these are my confessions...

“Confession is more powerful than an exorcism”, an Exorcist Priest say what? Hold the phone, Fr Gabriele Amorth. Have you seen movies where demons are controlling a living body, and there are chairs flying around the room, walls being scratched up and people shouting in different languages… An Exorcist Priest comments that Reconciliation completely BEATS what happens when he is performing such an intense ritual. I find that absolutely INSANE! Don't you?

When I found this out, I was at Reconciliation almost weekly; and when I didn’t feel like going, I knew that I had to go to just constantly cleanse myself from ALL kinds of sin - big, small, medium - or as Catholics say it, venial or mortal; whether it was in my thoughts, actions or words, I had to go.

As Catholics we believe that through the sacrament of Reconciliation (or Confession) our sins are not only forgiven but forgotten. How insanely cool is that? I remember my first time at Confession when I was naming all of my sins (some from over 10 years ago), the priest looked at me and smiled and said, “you know, God has a pretty bad memory. You are forgiven”. And thank God, we have His precious Son, Jesus, to glorify for this gift or Reconciliation.

This image perfectly summaries what happens in Confession:

If you’re new to Reconciliation and you want to know a little more about what goes on or what happens “behind the scenes”, we’re going to break it down a little for you - just so you know what’s up.

Contrition:

This means YOU genuinely regret or have remorse for the sins that you committed that separated you from the Creator. Contrition begins before the celebration of the sacrament. It is very important to as it requires you to have sincere thoughts of conscience to recall the many ways and errors that you committed that lead to breaking God’s laws of the Ten Commandments; and causing that separation between you and God.

Confession:

Now is the stage when you confess your sins, by admitting you have failed to live in the way that you have been called to live as a Catholic. Confession has a great impact on you, as the truth is revealed, and sets you free from the grips of sin and condemnation. It is a requirement to say all mortal sins; however it is not needed that you say all of your venial sins, as they can also be forgiven through praying, charity work and Communion (celebrated in the mass). Just confess everything on your heart and mind, and for those you ACTUALLY forget in the confessional, I usually say, "and for the sins that aren't coming to mind". But don't hold anything back.

Satisfaction:

The penance comes about after you have sorrowfully poured your heart out asking God for forgiveness. So, the priest may ask you to say a pray of sorrow which might include a personal prayer, a formal prayer or a common prayer. It's basically to mend the brokenness and separation that the sin caused in the first place.

Absolution:

Lastly, the priest will raise their hands above their head or in front of you, and will bless you, saying:

of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy

Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of

the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve

you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and

of the Holy Spirit. (Catechism 1449)

And then you're all done!

Now, a very common question about Reconciliation is, “Why do I have to tell a priest and not just do it in prayer and say it to God by myself?” This is a question that I asked for years myself. The answer is that when you sin you don’t hurt and reject God but you hurt the church as a whole. You are asking forgiveness from God and from His established church. Honestly, going to someone I’ve never met (or even worse someone I know) and telling them every bad thing I’ve ever done is the kind of thing that I have bad dreams about but that isn’t what Reconciliation is. It is a step in growing in holiness. How humble do you have to be to go to God and to His representative on earth (the priest) and ask for forgiveness?

Ever been afraid that the priest is going to tell someone what you did? Don’t be. They are bounded by an oath of confidentiality, which is not taken lightly. There have been priests that have been murdered because they wouldn’t tell someone what was confessed in this sacrament.

Oh, and another thing to remember: the priest has heard it all. Everybody sins. You’re not special in that. There was a priest leading a weekend retreat who stood up in front of all of the participants and said “if anyone comes to Reconciliation and confesses a sin that I haven’t heard before, I will give that person $50 then and there.” Nobody made any money that day.

Basically, we just want you to know that Reconciliation is something to not be afraid of and to just go to - don't be carrying around all of that extra baggage, doubt or shame. There is ONE creature who wants to drag YOU and all of the things that you may regret down to his level, and we encourage you not to let it get to that. What you confess is completely confidential, nothing the priest has not heard before and what you receive afterwards is undying grace and unconditional love that will carry you through this life back to heaven.

- Written by L. M Clark and K. Wade