Confession

Why should I go to Confession?

If you haven’t been to Confession in a while, the Catholic Church wants to welcome you back and invite you to participate in this beautiful sacrament of healing. Take a step in faith. You’ll be surprised how free you feel after participating in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Many Catholics describe feelings of peace, joy, relief, and love they did not expect. Jesus is calling you to experience His mercy in this way too.

What are some benefits of going to Confession?

• Confession helps us to better "know ourselves". St. Augustine and countless other saints and doctors of the Church emphasize the importance of self-knowledge. By knowing ourselves better, we see how fallen we are and how much we need God’s help and grace. Frequent Confession helps remind us to rely on God to help rid us of our sins.
• Confession helps us overcome vice. The grace we receive from Confession makes it easier to combat faults and to break bad habits than we could by ourselves without the sacramental grace.
• Confession brings us peace. Guilt from the sins we commit can make us feel all mixed up inside and cause us to lose our peace and joy. Hearing God’s forgiving words from the priest lifts a burden and restores peace of heart and soul.
• Confession helps us become more like Jesus. Jesus was perfectly humble, perfectly generous, perfectly patient, perfectly loving–perfectly everything! Don’t you wish you could be as humble, generous, patient, and loving as Jesus? Saints throughout history have felt that way too, and they have frequented the Sacrament of Reconciliation to help transform them into people who are more like Christ. Little images of Christ–that’s what saints are!
• Confession strengthens our will. Each time we receive Confession, God strengthens our will and our self-control to be able to resist the temptations that confront us in our lives. We become more resolute to follow God’s will and not our own whims.

The list of benefits is long. But you have to go to reap them. Going to Confession regularly will truly change your life. The words of absolution in the Confessional are truly beautiful: “I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Jesus is waiting to forgive you–all you have to do is ask! Don’t miss out any longer on the healing power of Confession.

Why do Catholics confess sins to a priest? Only God can forgive sins...

The sacrament of Penance is the way which God has chosen to administer that forgiveness. Jesus exercised the power to forgive sins "that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" (Mt 8:6). And Jesus to the Apostles in Jn 20:21-23 reads: "... As the Father has sent Me, so I send you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them: 'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.'"

Why do I receive a penance?

To complete the process, a penance is imposed. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all disorders caused by sin. While we are not capable of truly satisfying God for the evil we have done and its consequences, we must make satisfaction for our sin through some action or prayer that will express our desire to make amends and to repair something of the disorder, damage or harm which our sinful actions have brought into the world. The penance imposed takes into account the penitent's personal situation and serves to support his or her spiritual good. It corresponds as much as possible to the gravity of the sins confessed. It may be a prayer, an offering, works of mercy, sacrifices or service to another. But this penance is in a real way our share in the Cross and helps us to be more closely joined to Christ. Therefore, it is necessary that the act of penance really be a remedy for sin and a help to renewal of life.

How often should I go to Confession?

Individual and integral confession remains the only ordinary way for us to reconcile ourselves with God and the Church. A Catholic who has committed mortal (grave) sin is obliged to seek God's forgiveness in this sacrament as soon as possible. In ordinary circumstances, a Catholic who has committed mortal sin should not receive Holy Communion before receiving sacramental absolution. Not only does God forgive our sins, but we also receive the power of God's grace to struggle against sin and to be strengthened in our commitment to God and the Church. So powerful is the grace of this sacrament that the Introduction to the Rite of Penance reminds us that frequent and careful celebration of this sacrament is also very useful as a remedy for venial sins. This is not a mere ritual repetition or psychological exercise, but a serious striving to perfect the grace of baptism so that, as we bear in our body the death of Jesus Christ, his life may be seen in us ever more clearly.

Five steps for a good Confession

1. Examine your conscience.
2. Be sincerely sorry for your sins.
3. Confess your sins to a priest.
4. Resolve to amend your life.
5. After your confession, do the penance the priest assigns.

Examination of Conscience

Answer honestly the following questions:

• Have I used God’s name or the name of Jesus with respect?
• Have I honored God by saying my prayers?
• Have I done my best to pay attention at Mass and to pray and sing with my parish?
• Have I shown love to my parents and others who care for me by listening and always doing as they ask?
• Have I lied to my parents or teachers?
• Have I been helpful to my brothers and sisters?
• Have I been mean to others or treated them unkindly?
• Have I played fairly, avoided calling names or telling lies about someone?
• Have I taken care of others’ belongings or taken what does not belong to me?
• Did I share my things with others?

The differences in sins

There are two kinds of actual sin: mortal and venial. A mortal sin is a serious offense that destroys the life of grace in the soul. Three conditions must be met for a mortal sin: (1) the act must be something very serious; (2) the person must have sufficient understanding of what is being done; (3) the person must have sufficient freedom of the will. So I cannot commit a mortal sin if the matter is not serious (e.g., if I stole a small pencil from my friend), or if I did not know what I was doing (e.g., if I were to hurt someone accidentally or unthinkingly), or if I did not act with full freedom (e.g., I was under physical or emotional pressure). A Catholic should know well the difference between mortal and venial sins. Deliberately missing Sunday Mass without sufficient cause is to be considered a very serious mortal sin.

Procedure in the Confessional

1. You say: 'Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been – (state the length of time) – since my last confession. These are my sins.'
2. Then tell your sins committed since your last confession. When finished, say: 'For these and all the sins of my past, I am truly sorry.'
3. The priest gives advice, assigns penance, and asks you to say the Act of Contrition.
4. Act of Contrition: 'O my Lord, I am deeply sorry for all my sins; help me to live like Jesus and not sin again. Amen.'
5. Listen as the priest gives the absolution. Say: 'Thank you, Father.', then leave the confessional and perform the penance assigned.

Examination guided by the Ten Commandments

Jesus is waiting to forgive you. Don’t miss out on the healing power of Confession.