PREPARATION FOR CONFESSION

When you enter the confessional, the priest will welcome you warmly and greet you with kindness. Together you will make the Sign of the Cross saying "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen". The priest can read a short passage from the scriptures. Begin your Confession by saying «Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I made my last confession… ”(say when you have touched your last confession)“ and these are my sins ”. Show your sins to the priest in a simple and honest way. The simpler and more honest you are, the better. Do not apologise. Don't try to disguise or minimize what you've done. Above all, think of the crucified Christ who died for love of you. Step on your super-bia and admit your guilt!

Remember, God wants you to confess all mortal sins by name and number. For example, «I have committed adultery 3 times and I helped a friend to procure an abortion. »« I missed Mass on Sunday and how many times. "I wasted a week's wages on gambling." »This sacrament is not only for the forgiveness of mortal sins. You can also confess venial sins. The Church encourages the confession of devotion, that is, the frequent confession of venial sins as a means to perfect oneself in the love of God and neighbor.

After confessing your sins, listen to the advice the priest offers you. You can also ask for his help and spiritual advice. Then he will give you a penance. He will ask you to pray or fast or do some charity work. Through penance you begin to make reparation for the evil that your sins have caused to you, to others and to the Church. The penance imposed by the priest reminds you that you need to be united with Christ in His sufferings in order to participate in His Resurrection.

At the end the priest will ask you to express with an Act of Contrition the pain for the sins you have confessed. And then, by exercising the power of Christ, he will give you absolution, that is, the forgiveness of your sins. As he prays on you, know with the certainty of faith that God is forgiving you all your sins, healing you and preparing you for the Banquet of the Kingdom of Heaven! The priest will send you away saying: "Give thanks to the Lord because He is good". You answer: «His mercy lasts forever». Or he can tell you: «The Lord has freed you from your sins. Go in peace », and you answer:« Thanks be to God ». Try to spend some time in prayer, thanking God for his forgiveness. Do the penance that the priest gave you as soon as possible after receiving absolution. If you make good and frequent use of this sacrament, you will have peace of heart, purity of conscience and a profound union with Christ. The grace bestowed by this sacrament will give you greater strength to overcome sin and will help you become like Jesus, our Lord. It will make you a stronger and more committed disciple of His Church!

Jesus Christ came into the world to save all peoples from Satan's power, from sin, from the consequences of sin, from death. The purpose of his ministry was our reconciliation with the Father. In a special way, his death on the cross brought the possibility of forgiveness, peace and reconciliation for all.

Background and origin - On the evening of his resurrection from the dead, Jesus appeared to the Apostles and gave them the power to forgive all sins. Breathing on them, he said, “Receive the Holy Ghost; to whom you forgive the sins they will be forgiven and to whom you do not forgive them, they will remain not forgiven "(Jn 20; 22-23). Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the bishops and priests of the Church receive from Christ himself the power to forgive sins. This power is exercised in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as the Sacrament of Penance or simply as "Confession". Through this Sacrament, Christ forgives the sins that the believers of his Church commit after baptism.

Repentance for sins - To worthily receive the sacrament of Reconciliation, the penitent (the sinner / sinner) must have pain for his sins. The pain of sins is called contrition. Imperfect contrition is the pain of sins motivated by the fear of hell fire or the ugliness of sin itself. Perfect contrition is the pain of sin motivated by God's love.

Contrition, perfect or imperfect, must include the firm intention of amendment, that is, the solid resolution to avoid the sin committed and also the people, places and things that stimulated you to sin. Without this repentance, contrition is not sincere and your confession has no meaning.

Whenever you sin, you must ask God for the gift of perfect contrition. Often God gives this gift when a Christian thinks of Jesus' agony on the cross and realizes that his sins are the cause of that suffering.

Fall into the arms of mercy of your crucified Savior and resolve to confess your sins as soon as possible.

Examination of conscience - When you go to church to confess your sins, you must first examine your conscience. Go through your life to see how you offended the good Lord after your last Confession. The Church teaches that all mortal sins committed after Baptism must be confessed to a priest in order to be forgiven. This "precept" or law is of Divine Institution. Simply stated, this means that the confession of grave sins to a priest is part of God's plan and therefore must be upheld and carried out in the life of the Church.

Mortal and Venial Sins - Mortal sin is a direct, conscious and free violation of one of the Ten Commandments in serious matters. Deadly sin, also known as grave sin, destroys the life of grace in your soul. God's grace begins to bring the sinner back to God through the pain of sin; it is brought back to life. when he confesses his sins to a priest and receives Absolution (forgiveness). The Church recommends Catholics to confess their venial sins which are violations of the law of God that do not cut off the relationship with him or destroy the life of grace in the soul.

The following is an examination of conscience to help you prepare for Confession. In case you don't know if your sins are "deadly" or "venial", the confessor (the priest to whom you confess your sins) will help you understand the difference. Don't be shy: ask for his assistance. Ask him questions. The Church wants to offer you the easiest way to make a frank and honest Confession of all your sins. Generally parishes have a time for confessions every week, often on Saturdays. You can also call your parish priest and make an appointment for confession.

1. I am the Lord your God. You will have no other God outside of me.

Do I try to love God with all my heart and all my soul? Does God Really Take First Place in My Life?

Did I practice spiritualism or superstition, palmistry?

Did I receive Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin?

Have I ever lied in Confession or deliberately failed to confess a mortal sin?

Do I pray regularly?

2. Do not mention the name of the Lord your God in vain.

Have I offended the holy name of God by pronouncing it unnecessarily or irreverently?

Did I lie under oath?

3. Remember to sanctify the Day of the Lord.

Did I purposely miss the Holy Mass on Sunday or in the Holy Feasts of Precept?

Do I try to respect Sunday as a day of rest, holy for the Lord?

4. Honor your father and mother.

Do I honor and obey my parents? Can I help them in their old age?

Did I disrespect parents or superiors?

Have I neglected my family responsibilities towards consort, children or parents?

5. Don't kill.

Have I killed or physically damaged someone or attempted to do so?

Have I had an abortion or used contraceptives-causing you an abortion? Have I encouraged anyone to do this?

Did I abuse drugs or alcohol?

Have I sterilized myself in any way or encouraged someone to do it?

Did I approve or participate in the eutana-sia or "murder of mercy"?

Have I kept hatred, anger or resentment in my heart towards others? Did I curse someone?

Have I scandalized my sins by inducing others to sin?

6. Do not commit adultery.

Have I been unfaithful to my marriage vows in actions or thoughts?

Have I used any form of contraception?

Did I engage in sexual activities before or outside of marriage, with people of the opposite sex and the same sex?

Did I masturbate?

Am I pleased with pornographic material?

Am I pure in thoughts, words and deeds?

Am I modest in dressing?

Am I involved in improper relationships?

7. Don't steal.

Did I take things that are not mine or help others steal?

Am I honest as an employee or employer?

Do I gamble excessively and deprive my family of necessities?

Do I try to share what I have with the poor and needy?

8. Do not say false testimony against your neighbor.

I told lies, did I make gossip or slander?

Did I ruin someone's good name?

Did I disclose information that should be confidential?

Am I sincere in dealing with others or am I "two-faced"?

9. Do not desire the woman of others.

Am I envious of another person's spouse or consort or family?

Did I dwell on unclean thoughts?

Do I try to control my imagination?

Am I imprudent and irresponsible in the magazines I read, in films or in what I watch on TV, on websites, in the places I frequent?

10. Don't covet other people's stuff.

Do I harbor feelings of envy for the goods of others?

Do I retain resentment and resentment because of my state of life?