Reconciliation

From the earliest days of Christianity, Christians have been encouraged to confess their sins. Sometimes people struggle with what a sin actually is. We might believe that because we haven’t done anything extreme like murder, we don’t really need to go to confession. A sin is anything which draws us away from God, or damages our relationship with others, the Church, our moral code, or God. It could be something like judging other people, being selfish with our time, manipulating somebody at work, or lying to a spouse. A good way to prepare for confession is by praying, reflecting, and doing an examination of conscience: https://www.beginningcatholic.com/catholic-examination-of-conscience .

 

You can choose to make your confession face-to-face, or anonymously behind a screen. If it’s been a while, don’t be afraid to ask the priest to guide you through it. The priest will greet you and make the sign of the cross. You then tell the priest how long it’s been since your last confession. After this, you can talk through your sins. The priest will listen, without judgement. He may offer some words of advice afterwards, and invite you to say a prayer called the Act of Contrition (but please don’t worry if you don’t know it!). He will then give you a penance, which is often an invitation to pray about something in particular, and then give you absolution. This is a really special blessing, in which you are told all of your sins have been forgiven.

 

There’s no set rule on how often you go to confession, but it is recommended that you go at least once a year, during Lent. Once you get into the habit of going to confession, you’ll work out what’s right for you, whether that’s every fortnight, every few months or once a year.

 

The idea of going to confession can often seem scary, and many people are put off by this. Please know that you will not be judged, the priest can’t tell anyone what you’ve said to him in confession, and that the feeling you’ll get when you hear all your sins have been wiped clean is absolutely worth the initial trepidation you might feel.

 

Nothing that you’ve thought, said, or done is beyond the mercy of God.