Confession

Jesus entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to the Church.  The Sacrament of Penance is God's gift to us so that any sin committed after Baptism can be forgiven.  In confession we have the opportunity to repent and recover the grace of friendship with God. It is a holy moment in which we place ourselves in his presence and honestly acknowledge our sins, especially mortal sins.  With absolution, we are reconciled to God and the Church. The Sacrament helps us stay close to the truth that we cannot live without God. "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). 

USCCB, Penance

by Rev. Ian M. Bozant

In a modern American mindset, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on privacy. As such, the idea of confessing one’s sins to another person can seem odd or even unnecessary. Often, the most common argument against this idea is that Almighty God knows all things and desires all people to approach him in prayer, so it seems sufficient to simply confess one’s sins and beg for forgiveness in private prayer. While venial sin may, in fact, be forgiven in many ways, the Catholic Church teaches that it is necessary to confess one’s mortal sins to a priest in the Sacrament of Penance in order to receive forgiveness from God. This teaching is based on our fundamental reality as human beings, on Sacred Scripture, and on a knowledge of sin’s personal and communal effects.....

". . . . In other words, there is no sin, not even the most intimate and secret one, the most strictly individual one, that exclusively concerns the person committing it. With greater or lesser violence, with greater or lesser harm, every sin has repercussions on the entire ecclesial body and the whole human family” (RP, no. 16). Thus, each and every sin in some way affects the whole Body of Christ.

It is precisely this truth that can help one understand the need to confess one’s sins to a priest. Certainly, the priest stands in the Person of Christ offering the forgiveness of Almighty God to the penitent in accord with our Lord’s command in the Gospel of John discussed earlier. But the priest himself does not lose his humanity or his membership in the Body of Christ when he hears the confession of penitents and pronounces the words of absolution. Thus, the priest is a representative of the Church and functions on behalf of God as well. In this way, the priest can reconcile the penitent with God himself, who has been offended by the sins confessed, but the priest can also reconcile the penitent with the Church, whose members have, in some mystical way, been effected by those same sins. Recognizing the truth of one’s membership in the Body of Christ, the penitent should desire to make amends in some way for the effect that sin has had on the fellow members of the Body of Christ. Confessing one’s sins to the priest satisfies this demand of true contrition and sets the penitent back in right relationship with God and his holy Church.

Often, many object to the notion of confessing one’s sins to another person. People feel uncomfortable and ashamed telling others of the wrongs they have committed, but, in some sense, this is appropriate. Each person guilty of sin should be ashamed, at least in some way, of his or her transgression and feel some sorrow for the sins he or she has committed. This helps to prepare the penitent’s soul for the forgiveness of Almighty God and is in itself a grace leading the soul back to right relationship with our Blessed Lord, which should be a source of great consolation! There may always be some sense of trepidation and fear when one approaches the confessional, but with great humility, the priest opens the doors of God’s mercy to the contrite penitent, filling the soul with grace and repairing the bond with Almighty God and his Church that was damaged by sin.

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According to the Church's command, "after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year."56 Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unless he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to confession.57 Children must go to the sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time.58

Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church.59 Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the Father's mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful.60

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1457-1458

1. I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me. 
-Do I give God time every day in prayer?
-Do I seek to love Him with my whole heart? 
-Have I been involved with superstitious practices or with the occult? 
-Do I seek to surrender myself to God’s word as taught by the Church? 
-Have I received communion in the state of mortal sin? 
-Have I deliberately told a lie in Confession or have I withheld a mortal sin in Confession?
-Are there other "gods" in my life, for example, money, security, power, people, etc.? 
-How much time do I spend on entertainment via technology every day?  Is it more or less than my prayer time?  Has it negatively  impacted my family relationships? 

1. You always have the option to go to confession anonymously, that is, behind a screen or face to face, if you so desire. 

2. After the priest greets you in the name of Christ, make the sign of the cross. He may choose to recite a reading from Scripture, after which you say:  

“Bless me Father for I have sinned.

I am _________________.  (disclose your state in life, for example, I am a single man/woman, a married man/woman, a divorced man/woman, a priest, a religious, etc.).   

It has been (state how long) since my last confession. These are my sins.” 

3. Tell your sins simply and honestly to the priest. You might even want to discuss the circumstances and the root causes of your sins and ask the priest for advice or direction.  Remember to be specific as to what kind and with what frequency (how many times and how often) you have committed each sin.  Also, be careful not to use others’ names in the course of your confession.  When you are finished telling the priest your sins, say:  

“I am sorry for these and all the sins of my past life.” 

4. Listen to the advice the priest gives you and accept the penance from him. Then, make an Act of Contrition for your sins. 

Oh my God, I am sorry for my sins  with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong And failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name, my God, have mercy. Amen. 

5. The priest will give you absolution. 

6.  The priest will then dismiss you.  He may use a formula such as: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.”  You would respond:  “For His mercy endures forever.”  

The priest may conclude with: "The Lord has freed you from your sins. Go in peace."  You would respond by saying:  “Thanks be to God.” 

7. Spend some time with Our Lord thanking and praising Him for the gift of His mercy. Try to perform your penance as soon as possible.