Guide to the Sacrament of Confession

The Beautiful Sacrament of Reconciliation

Sin in Our Lives..

The Sacrament of Penance is one of the greatest ways we have to overcome sin in our lives. The grace of the Sacrament of Penance forgives our sins and gives us the grace to avoid committing these sins in the future.

It is important to understand that there are two types of sin, mortal and venial. Venial sins are less serious sins that we fall into frequently (bad language, gossiping, flashes of temper, etc.). Of themselves, they do not remove us from a state of grace. Mortal sins are serious. They cut off the life of grace in the soul and lead us away from God. For a sin to be a mortal sin, three conditions must be present:

It must be a serious or grave matter.
The one acting must clearly know it is a sin.
The one acting must freely choose to commit the sin.

If any of these three conditions are missing, the act is probably not a mortal sin.

When a person is in a state of mortal sin, they must embrace the Mercy of Jesus in the Sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion (a "good Act of Contrition" does not suffice).

Examination of Conscience

To prepare for the Sacrament of Penance, it is important to look back over one's actions since the last confession and try to recall one's sins. This is called an examination of conscience. One of the simplest and best ways of doing this is to review in one's mind the Ten Commandments.

I. I am the Lord: you will have no false gods before me.

Have I been selfish?
Have I put anything or anyone before God?
Have I put myself before God?

II. You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain.

Have I taken the name of the Lord in vain or misused it?
Have I used other bad or vulgar language?

III. Keep holy the Sabbath Day.

Have I gone to Mass on every Sunday and Holy Day?
Have I missed such Masses without a serious reason?
Have I received Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin?

IV. Honor your mother and father.

Have I given my parents due respect?
Am I bearing grudges against them?

V. You shall not murder.

Have I lost my temper?
Have I hurt others with my words or actions?
Have I been cruel to others or mean to my kids?
Have I held a grudge against anyone, or hated them?
Have I misused or abused alcohol or drugs?
Have I driven recklessly?
Have I had an abortion or helped anyone else to have one?
Have I taken human life?

VI. You shall not commit adultery.

Have I looked at bad films, magazines, books, pictures, or Internet Web sites?
Have I deliberately thought about impure things or looked on other persons impurely, as objects?
Have I misused the gift of sexuality with myself?
Have I conducted myself properly with the opposite sex?
Have I committed adultery?
Have I used contraception?

VII. You shall not steal.

Have I taken anything that did not belong to me?
Have I been dishonest at work (lazy, non-productive, etc.)?

VIII. You shall not lie or bear false witness against your neighbor.

Have I told lies?
Have I committed perjury?
Have I gossiped casually, or in a more serious vein?

IX & X. You shall not covet your neighbor's spouse or goods.

Have I been obsessively jealous or envious of others about anything?

A Simple Guide to the Sacrament of Penance

The penitent (the person confessing) goes into the confessional. Usually a person has a choice to go face-to-face or behind a screen.

The priest says, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

The penitent responds: "Amen." He then continues, "Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It has been (how long) since my last confession." The penitent then continues, confessing his sins and giving some general idea of the number of times he has fallen into them (e.g., "one time," "a couple of times," "a few times" "many times." Generally it is not necessary to be more precise than this. (The priest does not need graphic details!)

The penitent concludes the confession of his sins by saying, "For these and all of my sins, I am sorry."

The priest may offer advice at this point, or ask the penitent to offer a prayer or other sacrifice for a penance. The penitent then offers an Act of Contrition. There are several forms. One simple form, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner."

The priest then gives the penitent absolution, and his sins are forgiven. The priest may conclude the sacrament by saying, "Go in peace," or similar words.

To understand the scriptural basis for this sacrament, one might read and ponder the following passages:

JN 20:19FF

MT 16:16FF

LK 15:11-32