Are You Listening?

Some days I feel like a bobble head doll just shaking my head over the insanity in the Church. What's the latest? Listening centers instead of confessionals for the pope's Corpus Christi trip to Spain. Truth these days is stranger than fiction.

At the risk of boring readers by bringing up the film Catholics again; it's just too à propos to ignore. In the 1973 dystopian movie with Martin Sheen and Trevor Howard, (rebranded as Conflict), the modern Church has ditched private confessions along with the Traditional Latin Mass and belief in the Real Presence. It's a new world. The TLM and private confession are so yesterday! No need anymore in the new and improved ecumenical church which has welcomed Protestants and is preparing to accommodate the Buddhists next. But notice in the trailer above how intently the young priest listens to the elderly priest. We've heard the word dialogue used over and over in the synodal church. Its partner is "listening." We are not only a dialoguing church, but a listening church. What a comfort!

So back to the book and the film. Author Brian Moore had another apparently prophetic moment when he talked about the change in confession described by the fictional young priest, Fr. Kinsella. No more private confession. 

Lest I confuse anyone, let me be clear. Spain hasn't eliminated private confessions during the pope's visit. But confession has definitely been sidelined in favor of the "listening centers." Lay "listening agents" who will be "specifically trained" for the job will be eager to provide an ear, especially for the young. The lay listeners will be all over the place instead of priests. But really, who needs confession when professionally trained laity are available? This approach matches the use of all the lay ministers crowding the sanctuary during the Novus Ordo Mass. 

To be fair, confession will be offered at the Almudena Cathedral the day before the pope arrives. With a capacity of about 2,000, the other hundreds of thousands expected for the papal visit will be on their own to find another place and a priest to whom they can confess their sins and receive absolution. 

Why am I not surprised? We continue to be gifted with novel approaches from the modern synodal church. No doubt the "listening sessions" will make people want to confess, right? Or maybe the sheep will have an aha moment and realize private confession really isn't that important. Whose brilliant idea was this anyway?

When I first read about the listening centers, I had to check it out at several sources to make sure it wasn't a joke or a proposed skit for Saturday Night Live. Is this not typical of the modern Church? Don't give the flock priests, but offer counselors who can listen to and affirm their grievances. They can describe and complain about all the unfairness of life in faux therapy instead of confessing to priests who can help them recognize their own sins and lead them to repentance. 

But I'm forgetting -- all are saved. Cheap mercy is on the menu and we can have a reasonable belief that hell is empty. Why bother with that embarrassing and unpleasant visit to the box? Just say the Chaplet of Divine Mercy occasionally and your entrance to heaven is guaranteed.

Hey! Maybe even the demons are going to be welcomed back in the end? 

Ya think?

A final thought. While we're talking about listening, how about the Vatican listening to those who want the traditional Mass and Sacraments? Who hears the cri de coeur of those who simply want to worship the Lord the way the saints and doctors of the Church did for almost 2000 years?  Can we hope to see some listening centers in St. Peter's Square manned by the curia to hear our voices? I'm not holding my breath!