The Sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as the Sacrament of Penance is the sacrament which allows us to return the state of our baptism, where we are freed from sin. It is in this sacrament that we find God’s unconditional forgiveness, and as a result we are called to forgive others. We are encouraged to receive the Sacrament of Penance frequently throughout our lifetime so that we can benefit from the graces we obtain through reception of this sacrament.
The Healing of the Sacrament of Reconciliation
“Bless me Father for I have. . . . ” Perhaps one of the hardest things we do is admit to our own wrongdoing. It’s hard to say that we have sinned—and be willing to turn our life around to avoid...
Struggling to Confess
Okay, so I’m slowly, painstakingly working on the NFP book — there’s a bunch of personal stuff going on, and also I sprained my ankle and now everything is taking about twice as much energy as...Common Questions - Confession
Experiencing God’s mercy exercised through the ministry of priests.
Put simply, it’s God’s plan. The priest is the minister of the sacrament acting in the person of Christ. In fact, the confession of sins to a priest is the only ordinary way to have mortal sins forgiven after Baptism. Also, God knows how we can rationalize our sins away and sweep them under the rug. And so He wants us to tell our sins and to acknowledge them in a personal encounter. Know that we fall into the loving arms of our heavenly Father when we go to a priest and confess.
Remember that priests have heard thousands of confessions over the years, and there are really no new sins. It’s a great privilege for priests to hear confessions and be instruments of the Father’s mercy.
No, quite the opposite. He’ll be inspired by your humility and courage, and likely won’t remember your sins anyway. And remember, priests have to go to Confession, too. Even the Pope has to confess his sins to another priest.
Under no circumstances. If a priest did tell any person — even the police — something he heard in the confessional, he would be excommunicated.
“Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more” (Rom. 5:20).
God’s mercy is greater than all our sins. Assuming you are truly sorry for what you’ve done and willing to make necessary changes, the answer is YES. God longs for you to return to his merciful Heart.