Why hold back?

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                               Fr. Z's blog

 

One of the great benefits of being Catholic is the gift of having all seven sacraments, which includes the Sacrament of Reconciliation (often referred to as the Sacrament of Penance or Confession). 

This particular sacrament may be a difficult one for many people to understand--sometimes even Catholics.

The key to appreciating this sacrament is humility, along with trust in the Sacrament.

The humility element comes from "giving up" your pride and pouring out everything that needs forgiveness. This can feel embarrassing. Revealing your innermost sins can involve hidden "secrets" that you may have been carrying with you for a long time. They may be things you have never told anyone else in your entire life.

As I have told people over the years, those are exactly the sins you need to confess. Don't hold anything back.

The second element that is key to making a good confession relates to the first. You have to fully--and I mean completely--trust in the sacrament itself.

You have to trust in the priest hearing the confession. He can never, ever tell anyone what you have confessed. This is such a beautiful thing. It's not like telling your best friend something and hoping they won't repeat it.

For many of us who have enjoyed a little gossip over the years, it may be hard to fathom that someone can keep such a secret, but it is a fact that he cannot repeat what he hears in confession.

There is a third element to confessing to a priest in confession. As in each of the seven sacraments, Jesus is truly present. Knowing this aids the realization that when you confess, you are confessing to God, through the person of the priest, who is uniquely called to be in the person of Christ in the sacrament.

God is doing the forgiving.

I guess my point is that in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession), you are in THE safest place to empty yourself of all of your sins, and when you receive forgiveness there, you walk out cleansed of everything you have confessed, everything that you have been carrying around with you.

There is no greater experience in the world, which is why we should never be afraid of this sacrament and we should do it as needed.

Advent is a wonderful time to go to Confession and I hope every Catholic will take advantage of it. Do not fear! Jesus is waiting for you to draw closer to him.

Humility and Trust. Keys to a beautiful confession. 

May the peace of Christ be present in your life during this holy season and always.

Janet Cassidy
Janet Cassidy
Email me at:  jmctm2@gmail.com

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