Returning to the Confessional
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
I’m going to drop a bomb on you today, one that needs to just be aired out (but for good reasons). A little over a year ago I returned to confession for the first time since…you guessed it…my confirmation. Here I was a regular church goer with nearly pertcfect attendance, yet I avoided confession like I avoided Wal-Mart (I much prefer Target you guys).
You see a little over a year ago I started feeling that God was nudging me back to confession. Every homily I heard seemed to discuss the importance of confession for our souls. Even every parent night with a new priest with our homeschool group led into a discussion of confession as well. It was like every time I had a priest in front of me talking, he was discussing the importance of confession. God orchestrated that perfectly because He finally pushed me to go there and He did so through my child.
Once God had nudged me to return to confession I tried my hardest to find a way to avoid using my priest, but when your daughter is waiting in line for confession and asks if you’re going to confession as well, then you really have no choice. To be honest that moment back into the confessional was a bit of a blur. The priest was a good friend of mine and it felt utterly embarrassing to walk in there and tell him it had been around 15 years since my last confession.
But what a way that God works. Not only did he nudge me to feel hungry for the sacrament of penance, but He also showed me the importance of my example to my child. Imagine if my child, who is heading into confession, sees me turn my back on the sacrament. What does this say to her? What would she think? God made it so easy for me to say yes in that moment, even if every other part of my heart felt completely afraid.
The truth is that many young people are not going to confession as they should be. Research from two years ago shows that only around 43% of Americans attend confession yearly, while only 17% go more than once per year and a mere 7% are going to confession monthly. While we may brush it off as no big deal, our duties as Catholics is to receive the sacrament of reconciliation at least once per year, otherwise we should not even be receiving communion.
When I first realized that technically I was not supposed be receiving communion due to my lack of confessions my heart was sad. I was supposed to be saying no to receiving Jesus because of my laziness within the sacraments and that really bothered me. And believe me, I met some priests who firmly believed that people like me did not need to receive communion. This within itself was a huge nudge to make sure I would finally sit back in the confessional regularly. I didn’t want to just be passing through the motions of our faith, but I wanted to be a part of it and invested in it so I could grow as a disciple of Jesus. It’s hard to admit when you’re wrong and when you’ve strayed, but I knew that I strayed for too long and downplayed the importance of this great sacrament.
If you’ve avoided the sacrament of penance for quite some time now too, I want you to know that it’s okay to make that first step back. But not only do I want to encourage you to head back to confession, I want to tell you WHY I encourage it. It’s not just because “that’s what you’re supposed to do” but rather more so because my heart feels more at peace with it. My soul feels more at peace. The closer we grow to Jesus Christ then the more peace and joy we will find. And what can bring more closeness than to forgive one’s sins and experience an unending mercy? What can bring more peace than to be cleansed of our wrong doings, our gluttony, our laziness and stand before Jesus clean and free? Nothing can bring peace quite like that.
St. Mary’s Basilica in Natchez, MS
“[as] the Son of God, Jesus says of himself, “The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” and exercises this divine power: “Your sins are forgiven.””
“Through such admission of confession, man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibly for them, and thereby opens himself again to God and the communion of the church in order to make a new future possible. Confession to a priest is an essential part of the Sacrament of Penance. ”
WHY I AM WORTHY OF RETURNING TO THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION
BECAUSE JESUS MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE FOR MY SINS. Yes, Jesus paid the price for us as sinners. But this doesn’t mean that I get to have the easy way out. If Jesus could lay down His life for my sins, then I can overcome my pride and confess my sins no matter how big or small they are.
BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE SINS. No, I’m not out there committing major sins purposely. But there are so many things within my average day that I can bring to confession. Whether it’s the days where I gossip, laziness, judging others, lose my patience with my kids or say one too many cuss words, I now have sins to confess. The more I confess these venial sins, the more I am aware of my shortcomings and can strive hard to be more of an image of God.
BECAUSE SCRIPTURE TELLS US WE NEED A CONFESSOR. Some people don’t see confession for the importance that it is because we know that our God is all knowing and that He’s a God who listens. We have the ability to not only thank Him daily but to also ask for His forgiveness. However scripture tells us that we are called to confess our sins to each other (James 5:16). A priest is just the mediator between you and God. But God has given man the authority on earth to exercise forgiveness in His name. “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2 For 5:18
BECAUSE I WANT TO HAVE A CLEAN SOUL FOR COMMUNION. Receiving Jesus is such a sacred gift and what a blessing it is. If He could give me such a precious gift, then I can give Him this. CC 1457
BECAUSE CONFESSING MAKES US ACCOUNTABLE. If we chose to only confess to God, the confession comes about a bit easier. But having to say your confessions out loud makes you accountable to get there and do so. In addition to this, we often feel shame saying our confessions out loud to another person - that feeling of shame can help us to not repeat the same sin. The more we say the same sins out load to our confessor, the more accountable we can become and the better we can do.
BECAUSE HIS GRACE AND MERCY IS POWERFUL. Since returning to confession, I have had weeks where I have felt the enemy trying to wreak havoc on my days. Whether it’s in my lack of patience, chaotic days with my children or feelings of sadness for no real reason, I quickly realize that my spirit needs to be released from any wrongs and strongholds that the enemy had on me. In other words, confession brings peace. And I mean that. And who couldn’t use more peace in their life?
BECAUSE I AM WORTHY AND SO ARE YOU. Because I am worthy of peace and joy. I am worthy as a child of God to feel free from my wrong doings and stand before Jesus clean and ready to try again. I will sin again and so will you; it’s who we are. But I know that from being more aware of my sins that I can strive harder to not commit the same sins again.
If God has nudged your heart to consider returning to confession, then I encourage you to listen. He’s not calling you there for any other reason than to bring you a cleansing that will bring joy and peace. He’s trying to help us on our paths to eternal life. He’s wanting you to experience the fullness of His church, the fullness of the sacraments and the unending lengths of His mercy.
Take the first step, He’ll guide you from there.
Tip: Use the examination of conscience to prepare yourself for confession.
God bless,
Sasha
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
PIN US BELOW
