It was Christ himself that instituted the great sacrament of Confession by giving his authority to forgive sins to the apostles so that he could work through them for our good. This authority has been passed on down through the ages by the laying on of hands in the ordination of priests and bishops. This is a gift from Christ and given to his priests not because the men who receive it are better than anyone else, but because Christ has chosen to give it to them and thus manifest his greatness in the midst of human weakness. But what is Confession? It is the forgiveness of our sins committed after baptism and the cleansing of our souls to renew within us the sanctifying grace we lost because of them. It is necessary for us to go to confession whenever we are aware of grave sins on our soul, but it is also wise for us to go a few times a year to wash clean our imperfections, venial sins and faults that we struggle with every day, because confession does not merely wash away our sins, it strengthens within us the sanctifying grace of our baptism so that we can fight the good fight and grow in our faith and love of God and neighbor.
To make a good confession, the first thing I need to do is recognize my faults and repent with a sincere and contrite heart. Our sins offend God and our neighbor and we need to say we are sorry. By going to the priest and voicing our sins and asking forgiveness we make manifest our true desire to turn away from evil and walk a path of goodness and truth. It demands humility and courage which is rewarded with joy and the strength to be better and overcome our weaknesses. Having confessed, the priest gives us a penance which is a means to make up for the harm we did by doing a good work or a prayer that redirects our life toward God. Then, he gives us absolution of our sins as we hear those words we long for and need from God as he says:

“I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

It is amazing, isn’t it? We confess our guilt and the judgement of God is mercy! We deserve to be punished for the crimes committed but we receive clemency! It is as if God says: “yes you are guilty, but because you have admitted to it and are willing to strive to change, I will give you another chance. Now go and sin no more.” He died for our sins and wants us to live in his grace by doing good works that honor him and serve our brothers and sisters. What a generous and merciful God! We do not deserve him! We should not take him for granted and much less abuse his overwhelming love! If we have sinned we should have the courage and confidence to come back to him and say we are sorry and strive to glorify him in our lives by the good things we do. He deserves it and so do you! When we live in truth and grace we are fulfilled and become all we were meant to be. Why do we keep chasing after the false passing pleasures of the world, when God has so much more in store for us, not only in heaven, but here on earth? 

When we walk out of the confessional we are free! We must use that freedom to avoid sin in the future and thank God by lives that let his love shine through us toward our neighbors. What are you waiting for? God is waiting for you!

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Thomas Bennett