8. What Is Confession?

"Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." - John 20:23

Confession is one of the great mercies of Christ. A beginner must understand it because Baptism gives the life of grace, but mortal sin destroys that life in the soul. Christ did not leave the fallen Christian without a remedy. He gave the sacrament of Penance.

The catechism answer is simple: Confession is the telling of our sins to a priest in the sacrament of Penance, with true sorrow and a firm purpose of amendment, so that we may receive absolution and be restored to grace.

Confession is not merely talking about feelings. It is not self-improvement. It is not a counseling session. It is a sacrament instituted by Christ for the forgiveness of sins committed after Baptism.

The question is not first, "Do I feel better after speaking?" It is not first, "Was I embarrassed?" It is not first, "Did the priest understand my personality?" The question is: "Have my sins been forgiven by Christ through the sacrament He gave?"

This places confession in the right order. Sin offends God. Grace must be restored by God. The priest acts as the minister of Christ, not as a private friend or merely human listener.

The sinner does not come to confession to excuse himself. He comes to accuse himself honestly, receive mercy, and amend his life.

After the Resurrection, Our Lord said to the Apostles: "Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."[1]

These words are not vague. Christ gave a real power to forgive and retain sins. For that power to be exercised, sins must be made known. The penitent confesses. The priest judges, absolves, or retains according to the sacrament and the disposition of the soul.

This is why confession is not a human invention. It comes from Christ's authority and mercy.

A good confession requires several things:

• examination of conscience;
• sorrow for sin;
• firm purpose of amendment;
• confession of sins to the priest;
• absolution;
• satisfaction, usually called penance.

These parts belong together. A person should not rush into confession without examining his conscience. He should not confess without sorrow. He should not claim sorrow while intending to continue in grave sin. He should not hide mortal sins. He should do the penance given.

Before confession, the penitent should examine his conscience. This means he should prayerfully recall his sins according to the commandments of God, the precepts of the Church, duties of state in life, and known obligations.

The examination should be honest, but not frantic. Scrupulous fear and careless vagueness are both harmful. The soul should ask God for light, look at its life plainly, and prepare to confess what must be confessed.

For mortal sins, the penitent must confess the kind and number as far as he is able. If he honestly does not know the exact number, he should give the best estimate he can.

Contrition is sorrow for sin because it offends God, with the resolution not to sin again. This sorrow is necessary. A person who is not sorry for sin is not properly disposed for absolution.

Perfect contrition is sorrow because sin offends God, who is infinitely good and worthy of all love. Imperfect contrition, also called attrition, arises from motives such as fear of hell or the ugliness of sin. In confession, imperfect contrition is sufficient when joined to the sacrament, but the soul should ask God for deeper sorrow.

Contrition is not the same as emotional intensity. A person may feel little and still truly will to reject sin. Another may feel strongly and still intend to continue sinning. True contrition includes the will to turn away from sin.

Firm purpose of amendment means the penitent intends, with God's help, to avoid sin and the near occasions of sin. This does not mean he knows he will never be tempted again. It means he sincerely chooses to leave sin.

This point must be clear. A person cannot validly confess while planning to continue mortal sin. He cannot say he is sorry and at the same time choose to remain in the sin or keep the near occasion without necessity.

Mercy calls the sinner out of sin. It does not bless him inside it.

The penitent should confess sins plainly, humbly, and completely. He should not hide mortal sin because of shame. Shame is painful, but hiding sin is more dangerous.

He should also avoid unnecessary stories, excuses, and blame of others. Confession is not the place to explain why sin was understandable. It is the place to accuse oneself before God.

Venial sins may also be confessed and should be confessed when they weigh on the conscience, reveal patterns, or help the soul grow in humility and amendment.

Absolution is the priestly sentence by which sins are forgiven through the power of Christ. The words of absolution are not merely comforting words. They are sacramental words.

When the penitent is properly disposed and the priest validly absolves, sins are forgiven. Sanctifying grace is restored if it had been lost by mortal sin. The soul is reconciled to God.

This should produce gratitude and holy fear. Gratitude because mercy is real. Holy fear because such mercy should not be abused.

After confession, the penitent should perform the penance given by the priest. This is called satisfaction. It does not buy forgiveness. Christ's merits are the source of forgiveness. But the penitent must still repair, submit, and accept the medicine assigned.

Penance may be prayers, acts of devotion, restitution, or another fitting work. If one has stolen, harmed another's reputation, or caused damage, justice may require repair beyond the assigned prayers.

Doing the penance promptly helps the soul complete the sacramental act with obedience.

A Catholic conscious of mortal sin must go to confession before receiving Holy Communion. He should not delay. Mortal sin places the soul in grave danger.

Even when conscious only of venial sins, regular confession is good. It helps the soul grow in humility, sorrow, self-knowledge, and grace. The beginner should learn to confess honestly and without theatrical fear.

Confession should not be rare because sin is ordinary in fallen life and grace is necessary.

Several dangers must be avoided.

One danger is hiding sins. This makes confession sacrilegious if a mortal sin is deliberately concealed.

Another danger is confessing without amendment. The soul says words but refuses to leave the sin.

Another danger is vague confession: "I was bad," "I failed," or "I made mistakes," without naming sins clearly.

Another danger is despair. The sinner thinks his sins are too great. That is false. No sin is greater than God's mercy when the soul truly repents.

Another danger is presumption. The sinner thinks mercy means he need not change. That is also false.

A beginner should prepare simply:

• pray to the Holy Ghost for light;
• examine conscience by the commandments;
• write down sins if needed;
• be clear about mortal sins in kind and number;
• ask God for sorrow;
• resolve to avoid sin and near occasions;
• confess plainly;
• listen to the priest;
• say the Act of Contrition sincerely;
• do the penance promptly.

The first confession after many years may be difficult, but the soul should not be afraid of Christ's mercy. Shame can become the doorway to freedom when it leads to honest confession.

The soul must learn that confession is a sacrament, not merely spiritual conversation.

The soul must learn that mortal sins must be confessed in kind and number as far as possible.

The soul must learn that contrition and purpose of amendment are necessary.

The soul must learn not to hide sin, excuse sin, or delay repentance.

The soul must learn to trust Christ's mercy and then amend life.

Confession is the telling of our sins to a priest in the sacrament of Penance, with true sorrow and a firm purpose of amendment, so that we may receive absolution and be restored to grace.

A beginner should ask: Do I examine my conscience honestly? Do I confess mortal sins plainly? Am I truly sorry? Do I intend to avoid sin and near occasions? Do I trust Christ's mercy enough to come out of hiding?

Confession is a tribunal of mercy. The sinner kneels as guilty, but if he is truly repentant, he rises forgiven. Christ gave this sacrament because He knows the weakness of His children and wills their return.

See also Basic Catholic Prayers.