The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ to offer sinners forgiveness for offenses against God and their sisters and brothers. It brings reconciliation between God and the penitent, and between the penitent and others. Before going to Confession, one should perform an examination of conscience to reflect on their sins and say a prayer to the Holy Spirit.
The Rite of Confession begins with the Sign of the Cross and the penitent greeting the priest with the words “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned”. The penitent then confesses sins to the priest, who stands in the name of the Church and Christ. The priest stands in the name of Christ and the Church, who will guide the penitent towards healing and helpfulness.
In preparation for Confession, one should read a Gospel Book or an Icon of the Savior. Confession is not difficult but requires preparation. One should begin with prayer and place themselves in the presence of God. The process begins with the Sign of the Cross and the penitent greeting the priest with the words “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned”.
To confess as a Catholic, one must enter the confessional and greet the priest. They must make the sign of the cross and say “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned”. They must also state their last confession and state the amount of time from their last confession.
During reconciliation, mortal sins must be confessed, while venial sins may be confessed for devotional reasons. According to the dogma and unchanging practice of the Catholic Church, mortal sins must be confessed, while venial sins may be confessed for devotional reasons.
A baptized Catholic enters the Confessional and confesses their sins and asks for forgiveness. The priest may offer counsel and then give a confession.
📹 ✝️⛪️🕊 What Are The 7 Steps In Going To Confession (Reconciliation)?
If you have been thinking of going to Confession, the Sacrament of Penance, but it has been a while since your last visit, and you …
What are the 5 C’s of confession?
The Rite of Reconciliation, as described by Father Paul Boudreau, consists of five steps: Conviction, Confession, Contrition, Compensation, and Correction. Conviction involves admitting one’s wrongdoing, which can be expressed through a formula or other suitable expression. Confession involves transferring responsibility for actions that put one at odds with God, others, or oneself. Contrition is a time-honored way to express sorrow for sin in one’s life, and can be found in Catholic prayers or expressed in one’s own words.
The priest offers the formula of absolution during this process. Compensation involves receiving a penance, such as returning stolen items or spending time in prayer to demonstrate good will. These steps remain unchanged and remain relevant in the modern Catholic faith.
What is the Catholic rule on confession?
The Church has established a requirement that, upon reaching the age of discretion, faithful individuals must confess serious sins at least once a year. Those who are aware of having committed a mortal sin are not permitted to receive Holy Communion, even in the event of experiencing profound contrition.
What does a priest say during confession?
The priest will pray to absolve sinners, stating that God, the Father of mercies, reconciled the world through the death and resurrection of His Son, and sent the Holy Spirit for the purpose of forgiveness. In accordance with the Church’s ministry, God will bestow pardon and peace upon those who have sinned. The priest will then absolve these individuals in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Additionally, the sign of the cross is made.
How does first confession go?
The format for a First Confession is the same as any Confession, except at the beginning. For a First Confession, the words are “Bless me, father for I have sinned”. The rest of the confession is the same. Catholic First Confession classes are typically paired with First Holy Communion Classes, which typically last one year. Some places require a two-year preparation. These classes are available for all ages, including adolescents and adults. CatechismClass.
Com offers flexible, online First Confession and First Holy Communion preparation courses that can be completed at a student’s own pace. Most students easily complete the course in just a few months due to its convenience and availability 24/7. All students who complete the courses receive a certificate of completion.
The content of Catholic First Confession classes covers the necessity of confession for the forgiveness of sins in God’s plan of salvation, the essential elements required for a valid Confession, the horror of sin, the how-to process for making a confession, and the benefits of living a life of grace with frequent confession.
What are the 3 C’s of confession?
The text is comprised of two distinct elements: confession, or the articulation of one’s innermost thoughts and feelings, and conversion, or the outward manifestation of one’s actions and behaviors.
What is the rite of confession in the Catholic Church?
The priest imposes a penance on a sinner, who accuses themselves of their sins. The priest advises the penitent to express their contrition, stating that God, the Father of mercies, reconciled the world to himself through Jesus’ death and resurrection. The priest then prays for pardon and peace, and absolves the penitent in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The priest dismisses the penitent with an alternative formula.
What are the 5 steps of confession?
The five steps for a good confession include examining one’s conscience, being sincerely sorry for sins, confessing them to a priest, resolving to amend one’s life, and performing the assigned penance. In the spiritual life, sins cause illness, and the Sacrament of Penance is the means to restore health. The five steps include examining one’s conscience, confessing sins to a priest, resolving to amend one’s life, and performing the assigned penance. The confession should be made to God, acknowledging the length of time since the last confession, and expressing gratitude for the grace bestowed through the Sacrament of Penance.
How is confession made?
The Baltimore Catechism teaches the steps to confession, which include finding out one’s sins, being sorry for them, making a decision not to sin again, telling the sins to the priest, and performing the penance. However, it is important to habitually examine one’s conscience, not just before confession. Ideally, one should do an examination of conscience every night before bed, asking for the Holy Spirit to help review all the ways one said yes to God and thank him, then reviewing all the ways one said no to God and asking for forgiveness.
Mother Teresa advised asking “What did I do to Jesus today?” A cheat sheet can help deepen and improve this review and examination before confession. Choose a cheat sheet that works best for your life state and struggles.
What is done during confession?
Confession involves naming our sins to the priest, who represents Christ and the Church. Penance involves prayers or good deeds for healing and the healing of those affected by our sins. The Prayer of Absolution is a prayer that reconciles us to God through his death and resurrection. It states that God reconciled the world to himself through his Son and sent the Holy Spirit for forgiveness. Through the Church’s ministry, God may grant pardon and peace, and absolve us from our sins in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
What are the three rites of confession?
There are three rites of reconciliation: individual reconciliation, multiple reconciliation with individual confession and absolution, and general reconciliation for penitents with general confession and absolution.
📹 Going to Confession for the First Time in a Long Time
… Mike Schmitz and Fr. Josh Johnson’s Pocket Guide to the Sacrament of Reconciliation: https://tinyurl.com/yhwfakge Confession …
Even as a person who regularly goes to confession(every 3 weeks), I always write down my sins on a piece of paper. A priest told me that after I leave the confessional, I should rip the paper up, because the wrongdoings on that paper don’t exist anymore. Also, I think it’s fun to rip it up, because it’s like you’re saying to the Devil “Take that, I am free from your grasp!”.
Thank you Father. I had been 50 years for me. The Priest who took my confession was lovely – at the end he told me that the angels and Saints in Heaven were so happy for my return and then asked me to pray for him! (just like you do every day when you do the Bible in a Year). Your articles helped so much, as did the Pocket Guide to the Sacrament of Reconciliation you and Fr Josh authored. Again, thank you, I felt so much more prepared and blessed by the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Sacrament of Communion because of the work you do for Jesus and for us.
I need to really share something here. I bought a copy of this wonderful book and it really educated me. In spite of being a lifelong Catholic with some falls in between, I thought I fully grasped and understood the sacrament. I clearly didn’t. There had recently been a period of months when I hadn’t attended confession and I had a huge mental block about it. I hadn’t received the Eucharist for a while because of this, and the whole thing was pulling me away from Christ. I recently took this book out again to prepare for a confession I dreaded but knew I needed so badly. When I finally went – full of fear, even knowing that Christ knew everything already – it was an incredible experience like nothing I’ve ever encountered. The priest was elderly and had obviously heard his share of confessions. He was extraordinarily kind and welcoming. He told me I’d made a ‘wonderful’ confession, was so encouraging and told me not to worry about anything, that we are all sinners and we all fall. He said ‘you are a good person, I know it, and you have faith in Jesus’. To say it was a beautiful experience was an understatement. I thanked him for radiating Christ’s love. My advice – even if you’re middle aged like me, even if you’ve had confessions before, you can have irrational anxiety and fear. If you make the effort, Jesus will be there in the confessional and he will lift the weight of sin from your heart. Thanks for the guidance Fr Mike, you help many more people than you’ll ever know 🙏
This was incredibly helpful. I was born Catholic, and never lost faith, but did lose hope in many things. This caused me to indulge in sin to look for a sense of (even if brief) happiness when I was miserable 24/7. I am currently saying yes to God and working on stopping my sinful ways. But it has been a long time since I had the energy to bring myself back to Mass, let alone confession. I didn’t know if I could squeeze in everything I needed to say and receive feedback from the priest with the limited time of Saturday evening confession times.
After not going to confession or to Mass voluntarily for over 55 years, my suitcase full of sins was bursting at the sides and one day the clasps broke open and every one of them spilled out. Having watched these articles on confession, I spoke with a staff member of my local parish and it was suggested I speak with Pastor Paul. After a half hour of bearing my soul, Fr. Paul said this has been quite a complete confession, and you may repeat the process at the Sat. Reconciliation time at church or we can do it right now. NOW PLEASE! Having recalled the Act of Contrition, I left his office having received the Sacrament. I did feel guilty afterwards and thought that for sure I have forgotten something serious. But Fr. Paul had reassured me that if I had forgotten something I can confess it next time.. just be sure and do it. After 56 years +/-, having made it back to Church on Pentecost Sunday I hope to receive Communion on Corpus Christi Sunday. Thank you Fr. Mike for your work and prayers.
I have had a very strong desire to return to the church after being gone for a very long time. I came across your podcast of the Bible in a year and found you to be so understandable in breaking down many of the questions I have had. Thank you for the way you share the way of God, and the church, and worship, and the humility you share of yourself as an infallible human being. I love perusal hearing your lectures you keep it real!
I went to confession two days ago after four decades away from the Catholic faith. It was very over whelming and emotional but I finally faced my sins that haunted me. Later that day on the bus ride home I remembered a few sins I forgot about. This article really helped my heart because I didn’t feel right about taking of communion. Thank you so much for sharing.
I went Last Friday for confession,that is the first Friday of Lent 2024 and confessed all the sins I could remember with all the ugly details,sins over a span of 20 years which i was ashamed to confess for a while…and now I remembered some more of my sins and I am going to confession again this Friday…second Friday of Lent.I carry my notepad.I started writing days before my confession…and I read from the note pad.Still I forgot some and has to go again this Friday.But the peace which you get after a good confession is out of the world❤
Thank you so much for this father I have forgotten something I did as a teenager that was bad but I brought forth all the very mortal horrific sins from my adulthood 1st and I laid them out and I forgot about that 1 from my teenage years and from my childhood and I’m so grateful that you said that I don’t need to worry about it now because I did pray over it thank you. It had been over 4 decades since I had made my last confession and now I feel wonderful.
This is the best book! I read it & couldn’t wait to go to Confession. I felt so free after. The best book ever! Wish I had this book prior to teaching Reconciliation to my First Communion classes. So easy to understand & apply. Very comforting. Worth every penny. Thanks Fr. Mike for coauthoring this awesome tool of comfort.
I was gone for a very long time. It’s maybe 8 years . So I wouldn’t forget anything. I put the things that I need to confess on my phone. Not only I I go back 8 years ago, but I went back 40 years. That’s how long I’ve been in the mirror of the Catholic Church . Of some of that stuff, I wasn’t sure if I confessed it. That was very helpful for me putting it on the phone. It took me 3 confessions to get everything in. The Lord started reminding me of things that I did or did not do . And I did not know I was not going to mess. What’s a mortal sin. Now I am Going to mass every Sunday. I’m taking the holy communion Now I’m a practicing Catholic I’m not perfect when I make a mistake I go to confession .
Father can you please help me out with this. I’m a 59 year old cradle Catholic who hasn’t been to church in decades. I couldn’t even if I wanted to because I made long haul trucking my life, passion, and career. I was gone from home for over a month. The big truck stops have prayer trailers. I’ve been in those. But my problem is that I need confession because I found my faith again. I was diagnosed with throat cancer last year and I’ve had a terrible year. With the surgeries and radiation it’s really hard. They lost me in surgery due to a heart block but God wasn’t ready for me yet thankfully I came out of it. So this whole experience has made me seek and attach myself to God. But the problem is I can’t go to confession because I can’t speak anymore. They took my larynx and I have no voice box now. Does this exclude me from confession and communion? I hope not 😢 please tell me how I can confess. Thanks Father and I’m enjoying the Bible in a year and catechism in a year. I bought the great adventure Bible and ascension edition of catechism. Learning so much more than I was taught in the 70s God bless you and I pray 🙏 for you Father Mike
I have not been to confession for a long time. I brought the catechism of the Catholic Church with me. I showed that book to the priest or I had the book anyway since I have thoughts of suicide and I’ve been hospitalized before for it, I went to that confession to confessed. If I can remember the priest told me to seek professional help, escorted me out. Besides feeling disappointed, ashamed, I felt embarrassed to go to that church again. And I haven’t gone to confession since.
Confession once a week will literally change your life. It will totally re-orient your brain to assessing your daily missteps. It not only grows you spiritually closer to christ, but it also points you in the direction of your full potential. You don’t realize how much your sins hold you back to accomplishing goals.
Fr. Mike, don’t worry about the commercial for the book. I got it and I needed to have it. I hadn’t been to confession in 50 years . No one knew that I was considering going back to the Catholic Church. I had been away from it well for a long time through marriage and a divorce and losing two other men who meant the world to me in my life and my sister-in-law and I were at dinner this was before Easter it was during lent and she said I’ve got to ask you something I’m just gonna drop it on you and I said OK she goes. Would you like to go to adoration and confession with me? Well, I didn’t know what adoration was so she had to explain that to me well, I knew what confession was, and I knew I hadn’t been there in 50 years. But much to her surprise I said yes I would like to go. She said well I figured I wouldn’t bring it on you on Thursday. I’d ask you a couple days in advance and I said well that’s good cause I’ve got to figure some stuff out, it was the Lenten adoration eight priests, no waiting. Due to the fact that I am disabled, I cannot kneel. show there was a priest 8:43 who was just sitting in a chair and I figured I should just do it. And he was an extremely compassionate man. When I said it had been 50 years he said well I don’t want you to go back through the last 50 years of your life just give me your greatest hits which I did. And he gave me what I considered for 50 years a very gentle penance and we talked and he explain some things to me where my mom was concerned and was a great deal of help.
There are plenty of decent confession apps out there. However, my favorite one ceased being available. It went through a series of interview questions related to each of the 10 Commandments. It gave the penitent the opportunity to put the number of times next to a particular question. Then it went onto a summary of the questions that had at least one occurrence. Now, I’m forced to reflect, then go to the app’s notepad and write the sin plus the number of times, then go back to the interview. Fortunately, I go to confession once a week and I don’t let the list get too long.
Thank you so much Father Mike, I need to go back to church, I feel so empty in my heart. I stopped going to church after my mother passed away 8 years ago. Going to church now is painful because, it brought so much joy when I had my parents here on earth. Do you have any advice to mend my heart. Thank you🙏❣
I need to confess father… But as u know when covid gets rise up… Church are closed in our area.. So i hope someone (priest) come up with an confessing plateform… It would be a blessing… Hope u see this msg..may lord jesus help u to bring ua attention… “One unified platform where anyone can come confess… And get rid of their sins”…. Please type amen if anyone agree on this
I dunno about the 15 minute thing; particular mortal sins must be confessed to the best of our ability. When I saw a priest for a general confession 30 years ago, I had well over 30 single spaced pages. And even rushing through it, the priest had to leave after 3 hours. So I think I missed a few things because the priest announced he suddenly had to leave.
I’m so glad I came across this article today of Fr. Mike speaking about confession. I know I am in need of a having a good confession and keep putting it off. I wish I could come to you Fr. Mike to confess my sins and lift this heaviness off my shoulders I carry each and every day. I need to make this a priority for many reasons. Please pray for me. I love reading the BIAY with you Fr.Mike.
I am going to confession today for the first time since Dec. 2019. Before CoVid. Pray that the Holy Spirit guide my forgetful brain through it all. I did take the advice to write things down. I don’t have a few days to think about it though. It’s literally today lol, but I think taking the time right now to reflect was good. Thank you for the advice. God Bless!
i am a convert but last time i went to confession was a very horrible experience! The priest was young, rude, put me down and started falling asleep. So i plan on going in 2 days to a close priest friend an older retired priest but am super scared after the horrible experience i had with the previous priest. i love your articles!
A bit of a newbie as well. Went to confession at one church where the priest and I were in the same room and it went well. The next time I went to a church the priest was in a screened room and you went into the rooms next to it. What I didn’t know was you don’t enter the room with the green light if the other room has a red light lit. Its all still very confusing!
I prayed to Our Lady of Sorrow’s to reveal my past unconfessed sins and the sins I commit today…..and SHE does! I open NOTES on my phone to my grocery list and write my sins each time I think of one. When I leave confession I just erase. The grocery list also reminds me to confess as a list and not tell stories trying to justify my sins. Thanks Fr Mike!
I am planning on going back to the church Confession is really weighing down on me. I’m 85 am a cradle catholic married out of the church I did go to a Lutheran church. But now I my old age want to attend masses. Which I have done. I would like to get the book ..with bad eyesight I need either a ebook we’re I can enlarge the print or a book with large print. Any answers would be appreciated
God expects you to be righteous. You must be righteous for Him to answer your prayers. Being Baptized, says Paul makes you righteous. BUT, having sin on your soul detaches you from God. Confession is not just a suggestion. If you don’t go to confession you will never get your prayers answered because you will not be righteous and in sin you will be detached from His Grace. Without Grace you die in spirit.. Penance, also gives you indulgences, Indulgences can shorten your time in purgatory. Confession can keep you out of h ll. God does not expect us to be passive. You MUST EARN HIM. If you don’t earn Him you will never have a relationship with Him. You will just be a dumb slob. You have to examine your conscience every day and beg His mercy. God expects 10% of everything back including your time. That means you must apply yourself to a MINIMUM of an hour of prayer a day and that does not even suffice. Prayer is the medium by which you earn His relationship. Prayer is the medium thru which miracles are made. If you want miracles you must go to confession and pray. If you don’t pray you will never be in communion with Him. Prayer is worship- let Him know that you acknowledge His greatness, praise – He is wonderful, thanksgiving – He gives you everything you have even though you think you worked for it and its not asking for stuff. You must thank Him for EVEN the horrors in your life and ask Him to teach you what you were meant to learn from it. That horror has tremendous value. Those horrors are how you pray for other people so don’t waste it complaining about it.
POPE BENEDICT XVI: “Christ is not so much interested in how often in your lives you stumble and fall, as in how often you pick yourselves up again. He does not demand glittering achievements, but he wants his light to shine in you. He does not call you because you are good and perfect, but because he is good, and he wants to make you his friends. Yes, you are the light of the world because Jesus is your light. You are Christians – not because you do special and extraordinary things, but because Christ is in your life. You are holy because his grace is a work in you.”
Father, I haven’t been to confession for so long that I seriously can’t remember what I’m supposed to do? Am I supposed to kneel (that’s how I was taught in grade school) or sit (because sometimes there is a chair beside the priest). Who starts the confessional conversation? Do I just go in and start blurting my sins or is there a preamble prayer I’m supposed to say? Am I supposed to say an ‘act of contrition’ (I don’t remember one but I could look one up online)? How many sins should I recite (I’ve broken all the commandments way too many times to count – if not materially then certainly spiritually)? I’m guessing there is something I’m supposed to say at the end as well but I don’t know what?
All Christians should go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation it’s what Jesus Who is God intended for His disciples. Jesus began the Sacrament when He healed the paraplegic man He forgiven the man his sins Mark 2:1-12 The Scribes rebuked Jesus saying only God can forgive people their sins and in response Jesus said that the Son of Man has been given authority to forgive sins as Jesus is both fully God and fully Man. In turn Jesus gave this authority to the Apostles He had chosen saying to them whos sin you forgive are forgiven and whos sins you retain are retained John 20:23 even St. Paul speaks of the Sacrament of Reconciliation about the Apostles and their successors administering the Sacrament 2 Corinthians 5:11-21. Christians who say that they only need to confess their sins to God and not a Priest a successor of the Apostles are disobeying Jesus out of their ignorance. The Unbaptized are exempt because they are ignorant of Jesus, His Gospel and His Church.
I recently went to 3 confessions. Since I was gone for so long, I went to other churches. That was a big mistake. No, I’ve been going to mass regularly . Taking the holy comedian. So I’ve been back for 3 weeks Going to mess. I was gone approximately 6 years from the Catholic Church. I love Is going to Is Mass . I learned my lesson. The hard way