I was determined to have my confession even though I did not know how to confess. This afternoon [1], I went to church and saw Fr. Joseph, the pastor, praying on his knees in the sanctuary. During a short break, he noticed my presence and waved to me to approach. I did not feel comfortable standing so I knelt on the padded communion rail kneeler (a long prie-dieu [2]) to speak with him. He told me he was saying his prayers but will meet with me afterwards. I returned to the pew to pray. When the church bell rang, I looked up. Fr. Joseph was done with his prayers. He motioned me to follow him.
He led me to his office and he began by saying The Memorare prayer and two others before he started asking me questions. I told him that I was preparing to enter a new phase in my life, and asked if he was able to be my spiritual guide, and that I would like to have a confession except I did not know how to confess. He printed out a "checklist" that was almost one full page worth of single-spaced questions in four categories:
1. "God and My Faith in Him"
2. "Family Life and Friendships"
3. "The Gift of Sexuality" and
4. "Honesty".
The litany of questions under each category is embarrassing to approach on my own, let alone confessing my responses to a priest I met just today. Embarrassment aside, I have an appointment tomorrow to confess.
[1] This entry began on Saturday night but was posted after midnight.
[2] http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=prie-dieu
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