The Happy Priest on Making a Good Confession

The Sacrament Confession not only forgives sin.  Through this Sacrament, God purifies our soul from the people, places and things that we are attached to that cause us to sin.  The Sacrament of Confession also fills us with an increase in the gifts of faith, hope, charity and fortitude.  It provides us with a deeper knowledge of ourselves, it provides us with the graces that we need to avoid future sin and it brings us into a deeper intimacy with God. 

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - In this final article, let us take a close look as to how we make a good confession. 

First and foremost you have to form your conscience.  We hear a lot about following our conscience.  Yes, we do have to follow our conscience, but our conscience must be informed and well formed.  If we do not take the time to develop an informed and well formed conscience, an erroneous conscience will shipwreck our journey to eternal life. 

Our conscience must be formed by objective truth.  Basically this means that the 10 Commandments, the New Testament and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church comprise our road map to holiness, interior peace and eternal salvation. 

We inform and form our conscience by knowing what the Ten Commandments demand from us.  We live out the objective moral law by being imbued with the entire message of the Gospel.  We need to study and assimilate the teachings of the Catholic Church.  This means that we have to read.

If you can figure out who is playing on Monday night football, you can figure out what God expects of you.  The truth is not complicated.  In fact Jesus tells us, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" (John 8: 32).

Examine your conscience and plan out your confession before going into the confessional. It is not a bad idea to write out your confession.  Some people keep spiritual journals in order to track their spiritual progress.  If you have any mortal sins, it is necessary to tell them to the priest.  Do not get into details.  Just tell the priest your sins and how many times they occurred.  Then, proceed to tell him your venial sins.  It may not always be possible to remember every venial sin.  Focus on the venial sins that occur most often.  If you do not have any mortal sins, the frequent confession of venial sins is very healthy for spiritual progress.   

Confession is not only for the forgiveness of mortal sin.  The Sacrament of Reconciliation increases sanctifying grace and it allows us to know ourselves better. Sanctifying grace is a participation in God's inner life.  We are elevated and transformed through this gift that we received at our Baptism. 

We should go to Confession every month.  Although venial sins are forgiven by the reception of Holy Communion or an Act of Contrition, confessing our venial sins and imperfections is an excellent tool for spiritual progress.   The first goal of our spiritual journey is to eliminate mortal sin from our lives.  The second goal is to continue chipping away at our venial sins. 

The Sacrament Confession not only forgives sin.  Through this Sacrament, God purifies our soul from the people, places and things that we are attached to that cause us to sin.  The Sacrament of Confession also fills us with an increase in the gifts of faith, hope, charity and fortitude.  It provides us with a deeper knowledge of ourselves, it provides us with the graces that we need to avoid future sin and it brings about in us to a deeper intimacy with God. 

If you are dealing with mortal sin, do not sleep in mortal sin.  Find a good priest and go to Confession immediately.  Especially when dealing with sexual sin, it is very important to be very demanding on yourself.  It is possible to live habitually in the state of grace.  Again, this is the first goal of the spiritual life - to live in the state of grace, free from mortal sin. 

Mortal sin occurs when there is full knowledge that something is a sin; when there is full consent and when the act is grave or serious.  A venial sin occurs when there is full knowledge that something is a sin; when there is full consent, but the act is less grave or serious.  Temptation is not a sin.  There is no need to mention temptations or struggles within the Sacrament of Confession. 

Remember, a priest can never tell anyone what you have spoken to him about within the Sacrament of Confession.  The seal of the Sacrament of Confession is very serious and a priest can never say anything to anyone, even in order to protect his own life or reputation.  Whatever you say in the confessional stays in the confessional. 

It is essential that you always remember never to repeat to your confessor a sin, no matter how embarrassing that sin may have been, ever again.  It is over because it is over.  A sin that you have confessed to a priest is forgiven by God forever.  God can forgive anyone of anything.  Forgive yourself and keep moving forward.  Discouragement is a huge obstacle in the spiritual life. 

The Sacrament of Confession is your best weapon in your fight against sin and spiritual tepidity.  The Sacrament of Confession is the first act of the Risen Lord.  On Easter Sunday Jesus gave the Church the authority to forgive sins.  "Receive the Holy Spirit.  For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained" (John 20: 22-23).

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