (one of the earliest original photos of DB) that it struck me that the boys not only were convinced of the fact that the "Father knows", but also felt greatly reassured by the knowledge that even "Don Bosco knows!" So it was a double, "Father knows!"
Confession was not restricted to the confessional anymore. It was a continued relationship. It is in this light that Don Bosco's quote made great sense to me:
As I was putting down these thoughts for the talk, it then occurred to me why Don Rua felt greatly pained when in 1908, the Vatican forbid the Rector to be the regular confessor of inmates. I always thought he should have felt happy that he could focus more on being with the boys rather than being confined to the confessional. But like Don Bosco, he had grown so intimately with his boys that not being with them in the confessional was like cutting out one important portion of their lives. I realized how difficult it would have been for his boys! That is not recorded anywhere! In my years in the formation commission, I had neatly collapsed the distinct roles of the rector, as best non-compatible. But I also understood my predicament why there should be such a fuss about Rector also being the confessor (and final authority on voting). If I've been open to him, in and out of the confessional, I should have nothing to fear. And if it in confidence that I have opened up to him, then I am also convinced that what he says and does is for my own good - even if it meant him asking me to pack up and go home! Of course, in all of this the person of the rector or confessor does make a huge difference!
The sacrament of reconciliation was always a kind of obligation that I felt needed to be fulfilled, earlier as a baptised member of the Church and then much more later as a professed Salesian. However, it was only a few years ago that I began to really appreciate the sacrament for its great value. And it was mostly the person of the confessor that made a whole difference in this aspect. Have seen ample confessors who were so strict and abiding by the rule that confession was a real act of pain and suffering. After the confession it a sense of relief that a 'job' is done, rather than savouring the grace of being blessed!
What changed for me was the simple insight that the "Father knows!" So it was not something new that I was speaking to him about. There was nothing that would surprise Him, given the fact that I'm living in His presence. So what's the whole confession about if He already knows? It is basically an acknowledgement of my present state of life, coupled with a genuine desire to be better. This realisation helped me change my attitude towards confession and I really began to cherish this sacrament.
Don Bosco's own writings and goodnights are rife with hell, sin, death, and all that stuff usually related to the sacrament of reconciliation, as was the trend of his times. However, from my reading of his teachings, he never advocated confession to his boys as a fulfilment of an ecclesial obligation. He always recommended it as a means of personal experience, for growth and progress. Boys loved going to confession to him. He personally gained and learned much about this sacrament from his own confessor, Joseph Cafasso. It was from all that reading and especially observing the following photo of Don Bosco (one of the earliest original photos of DB) that it struck me that the boys not only were convinced of the fact that the "Father knows", but also felt greatly reassured by the knowledge that even "Don Bosco knows!" So it was a double, "Father knows!"
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| Notice the faces of the boys. They are so serene. No one's distracted or curious about the photograph itself - given this is the earliest history of photography (at least in the oratory) |
Want to be saints? Here's the secret: Confession is the lock; the confidence in the confessor is the key. This is how you open heaven's gates.Confession is the lock. Confidence in the confessor is the key! My earliest experience of shame and fear and guilt were replaced by a sense of love and comfort. Mostly thanks to some of my confessors, especially Fr Lens. With him, I was at home. I did not have to be different. I did not have to sift and mince words. There was no fear or shame. He knew me well enough that there was no need of a confession at all; but me confessing was me taking responsibility for my growth and him assuring his - and God's - continued support!
As I was putting down these thoughts for the talk, it then occurred to me why Don Rua felt greatly pained when in 1908, the Vatican forbid the Rector to be the regular confessor of inmates. I always thought he should have felt happy that he could focus more on being with the boys rather than being confined to the confessional. But like Don Bosco, he had grown so intimately with his boys that not being with them in the confessional was like cutting out one important portion of their lives. I realized how difficult it would have been for his boys! That is not recorded anywhere! In my years in the formation commission, I had neatly collapsed the distinct roles of the rector, as best non-compatible. But I also understood my predicament why there should be such a fuss about Rector also being the confessor (and final authority on voting). If I've been open to him, in and out of the confessional, I should have nothing to fear. And if it in confidence that I have opened up to him, then I am also convinced that what he says and does is for my own good - even if it meant him asking me to pack up and go home! Of course, in all of this the person of the rector or confessor does make a huge difference!
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