Why do Catholics have to confess?

Confession is one of the least understood of the sacraments of the Catholic Church. In reconciling ourselves to God, it is a great source of grace and Catholics are encouraged to take advantage of it often. But it is also the subject of many common misunderstandings, both among non-Catholics and among Catholics themselves.

Confession is a sacrament
The sacrament of confession is one of the seven sacraments recognized by the Catholic Church. Catholics believe that all the sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ himself. In the case of Confession, this institution took place on Easter Sunday, when Christ first appeared to the apostles after his resurrection. Breathing on them, he said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you keep, they are kept "(John 20: 22-23).

The signs of the sacrament
Catholics also believe that the sacraments are an outward sign of an inner grace. In this case, the external sign is the absolution, or forgiveness of sins, which the priest grants to the penitent (the person who confesses his sins); inner grace is the reconciliation of the penitent with God.

Other names for the sacrament of confession
This is why the Sacrament of Confession is sometimes called the Sacrament of Reconciliation. While confession emphasizes the believer's action in the sacrament, reconciliation emphasizes the action of God, who uses the sacrament to reconcile us to himself by restoring sanctifying grace in our souls.

The catechism of the Catholic Church refers to the sacrament of confession as the sacrament of penance. Penance expresses the right attitude with which we should approach the sacrament - with pain for our sins, desire to atone for them and firm determination not to commit them again.

Confession is less frequently called Sacrament of conversion and Sacrament of forgiveness.

The purpose of confession
The purpose of Confession is to reconcile man with God. When we sin, we deprive ourselves of the grace of God. And in doing so, we make it even easier to sin a little more. The only way out of this descending cycle is to recognize our sins, repent and ask for forgiveness from God. Therefore, in the Sacrament of Confession, grace can be restored to our souls and we can once again resist sin.

Why is confession necessary?
Non-Catholics, and many Catholics too, often ask if they can confess their sins directly to God and if God can forgive them without going through a priest. At the most basic level, of course, the answer is yes, and Catholics should do frequent acts of contrition, which are prayers in which we tell God that we are sorry for our sins and ask for his forgiveness.

But the question is missing the point of the Sacrament of Confession. By its very nature, the sacrament confers graces that help us live a Christian life, which is why the Church requires us to receive it at least once a year. (See The Precepts of the Church for more details.) Furthermore, it was instituted by Christ as the correct form for forgiveness of our sins. Therefore, we should not only be willing to receive the sacrament, but we should embrace it as a gift from a loving God.

What is required?
Three things are required of a penitent to receive the sacrament worthily:

He must be contrite, or, in other words, sorry for his sins.
He must confess those sins fully, in nature and in number.
He must be willing to do penance and make amends for his sins.

While these are the minimum requirements, here are the steps to making a better confession.

How often should you go to confession?
While Catholics are required to go to confession only when they are aware that they have committed a mortal sin, the Church urges the faithful to often take advantage of the sacrament. A good rule of thumb is to go once a month. (The Church strongly recommends that, in preparation for the fulfillment of our paschal duty to receive Communion, we go to Confession even if we are aware only of venial sin).

The Church especially urges the faithful to frequently receive the Sacrament of Confession during Lent, to help them in their spiritual preparation for Easter.