Confession as the Sign of Hope
One
The Virtue of Hope
The theological virtue of hope is the virtue that keeps you striving for union with God and Heaven. It’s the virtue by which you pursue heaven as a place you want to go and a place you will go if you just keep at it.
On the other hand, if you don’t have hope, it means you’ve given up. That you’re not going to try anymore. You’re not going to keep striving for perfection. You’re not going to work on getting over your sins. You’re not going to work on being more loving towards others. You’re not going to work on becoming more intimate with God. But if you give up on those things, then you can’t be saved. Because heaven is for those who are filled with love, who delight in perfect unity with the Lord, and who have completely gotten over their sins.
So what is the number one thing you can do to maintain your hope? What’s the best practice for not giving up?
Two
The Enemies of Hope
The two things that kill hope are despair and presumption.
Despair is when you quit the Christian struggle out of discouragement. You say, “Oh, forget it. I can’t win. There are too many issues in my soul, in my life, in my marriage. I can’t kick these bad habits. I’ve been trying forever and nothing’s worked. I’ve just got too much baggage at this point. I give up.”
Presumption is when you quit the Christian struggle out of a false sense of complacency. You say, “You know, I think I’m in pretty good shape. I’m a good person, haven’t axe murdered anyone lately, and I’m not going to worry about it anymore. I think I’ll just coast from here.”
Both of those attitudes kill your progress and trust me, we all need to progress an awful lot before we get to heaven. So again, how do we maintain our hope? Or, to put it differently, how do we resist the temptation to despair or presumption? Probably the number one answer is: the sacrament of Confession.
Three
Confession Fights Despair
If you’re going to Confession at least once a month, it means you haven’t given up. It means you still want to be clean, to be pure, to be good. It means you believe it’s possible to do better, and you’re going to try. Why else would you go, right? Nobody goes and tells the things they’re most ashamed of to some random guy in a little awkward box just for the fun of it. You go to confession for the same reason you go to the doctor’s, because you want to get well, and you still believe it’s possible to get well.
So if you’re still going to confession, praise God. Because that means that no matter how discouraged you may feel, you still apparently haven’t given up hope. And hope is the virtue that takes you to Heaven.
Four
Confession Fights Presumption
If you’re going to confession regularly, it also means you haven’t given into complacency. You only go to confession for the same reason you go to the ER, because you know something’s wrong. The vice of presumption comes from being unwilling to really be honest with yourself about how low you’ve fallen, how badly you’ve behaved. It’s a failure to take stock of your deficits, a refusal to take a long, hard, honest look at your moral losses. And, just like in accounting, if you refuse to tally up your deficits and your losses, there’s a good chance you’ll end up bankrupt before you know it.
But going to confession shows that you’re willing to really examine the books, so you can see where you’re failing, and do what you need to in order to address those failings. And if you’re willing to do that on a regular basis, to rigorously and honestly give yourself an audit before God, then it means you haven’t just fallen into a lazy complacency where you assume everything’s all right and refuse to think any more about it.
It means you still have hope. And hope is the virtue that takes you to heaven.
Five
Confession and Hope
People might think of confession as a depressing sacrament, and certainly, it can be unpleasant to go through all your habitual defects, again and again. But remember Confession is always a sign of Hope, maybe the greatest sign of hope there is. So never be discouraged before, during, or after a Confession.
Remind yourself while you’re in the confession line, or afterward when you’re kneeling in the pews, saying your penance, that by being there, asking God’s forgiveness, and receiving the grace to do better, by going to confession you are telling God that you won’t give up, that you realize you still have a long way to go, that you need a lot of healing, and that you trust that He can and will heal you.
Remind yourself that the Lord heals those who ask and helps those who try. If you’re going to confession, it means you still have hope. And the Lord grants salvation to those who hope in Him.
Suggested Resolutions:
Choose one resolution for today to help you grow closer to God, or create your own. Here are some ideas to inspire you.
Start by dedicating yourself to a daily examination of conscience.
Research and write down all the confession times in your area and keep that list readily available by putting it on your fridge, keeping it on your phone, or in your car.
If you don’t already, commit to monthly confession.