Lesson 24
When Is It Time To Go To Confession?
Welcome back to our Lenten Lessons on the Sacraments. Today I want to tell you about the “Five Steps” to a good confession, as well as a few other points you might be interested in. There are five steps to a good confession: 1. Examination of Conscience; 2. Contrition; 3. Confession of sins; 4. Satisfaction; 5. Give thanks to God. Yesterday I spoke a little about 2,3, and 4: Contrition, Confession of Sins, and Satisfaction, so today I want to focus on the others.
First, examination of conscience. To make an honest examination of conscience takes humility and sometimes courage, because when you take a good look at yourself and compare yourself to Jesus, you will probably see a lot that has to change. Be courageous, because nothing gives you more joy than making a good confession and living in the State of Grace.
How do you examine your conscience? First, you should go to a place that is quiet, and a Church with the Most Blessed Sacrament is the best place. Next, you need a method: you can reflect on the Ten Commandments, or the Beatitudes, or the Corporal and Spiritual works of Mercy, or the teachings of Jesus. You can ask the Holy Spirit to grant you light to know yourself. Or you can use some aid or pamphlet and read the questions. The #1 FREE Catholic App – the Relevant Radio App – has a very fine examination of conscience for you in the section of “Confession Helper.”
I do not encourage penitents to write down their sins on a piece of paper or on their phone; the ones they remember are sufficient. Once you are aware of the sins you need to confess, and you are sorry for them it is time to go to Confession.
We are obliged to confess all of the mortal sins that we are aware of that we have not already confessed, and we confess them according to their kind and number. Next, we can confess our venial sins, but you do not have to confess all of your venial sins, because that would take a long, long time. The most important act of the penitent is the act of contrition, not an exhaustive enumeration of all of his sins and weaknesses and imperfections.
The priest on his part exercises the office of Father, Doctor, and Judge in the Confessional. As a father he should imitate the father of the prodigal son and be merciful and encouraging, never making the confession something onerous or embarrassing or shameful. As Doctor, he is a spiritual doctor who can give helpful advice on how to grow in virtue and avoid sin in the future. And finally as Judge, all the priest has to do is determine that the penitent has at least some sorrow for his sins, which is usually a foregone conclusion since the penitent made the effort to come to confession.
Finally, a few words about the place of the confessional and the vestments the confessor should wear. In an emergency, you can go to confession anywhere, even on a ski lift, but the best place is in a confessional in a Church. You may go face to face if you wish, or behind a confessional screen. The priest always has the right to remain behind a confessional screen, and I think that’s the best way to go. That’s how St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars heard confession. And he’s a saint and the Patron Saint of Parish Priests.
As for vestments, a priest usually wears a violet or purple stole over his shoulders, as purple is the color of Lent and Advent, the two penitential seasons of the year. Purple is the color of penance and Confession is also called the Sacrament of Penance.
So tune in every day of Lent to learn more about your Catholic faith, because if you Learn it, then you can Live it; and if you Live it, you will Love it; and if you Love it, you will never Leave it!
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