Penance Services have become very popular in recent years. People gather in a church, pray, listen to the scriptures and together examine their consciences. They then approach a priest to confess their sins. Many priests are happy if people simply say they are sorry, even giving just one example.
Certainly, if a person feels in conscience that they can only mention the fact they have sinned in general terms, without mentioning them, that is fine. They will receive the Lord's glad pardon and forgiveness.
The parable of the Prodigal Son in St Luke's Gospel gives us an example of that. But the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation brings us further. I believe it is a good thing for people to confess their sins, even if vaguely and without too much detail. "Name the devil and break his power" is an old proverb. Identify the problem and you are half way there to conquering the difficulty.
It is not easy to admit being wrong and "I am sorry" is often hard to say. If the priest does not give the person a chance to mention the particular sins or, indeed, tells them there is no need, I believe that person is being short-changed.
And people get used to that. It is the way of human nature: do the least that you can get away with. It is a bit like going to the doctor.
"And what's wrong with you?" the doctor asks. "Well, I'd prefer not to tell you," replies the patient, "just try and guess."
Sometimes what is needed is a little encouragement to talk, to open up. It can often be the case that a problem shared is a problem solved.
But equally, it is my experience that when people have a serious sin, once they get over the hurdle of naming it they find relief.
The Penance Service does not offer much time for this. When confessors tell a penitent it's OK just to say I have sinned, we can also rob the confession of its potential. Sin wounds and penance heals.
In the film The Mission, the character played by Robert de Niro insists on carrying a heavy bundle up a mountain. He has taken on this penance in expiation of the sin of murder. Even when encouraged by a Jesuit priest, played by Jeremy Irons, to drop the burden, he refuses to do so.
It is obvious that the de Niro character wants to carry his self-imposed penance to the limit. Confessors are always urged to understand the individual and to treat each case accordingly. We are asked to apply the law of gradualness, i.e. taking people gently from where they are at and helping them arrive at their potential for good.
One of the priest's tasks, or privileges, is to help people form their conscience in the light of the Gospel.
Recently, I asked a group of eight-year-old schoolchildren what the name is of the little voice which helps us know what is right and what is wrong.
Thirty young faces looked at me benignly and blankly. "It begins with C," I offered helpfully. Eventually one child completed the thought process and raised his hand with energetic confidence. "Jimminy Cricket," he beamed.
In the past, confession had become a matter of rote for many and, indeed, it still is. Sitting in a stuffy wooden box which resembles an oversize wardrobe is not my idea of fun.
A friend once remarked that hearing confessions is like being stoned to death with popcorn. Yet for all the dross, it often happens that the encounter with Jesus can have worthwhile results for people. The priest is merely the vehicle, not a trained counsellor.
If people genuinely feel they have done wrong then they want to confess it to God and receive His forgiveness.
Confession gives us the chance to reflect on the recent past and see what good things have been achieved and what bad things have been committed. It improves our understanding of morality. I believe much of the violence among the young today is a result of this diminished sense of sin and responsibility.
Many adults have let the young down by not helping them understand the difference between right and wrong and, indeed, by never challenging them to fulfil the potential of their youth.
I emphatically do not advocate a return to the "number and kind" days, when mathematical precision was almost a prerequisite. Confession is above all intended to help. Never, never to hinder.
Father Michael Collins is a priest of the Dublin Archdiocese. He is also co-author, with Matt Price, of The Story of Christianity