The Sacrament of Confession, also known as the Sacrament of Penance and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, is one of the least understood, and least utilized, sacraments in the Catholic Church. In reconciling us to God, it is a great source of grace, and Catholics are encouraged to take advantage of it often, even if they are not aware of having committed a mortal sin. Confession is the telling of our sins to a duly authorized priest, for the purpose of obtaining forgiveness. Christ has fully satisfied for our sins and after our baptism we were free from all guilt and had no satisfaction to make. But when we willfully sinned after baptism, it is but just that we should be obliged to make some satisfaction. Given that sin destroys our relationship with God and undermines our relationship with each other, reconciliation designates that precise effect of Christ’s redemption of the human race and restores our relationship with God and humans.
Christ breaks down the barriers that sin raises between us and God, and within the human family. Our conversion from sin and reception of divine mercy are continually renewed by confession. Serious sin separates us from the body of the church, and sacramental penance reconciles us with God and the community of His people.
21 “Peace be with you,” Jesus said to them again. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.” (John 20:21-23)
Sophia Sketchpad: Confession (7:55)
The Purpose of Confession
The purpose of Confession is to reconcile man to God. When we sin, we deprive ourselves of God’s grace. And by doing so, we make it even easier to sin some more. The only way out of this downward cycle is to acknowledge our sins, to repent of them, and to ask God’s forgiveness. Then, in the Sacrament of Confession, grace can be restored to our souls, and we can once again resist sin.
Confession is a Place of Victory (8:02)
Why Is Confession Necessary?
Non-Catholics, and even many Catholics, often ask whether they can confess their sins directly to God and whether God can forgive them without going through a priest. On the most basic level, of course, the answer is yes, and Catholics should make frequent acts of contrition, which are prayers in which we tell God that we are sorry for our sins and ask for His forgiveness.
But the question misses the point of the Sacrament of Confession. The sacrament, by its very nature, confers graces that help us to live a Christian life, which is why the Church requires us to receive it at least once per year. (See Five Precepts of the Church for more details.) Moreover, it was instituted by Christ as the proper form for the forgiveness of our sins. Therefore, we should not only be willing to receive the sacrament but should embrace it as a gift from a loving God.
Before celebrating the Sacrament of Confession, one should prepare oneself with an examination of conscience, which involves reflecting prayerfully on one’s thoughts, words, and deeds in order to identify any sins.
Do I really need to confess my sins to a priest? (4:35)
Why do we need frequent Confession? | WHY (1:58)
What Is Required?
Three things are required of a penitent in order to receive the sacrament worthily:
- You must be contrite—or, in other words, sorry for your sins.
- You must confess those sins fully, in kind and in number.
- You must be willing to do penance and make amends for your sins.
18 All this has been done by God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18)
How are sins forgiven through the Sacrament of Reconciliation? (6:31)
How can the Catholic Church forgive sins? (6:28)
“In the life of the body a man is sometimes sick, and unless he takes medicine, he will die. Even so in the spiritual life a man is sick on account of sin. For that reason he needs medicine so that he may be restored to health; and this grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Penance.” ― Saint Thomas Aquinas
“Here there is a challenge from Christ to the goodness of humankind. It is not enough to be good. It is not enough to not do evil. My Christianity is something more positive; it is not a negative. There are many who say, “But I don’t kill, I don’t steal, I don’t do anything bad to anyone.” That’s not enough. You are still lacking a great deal. It is not enough to be good.” ― Saint Óscar Romero
“Sin is not the worst thing in the world. The worst thing is the denial of sin.” ― Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
The Heart of Sin (6:49)
