There doesn't have to be confusion about the Synoptic Gospels. Even though they "don't seem" to agree on some of the details don't get caught up on the differences, because the differences within the stories don't matter. What does matter is that although the authors of each of the Gospels are speaking to a different audience, they are presenting aspects of the same Jesus. So whether the stories being told in the Gospels agree isn't important, because it is the Truth of the person of Jesus.
For the writers of the Gospels, as it is for us today, their experience of Jesus was different because of their personal histories. The material used by the writers may or may not have actually happened, or may have happened one way and not another, but nevertheless, what is written is true to the spirit of Jesus' character. Jesus is the Truth that we find in the Bible and Tradition, so the question is "What did this story mean in its setting", and it is not "Did this actually happen". We should be thankful that whoever selected the four Gospels wanted to celebrate the diversity and not preserve just one version.
Catholic understanding has always been allegorical, and not literal or fundamental. The Gospels are a single message of the story of Jesus' life and teaching recorded by different authors and presented to different audiences. The truth is the message in the words and stories found in the Bible, and not in its historical details. The Bible "contains" the Word of God with a message that is as important today as it was yesterday. Jesus "is" the Word of God who continues to proclaim God's message for us.
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