The Seven Sacraments Series: Confession

The Sacrament of Confession (also called Reconciliation) can be a confusing sacrament. Being raised Protestant, I always prayed directly to the Lord when I sinned, so when I converted to Catholicism, it was a concept I had difficulty with a little bit.

Since converting, I've learned quite a bit about Confession, and people have given me better explanations of the sacrament, so I think I'll be able to explain it to you.

The first question I asked about Confession in RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) was "Why confess?" For those who are new to Catholicism, going to a priest to verbally confess sins when only the Lord can forgive seems unnecessary. Perhaps it's just a way for the Church to keep tabs on what the members are doing in that Puritan way that Hawthorne knew so well.

Only the Lord can forgive our sins. Mere men do not have that power. And all Christians should confess their sins to the Lord even if they never go to Confession.

However, the clergy in the Church are authorities in the Church, and can help us better understand the teachings of the Church and Scriptures, and grow closer to the Lord through that understanding. And through that understanding, we can combat the temptations to sin again, and understand why we should behave in a certain way as Christians.

In addition to the actual confession of sins, priests can assign a penance for the Christian confessing. While the act of penance is not part of the forgiveness, it gives us an opportunity to take time with the Lord and grow closer to him. It can also help show the Lord that we are, in fact, contrite.

When children admit to their parents they've done wrong, parents often tell their children to do something to sort of "make up for" what was done wrong. In the Church, penance is sort of the same idea. After I confess, the priest may tell me, for example, to pray an extra Rosary each night for a specified amount of time. By doing that penance, I'm able to show the Lord I'm willing to do what is asked of me to show him I am sorry, and that I am trying to do better in life to strengthen my relationship with the Lord.

So what is required for Confession? Scott P. Richert says, " Three things are required of a penitent in order to receive the sacrament worthily:

1. He must be contrite—or, in other words, sorry for his sins.
2. He must confess those sins fully, in kind and in number.
3. He must be willing to do penance and make amends for his sins."

The Church urges us to confess whenever we have a mortal sin on our hearts, though we are encouraged to confess frequently. The Church recommends going to Confession in preparation to receive Communion for Easter, even if we are only aware of venial sins.

The important thing to remember is that confession is not about being punished for sins. We have been forgiven for all sins through the Blood of Christ. Confession is about a relationship with the Lord. By voluntarily confessing our sins to the Lord, we are recognizing a need for that relationship to be close and full of grace instead of marred by sin. Sin separates us from God, and by confessing our sins and seeking forgiveness (even knowing we're forgiven already), we show how important our relationship with the Lord is to us.