If you haven't confessed in a long time and you need to remember how to confess, don't worry! This article can help you prepare and make a good confession.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Before Confession
Step 1. Find out when the confessional is held
Most churches serve confessions every week, but there are some churches that serve confessions every day. If the confessional schedule at your church doesn't match yours, you can contact the priest and schedule a separate meeting with the priest to confess.
You can schedule a separate meeting with the Father if you think your confession will be long (more than 15 minutes). This is a good idea if you have left the Church, committed a grave sin, or have not confessed in a long time
Step 2. Really regret your sins
The basis of repentance and confession is a feeling of true remorse -- the prayer of repentance. You must be truly sorry for the sin you have committed and be determined not to do it again. To show God that your remorse is genuine and genuine, make a sincere confession and resolve to refuse to sin again.
This does not mean that you will never sin again; we human beings sin every day. You are only determined to try to stay away from situations that can lead you to sin -- this includes repentance. If you want, God will help you to resist temptation, as long as you really want to improve yourself
Step 3. Do an inner examination
Ponder the sins you have committed, and why they are sins. Reflect on the pain God went through because of the sin you committed, and because of that sin Jesus suffered even more on the cross. It is for this reason that you must show sorrow, and remorse is very important to make a good confession.
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Ask yourself these questions as you do your inner examination:
- When was the last time I confessed? Did I make a sincere and complete confession at that time?
- Did I make a special promise to God at that time? Did I fulfill that promise?
- Have I committed a grave sin since my last confession?
- Have I obeyed the Ten Commandments?
- Have I ever doubted my faith?
Step 4. Read the Bible
A good verse to start with is the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17 or Deuteronomy 5:6-21. Here are a few verses to remind us that God welcomes us with loving forgiveness:
- "But if we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do what is just. He will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all our wrongdoings." 1 John 1:9.
- How can our sins be forgiven? "But if anyone sins, we have an advocate, the just Jesus Christ; He will plead for us before the Father. Through Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven." 1 John 2:1, 2.
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To whom should sins be confessed, and why? "Against you, against you alone I have sinned, and I have done what you consider evil." Psalm 51:6.
Read Genesis 39:9
Step 5. Pray often before confessing
Surely you want to confess your sins sincerely and truly repent. Pray to the Holy Spirit to guide you and help you remember and feel sincere remorse for your sins. Maybe something like: “Come Holy Spirit, enlighten my mind so that I truly understand the sin I have committed, touch my heart so that I may repent of my sins, and so that I may improve myself. Amen."
Try to identify the cause of your sins: Do you have unwholesome tendencies? Is that your personal weakness? Or just a bad habit? Try to eliminate at least one of these causes. An easy way to do this is to eliminate one negative thing in your life or focus on the most positive
Method 2 of 3: At Confession
Step 1. Wait for your turn to enter the confessional
When it's your turn, choose between a face-to-face confession or anonymously (by partition). If you prefer anonymous confession, kneel before the curtain or partition separating you from the Father and the Father will begin the sacrament of confession. If you choose face-to-face confession, you just have to walk behind the curtain or partition and sit in the chair opposite the Father.
Remember that confession is completely confidential -- the Father will never (and will not be able to) share your sins with anyone. Father has vowed never to share a confession under any circumstances -- even under the threat of death. Don't let your worries affect your confession
Step 2. Begin confession
The priest will start the confessional by making the sign of the cross. Follow Father's directions. There are several versions of confessional, but the most common is the Rite of the Roman Catholic Church.
- Roman Catholic Rite: Make the sign of the cross saying, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned”, then say how long it has been since your last confession. (You don't have to remember every time you sinned. You just need to remember the times when you committed a grievous sin.)
- Rite of the Byzantine Catholic Church: Kneel before the Cross of Christ, Father will sit beside you. The priest may place the epitrachelion over your head, or wait to do so after the Absolute Prayer; Either way, you don't have to be confused.
- Eastern Catholic Churches: There are many variations.
- Whichever version of confession is made, tell the priest your sins (including how often you do it). Order the sins from the greatest to the least. You don't need to go into detail about your sins unless the Father feels the need to know -- and in that situation, the Father will ask.
Method 3 of 3: After Confession
Step 1. Listen to Father
The priest will give you advice on how you can avoid sinning again in the future. After that, Father will ask you to make a Prayer of Penance. This prayer must be prayed sincerely; You have to be absolutely sincere with what you say in this prayer. If you cannot form words for this prayer, write it down first or ask Father for help.
At the end of the confession, the priest will give a penance (which must be done as soon as possible). At the end of the absolution, the Father will say, “By the power of the Church, I forgive your sins in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” If Father makes the sign of the cross, you also make the sign of the cross. The priest will then welcome you out with words like, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” Answer with “Thanks to Allah”, give Father a smile, and leave the confessional
Step 2. Do the penance
Go back to the main hall of the church and sit down. As you begin to do penance, thank God for His forgiveness to you. If you remember a major sin that you forgot to mention earlier, know that it has been forgiven along with other sins, but make sure you confess it at your next confession.
If the Father gives you a penance in the form of several prayers that you must pray, pray quietly and fervently. Kneel down, fold your arms, and bow your head, until you have completed your penance and have truly contemplated what you did. Resolve to perform the Sacrament of Confession frequently in the future
Step 3. Go with relief and live in the light of God's forgiveness
Live with joy and confidence because God is generous and loves you. Live for God every minute of your life, and let everyone see how happy it is to serve God.
Stay alert. Don't use confession as an excuse to sin. Be happy that you are forgiven and live according to God's will to minimize the need for confession
Prayer of Repentance
"Merciful God, I am sorry for my sins. I really deserve You to punish, especially because I have been unfaithful to You, Who is Most Gracious and Most Good to me. I hate all my sins, and promise with the help of Your grace to improve my life and not will sin again. Merciful God, forgive me, a sinner. Amen."
Tips
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Make a clear, concise, sincere, and complete confession. It means:
- Be clear: Don't use "euphemisms" (soft language that makes things sound better) -- call sin by its proper name and don't take too much time to pronounce it.
- Brief: Don't beat around the bush and look for explanations or excuses. Confession is the moment when the sinner gets full forgiveness!
- Sincere: You must feel really sorry. Sometimes we don't feel sorry -- that's okay, as long as we try. It is only by being present for confession that we know that deep down in our hearts we are sorry. Sometimes performing additional penances and trying to atone for sins is a great way to show God that we are sorry for being unfaithful to Him by sinning.
- Complete: We must say all our sins. If we do not confess all of our grave sins, it is against the purpose of confession. It is even better if we also confess our venial sins, even if it is not required. If we follow the celebration of the Eucharist with a solemn and clean heart, our venial sins are forgiven at that time. Nevertheless, regularly attending confessional and confessing and regretting all the sins we remember is a good habit. That's why frequent confessions are a good idea; the less risk we have of missing a sin. If we make a confession and don't confess the mortal sin that we have committed, it is also a sin and we need to confess again and confess it, also confessing the sin that we have confessed before but intentionally did not mention the mortal sin. We should not receive communion if we haven't made a confession for major sins because that is a great transgression and sin against God.
- Don't be afraid to admit everything. One of the positives about Confession to Father, a human being, is that Father can give great suggestions and act as a mentor. Most likely he has heard confessions similar to yours, and therefore he may be able to give you good advice so you can avoid sin in the future.
- Confidentiality of Confession prevents Father from revealing your sins to anyone. Romo could be subject to excommunication if he did so. That means, no one, not even the Pope, can ask Father to repeat what you said. In fact, Father cannot be forced to reveal your sins in court.
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Remember the purpose of this sacrament: Sinners seek forgiveness to reconcile with God and His Church.
True, God knows our sins, we don't need to remind Him. However, with confession, the sinner repents and restores his baptismal grace. The feeling of relief that comes after confession is a natural effect of being reunited with God and His Church. Read CCC 1440 & this link: [1]
Warning
- Make sure you are truly sorry for your sin. Your confession is meaningless if you are not truly sorry, and you will not be forgiven.
- Be careful not to let your inner examination become a constant feeling of guilt. Meditate on your sins calmly and honestly.
- Normally, only a baptized Catholic can receive the Sacrament of Confession. However, this limitation does not apply in situations of urgency (eg, a dying non-Catholic Christian).
