5 Surprising Facts About the Sacrament of Confession
(And Why You Need to Go Back to the Sacrament)
Is the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession a regular part of your Catholic spirituality? Here are 5 surprising facts about Confession to encourage you to get back to the Sacraments!
Fact 1: Reconciliation is an act of community
The main purpose of the Sacrament of Confession is to receive God’s forgiveness for our sins and to be reunited with Him. Another reason we confess to a priest is that the priest represents Jesus, and also the Family of God. There is a sense in which Reconciliation is intensely private. We confess our sins to God through the priest, and the priest has a sacred duty to keep it all private. But since the Church is truly the Family of God, every time we sin – even if our sin seems to only affect us – we let down the entire family. Every sin is a choice to forsake the love of God and His family and to choose selfishness instead. So we really should express the sorrow for our sin to God and to the community of the Church. But we don’t do that because Original Sin makes it just as dangerous for us to bare ourselves to each other as it was for Adam and Eve to bare themselves to each other after the Fall. So we seek the forgiveness of both God and God’s Family through the priest.
Fact 2: The Sacrament of Confession is Necessary for Salvation
Do you have a “take it or leave it” attitude toward the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Many Catholics do. One reason for such an attitude is that we fail to recognize the horror of sin. Every time I commit a sin, I choose to fulfill a selfish desire that has no power to truly fulfill me over God’s plan for my life. If my sin is serious and I know it’s wrong and choose to do it anyway, I turn my back on God as surely as the prodigal son in Jesus’ story turned his back on his father. Do we realize what we give us when we choose to sin?
Another reason for having a “take it or leave it attitude” toward the Sacrament of Confession is that we fail to recognize the incredible grace that Jesus offers us. There was a time in human history when sacrifices had to be offered for the forgiveness of sin, and forgiveness wasn’t assured. Jesus assures that if we confess our sins they will be forgiven. There was also a time in Christian history when Confession was offered only once in a person’s lifetime. Today, we could have the sacrament available to us every day if we really wanted it. Jesus puts nothing in the way of us coming back to Him.
Finally, we may avoid the sacrament because of embarrassment. Hey, I know this one! There are a couple of sins that I really struggle with. When I go to confess them – again – I often feel like the priest is going to wonder if I’m even trying to change. There have been times when I’ve been so embarrassed by my sin that I seriously thought about leaving the line at the confessional.
What we have to realize is that Confession is an incredible gift. While it’s actually good to be embarrassed by our sin – our embarrassment is a form of sorrow for sin and recognizes that we’ve done something wrong – priests aren’t horrified by what we confess to them. On the contrary, most priests that I have talked to (and that is a great number) say that they are thrilled that people are coming back to God. Sin is a given in human life. Confession is a gift.
But the bottom line here is that the Sacrament of Confession is the normal way that Jesus gave us to receive his forgiveness for mortal sin. If we treat this font of grace as an optional activity, we are really disdaining one of Jesus’ greatest acts of love for us, and we put our own salvation in jeopardy.
Fact 3: Reconciliation isn’t just for mortal sins
The primary purpose of Confession to seek forgiveness and healing for mortal sins. Mortal sins are those sins in which we knowingly choose a serious evil. These sins destroy our relationship with God and alienate us from the Family of God.
But what about the venial sins that don’t destroy our relationship, but do make the relationship more difficult? We’re wise to seek forgiveness for these “venial sins” often.
Venial sins can be forgiven outside of the Sacrament of Confession – through prayer, the Penitential Rite at Mass, acts of devotion, or acts of loving service. But the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a special “font of grace.” Not only does Jesus forgive us, But He also gives us the wise counsel of our confessor and He gives us the sacramental grace. This grace can be a special fortification against sin and a strengthening of our quest for the conversion of heart.
It is not wise to avoid the Sacrament of Reconciliation because we think we have not committed any mortal sin. Our spiritual lives need direction – the direction that comes from God through the sacramental grace, and direction that comes through the human wisdom of the confessor.
Fact 4: Reconciliation Gives us the Grace to Live Lives of Deeper Faith
Reconciliation isn’t just about receiving forgiveness for our sins. Jesus goes even further than mercy and forgiveness. He also offers us special graces through the sacrament to help us fight against sin and temptation. This grace isn’t just about avoiding evil – just as morality isn’t just about avoiding evil – it also empowers us to embrace the greatest goods, especially our relationship with God.
Fact 5: Reconciliation is Intimately United to Our Private Prayer
The Sacraments are so incredibly important to our spiritual lives that I highly recommend them as the first step for anyone how wants to learn how to pray. If you are not going to Reconciliation at least once a month, do it! Go even if you don’t think you’ve committed any mortal sins. After you receive absolution in the sacrament, I highly recommend performing your act of penance right away if possible – and then spending some extra time in God’s presence in prayer. Then I recommend doing something to celebrate God’s mercy and love! Celebrate with a special meal or another kind of treat. Then, the very next day, be sure to keep the momentum going that grace begins. Get back into your habit of prayer. Reconciliation can and should become an important part of your regular prayer routine.
Bonus Fact:
As you take advantage of the Sacrament of Confession and re-activate God’s grace in your life, your ability and desire to develop a life of prayer and devotion will increase. But you might find yourself stuck and wondering exactly how you can do that. This is where so many of us give up and fall back into old habits and patterns. That ‘s where From the Abbey can help! Discover how to get more involved below.
Brought to you by Jeffrey S. Arrowood at From the Abbey, dedicated to helping you rediscover the JOY of learning and living your faith so you can grow in intimacy with God.