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"In failing to confess, Lord, I would only
hide you from myself, not myself from you." St.
Augustine
"To
the penitent he provides a way back, he encourages
those who are losing hope!
Return
to the Lord and give up sin,
pray to him and make
your offenses few. Turn again to the Most High
and away from sin" (Sir. 17:19-21 NAB).
When you come to confession
Before we sin, the devil tells us that God is lenient
and merciful towards our weakness. The evil urges
us towards presumption. But after we sin, he
tries to convince us that God would never love
us again, and by doing so the evil one tries
to drive us into despair. In reality, we should
contemplate God as judge before we sin, and as
a Father if we sin. As St. John Vianney wrote, "Our
sins are nothing but a grain of sand alongside
the great mountain of the mercy of God." If
we are overemphasizing the leniency of God before
we sin, or the strictness of him after a sin,
then this is not the work of the Holy Spirit
in us. The spirit is more alive is us when we
consider his strictness before a sin, and his
mercy after. This is a simple principle, but
the devil deceives millions by reversing it.
St. Faustina recommends three
things to the person preparing for confession:
The first is that the
person practice complete sincerity and openness.
She says, "An insincere, secretive soul risks
great dangers in the spiritual life, and even the
Lord Jesus Himself does not give himself to such
a soul on a higher level." Secondly, she recommends
humility: "A soul does not benefit from the
sacrament of confession if it is not humble. Pride
keeps it in darkness. The soul neither knows how,
nor is it willing, to probe with precision the
depths of its own misery. It puts on a mask and
avoids everything that might bring it recovery." Finally,
she speaks of obedience: "A disobedient soul
will win no victory, even if the Lord Jesus himself,
in person, were to hear its confession."
Top of Page Examination of Conscience
"
There are five points in this method of making
the general examination of conscience. First, give
thanks to God for favors received. Second, ask
for grace to know my sins and to rid myself of
them. Third, demand an account of my soul from
the time of rising to the present examination.
I should go over one hour after another, one period
after another. The thoughts should be examined
first, then the words, and finally the deeds. .
. . Fourth, ask pardon of God our Lord for my faults.
Fifth, resolve to amend with the grace. Close with
an Our Father." St. Ignatius Loyola.
Top of Page How to Prepare for Confession In the light of
the Ten Commandments
1. I am the Lord your God; you shall have no strange
gods before me.
Is God the center of my life, or do I let things
like money, work, my image, popularity, a relationship,
pleasure, or superstition to replace God as my
chief concern? Have I delved into the use of magic,
horoscopes, or psychics? Am I indifferent or ungrateful
towards God? If I have difficulties with the faith,
do I make an effort to find answers?
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your
God in vain.
Have I used God's name to curse other people? Have
I been careless with his name, using it as a joke?
Have I used his name as an exclamation when I'm
angry or surprised? Have I used obscene language?
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.
Do I honor God, especially on Sunday and holy days?
Have I deliberately (without just cause) missed
Mass on these days, or left Mass early? At Mass
do I pay attention to Christ and his sacrifice
for me or does my mind wander? Have I received
Communion while in the state of mortal sin? Do
I take Sunday as a day of rest, avoiding unnecessary
work?
4. Honor your father and your mother.
Have I been disobedient, dishonest, or disrespectful
to my parents? Do I cause them undue worry? Do
I treat my siblings with respect and love? Do
I always show due respect and obedience to those
who have authority over me?
5. You shall not kill.
Do I respect human life from conception to natural
death? Have I ever been responsible or partly
responsible for the death of another (including
abortion)? Have I been drunk? Have I used drugs?
Have I ever endangered my life or the lives of
others by driving recklessly or driving under
the influence of alcohol or drugs? Have I hurt
others through insults or gossip? Have I hurt
my own body?
6. You shall not commit adultery.
Do I respect the sanctity of marriage? Have I engaged
in any form of sexual activity outside of marriage,
such as masturbation, pornography, lust, premarital
sex, prostitution, rape, homosexual acts, or
contraception? Have I done anything sexual that
I would not do in the presence of God?
7. You shall not steal.
Have I taken or stolen what does not belong to
me? Have I deliberately damaged the property
of another? Have I cheated anyone from having
what was due to him or her? Do I always respect
public property? Am I selfish? Do I work diligently,
or do I spend my employer's time doing personal
things? Do I neglect the poor?
8. You shall not bear false witness against your
neighbor.
Have I lied? Have I damaged the reputation of another
by unkind words, gossip, or negative humor? Have
I betrayed another by revealing secrets that were
entrusted to me? Have I cheated on exams? Do I
act hypocritically? Do I brag?
9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
Do I harbor thoughts of sexual desire for anyone
who is not my spouse? Do I put myself in occasions
of sexual temptation? Do I expose others to sexual
temptations through immodest dress, impure speech,
or crude behavior?
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.
Instead of delighting in God's generosity to me,
am I jealous of the talents and possessions others
have? Do I wish the misfortune of others so that
I will profit? Am I selfish, envious, materialistic,
and self-centered, failing to have concern for
others?
Top of Page Using the Beatitudes to prepare for Confession
(Matt. 5:3-12) While the Ten Commandments mostly tell us what
to avoid, the Beatitudes tell us what to become.
By examining Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount, we
can take a deeper look at the state of our souls
before confession.
"Blessed are the poor
in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Do I trust God with all of my heart, preferring
Him to everything? Do I abandon myself to God's
providence, giving Him my anxieties in exchange
for His joy?
"Blessed are those
who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
Do I have real sorrow in my heart for my sins?
If I do not, do I at least pray for that? Do I
wallow in my own problems, or seek out and comfort
those who are lonely, rejected, or suffering?
"Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth."
Am I haughty and proud, or humble like Christ?
If I am gifted in academics, sports, music, or
some other talent, do I give God the glory? Am
I a servant? "Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be
satisfied."
Do I long for God's will to be done, or do I pursue
my own interests apart from Him? Am I lukewarm
in my faith, being satisfied with mediocrity?
"Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy."
Am I mindful of how much God has forgiven me, or
am I quick to condemn and slow to forgive others
the harm that they have caused me? Am I resentful?
Am I sympathetic to the needs of others? Do I pray
and work for the salvation of souls?
"Blessed are the pure
in heart, for they shall see God."
Have I not only rejected thoughts of lust, but
prayed to have a pure heart and live a life of
purity? Have I glorified God with my body? Do I
act like my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?
"Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons of God."
Do I not only avoid harming others, but strive
to bring peace and reconciliation into the lives
of others?
"Blessed are those
who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for
theirs
is the kingdom
of heaven."
Do I have the courage to do the will of God? If
mocked for living according to God's laws, do I
give in?
"Blessed are you when
men revile you and persecute you and utter all
kinds of evil against
you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward is great in heaven, for so men
persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Do I spread the faith and refuse to compromise
it? Do I not only refuse to use the Lord's name
in vain, but seek to correct those who do? Have
I been ashamed of Jesus, or do I challenge my friends
who are falling into sin?
Top of Page How to Go to Confession
1. The priest may begin by
greeting you or reading Scripture. You may respond
by saying: "Bless
me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been [the
number of days, weeks, or months] since my last
confession. These are my sins . . . " You
also may use your own words if you like, but you
should give the priest an idea how long it has
been since your last confession.
2. After stating your sins
(including how often they occurred), it is good
to add: "I am sorry
for these sins and all the sins of my life."
3. The priest will give you a penance usually
a prayer to say, a Scripture passage to read, or
a charitable act to perform. Then he will invite
you to express the sorrow you have for your sins.
You may offer the following or some other act of
contrition:
"O my God, I am heartily
sorry for having offended you and I detest all
my sins because of
your just punishments. But I am sorry most of all
because they offend you who are all good and worthy
of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help
of your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the
near occasions of sin. Amen."
You also might use a simple
act of contrition such as, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" (cf.
Luke 18:9 14)
4. After the priest sees that you are genuinely
repentant, he will give you absolution, saying:
" God, the Father of mercies, through the death and
resurrection 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."
5. Finally, the priest may
say: "Go in peace." And
you say: "Thanks be to God." Or he may
say: "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good." And
you say: "His mercy endures forever."
Top of Page Prayer for your priest before confession
Heavenly Father, bless your priest who will hear
my confession. Fill him with your love and wisdom,
that he may guide me closer to you.
Jesus Christ, the High Priest, bless your priest,
so that he may image your presence to all who come
to him.
Holy Spirit, come into the heart of your priest,
and for the sake of the Church, fill him with your
many gifts. Blessed Mother Mary, wrap your mantle
around your priest, and always keep him close to
the heart of your son, Jesus. All the Holy Angels
and Saints, pray for us during this sacrament and
always.
Amen.
Top of Page Prayer of Repentance
(By Saint Gemma Galgani)
O my crucified God, behold me at Your feet; do
not cast me out, now that I appear before You as
a sinner. I have offended You exceedingly in the
past, my Jesus, but it shall be so no longer.
Before You, O Lord, I place all my sins; I have
now considered Your own sufferings and see how
great is the worth of that Precious Blood that
flows from Your veins.
O my God, at this hour close Your eyes to my want
of merit, and since You have been pleased to die
for my sins, grant me forgiveness for them all,
that I may no longer feel the burden of my sins,
for this burden, Dear Jesus, oppresses me beyond
measure.
Assist me, my Jesus, for I desire to become good
whatsoever it may cost; take away, destroy, utterly
root out all that You find in me contrary to Your
holy will. At the same time, I pray You, Lord Jesus,
to enlighten me that I may be able to walk in Your
holy light. Amen.
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