The Sacrament of Reconciliation
A Deeper Understanding of Confession
“I desire trust from My creatures. Encourage souls to place great trust in My fathomless mercy. Let the weak, sinful soul have no fear to approach Me, for even if it had more sins than there are grains of sand in the world, all would be drowned in the unmeasurable depths of My mercy.” ~Jesus to St. Faustina (Diary 1059)
Accepting the Love of God
To go to confession allows Jesus to pour out His mercy on you. He desires to pour out His mercy and grace, especially if you are very wounded and dirty. Not to go to confession means to hide in lowliness, afraid that you are not worthy to receive His embrace, His mercy. Receiving forgiveness and forgiving are reciprocal; we can’t have one without the other.
To go to confession means to say, “Father, forgive me because, with my sin, I chose to be unhappy. Now I come to you and tell you that I am sorry, so you can cleanse me.” We need to say that we are sorry and that we will try to avoid sins; we need to name our sins to allow God’s grace to come in us. Saint Augustine says that the Lord who created you without your cooperation cannot save you without your cooperation.
What is Sin?
Sin is to prefer an inferior good to God.
Our relativistic culture would say, “Don’t worry, the sin doesn’t exist; what you have done is okay.”
Some religions would condemn the sinners (like they were trying to do by stoning the adulterous woman in the Gospel of John).
Jesus doesn’t deny the sin but doesn’t condemn the sinner, “Go, I do not condemn you and do not sin anymore” (John 8:11).
How Often Should We Go To Confession?
If we are in a state of mortal sin, a serious offense to God (CCC 1856), we should go right away, because we don’t want to be deprived of the life of God and of the relationship with Him. Mortal sin is like a big stain on your clothes. We don’t want to go around with it. Since the mortal sin kills the life of God in our souls, we cannot feed the “dead soul” with the Eucharist, that is the food for the soul, but we need to go to confession before receiving the Eucharist again (even if it can be embarrassing to stay in your pew or cross your arms while everybody else is receiving communion).
If we are in a state of venial (not grave) sin, we still need to go to confession once a year, as a minimum (CCC 1457). The Church encourages her children to go even more often (once a month or more) (CCC 1458). Even if we don’t have a big stain on our clothes, we want to do laundry regularly and not to wait till there is a stain. Regular confession gives you more grace. You will “smell of Christ”, like clean clothes are spotless and also fragrant. Regular confession will give you a greater intimacy with the Lord. Check when the priest is available in your parish and take advantage of the sacrament. Think about a ribbon that unites us and God. When we cut the ribbon by sin we are separated from him. When we go to confession we make a knot and the relationship is restored. After a few times, you notice that the distance between the two ends of the ribbon is shorter. There is more intimacy.
Is God Scandalized by My Sins? - NO!
He is like a mother, who is not scandalized by her baby, when he needs to be changed.
God already knows our sins; He wants us not to be afraid of Him.
He died for this (this is why He poured out His blood, so that sins may be forgiven). He knows we need forgiveness because we are sinners.
He died so that we can be forgiven; He is not surprised that we are weak. He wants us to bring all of it in the light of His mercy.
Will the Priest Be Scandalized? - NO!
He rejoices for the victory of the Lamb of God, who takes away your sin. That sin, once confessed, doesn’t exist anymore.
He has already heard many times the sins you will confess; you will not surprise him with something original. The devil is boring and not creative.
He will not remember you and your sins.
He cannot say or mention anything that you say in the confessional, because of the seal, it is a secret.
Why Is It Necessary to Go To Confession?
For us Catholics it is not enough to speak directly to God.
Jesus himself instituted the sacrament of reconciliation. (John 20:19-23) (CCC 1425-1429)
We are human, with body and soul. We need to hear with our ears that we are forgiven.
Jesus, Himself, is in the priest during the sacrament. Everybody would like to be open with Jesus, so he instituted confession, so that you and I can have the same experience of receiving His loving forgiveness as much as the people of Israel 2000 years ago. (CCC 1441-1442)
When we commit a sin, we damage the whole Church, because we are a people on the same boat. Confession allows us to ask and receive forgiveness from the Church through the priest.
How to Confess Our Sins? (CCC 1451-1460)
We need to be very open and say frankly all of our sins. Our souls are like a carpet, in order to vacuum it well, you need to unfold it well, so that every corner gets clean. (CCC 1456)
We need to repent and desire not to do it anymore. (CCC 1431)
I need to do the penance to show that I care and I want to change and be healed. (CCC 1446, 1448, 1451, 1459, 1460)
I can prepare for it by a daily examination of conscience. (CCC 1454)
What Are the Effects of Going to Confession?
God gives me His own life. I get grace. (CCC 1432)
He heals me from the wounds of the original sin. It gives me light to see the good and strength to do the good.
Reconciliation with God and the Church.
Remission of eternal consequences of sin (Hell). (CCC 1468, 1496)
Conversion
Conversion means to change direction, to turn back from the wrong way. When we go to confession we stop looking at our embarrassing sins and we focus on the mercy of God. I don’t look at my stains anymore but at the loving gaze of Jesus who wants to make me holy and bring me home in Heaven with Him!