We are living in a historic moment of Eucharistic Revival in the Catholic Church in the United States. God is at work renewing the church by rekindling our devotion to him through the Eucharist. When a person experiences a revival of faith, it often leads to conversion and repentance from sinful ways. I believe that one of the effects of our National Eucharistic Revival will be an increase in the use of the sacrament of penance, also known as confession.

I have often spoken and written about the importance of confession, including an article in the West Texas Angelus in 2019. However, since there are so many people here in West Texas who have not been to Mass or confession in many years, I am convinced that now is the time for us to recommit ourselves to the sacrament of penance as a spiritual preparation for receiving Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. This article is intended to assist Catholics to get back into the practice of regular confession.

Too often, we rationalize our own sins or deny that we have sinned. This is psychologically unhealthy and spiritually destructive. The First Letter of John says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves; and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and he will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:8-9). The Book of Proverbs says, “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Prv 28:13).

The sacrament of penance helps us to be honest with ourselves, and it builds in us a sense of personal accountability and maturity. Psalms 32 and 51 speak of the beauty of admitting our sins and confessing them to the Lord.

Only God can forgive sins, and Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, entrusted to his apostles the ministry of reconciliation. Catholic bishops are successors to those apostles and, therefore, continue to exercise this ministry today. Bishops share this ministry with priests and, by virtue of the sacrament of holy orders, bishops and priests have the power to forgive sins (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], no. 1461).

Sins committed before baptism are forgiven in the sacrament of baptism. Sins committed after baptism are forgiven in the sacrament of penance. In this sacrament, the priest acts in the person of Christ to reconcile the sinner to both God and the church (U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults, p. 236). When we confess our sins to the priest, who has been given the power by Jesus to absolve sins, we are confessing our sins to God. Christ is allowing that priest to be his representative to absolve us of our sins.

Some people think of sin and forgiveness in a very individualistic way, but our sin also affects the community of the church. Just as the holiness of one person can motivate the others around him to live by a higher standard, the sinfulness of one person can pull down the others around him. The church is the body of Christ. The sin of any particular member of the church wounds the entire body. The sacrament of penance heals those wounds.

If a person is conscious of having committed mortal sin, he or she must confess that sin in the sacrament of penance before receiving Holy Communion (CCC, no. 1415). A Catholic is expected to receive this sacrament regularly, at least once a year as a minimum practice, if conscious of having committed mortal sin (Code of Canon Law, can. 989). However, if no serious sin has been committed in that time, confession is not obligatory. Nevertheless, frequent confession is spiritually valuable.

In the spiritual life of a Catholic who is actively growing in the faith, and who is not struggling with some habitual mortal sin, I recommend going to confession about three or four times per year as a good basic rhythm. This fosters continual growth in holiness, helping us to grow out of selfish or sinful patterns and to purify our motives. Some spiritual writers recommend confession once per month for more dynamic spiritual growth. Through the regular practice of this sacrament, our conscience continues to develop and become more sensitive as we mature spiritually. St. Paul says, “I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).

The celebration of the sacrament of penance includes certain steps taken by the penitent and by the priest. It all starts with conversion of the heart, having sorrow or remorse for our sins. This means turning away from sin and having a firm desire to avoid such sins in the future.

The next step is to prepare for the sacrament by spending some time in prayer making an examination of conscience. This is done in order to have a clearer recollection of the sins we have committed and the good that we have failed to do. Ideally, our examination of conscience is carried out in light of the word of God in Scripture. The biblical passages that are best suited for the examination of conscience include the following:
• The Ten Commandments (Dt 5:6-21)
• The Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7)
• Romans 12-13 (moral teaching)
• 1 Corinthians 13 (on love)
• Galatians 5 (works of the flesh and fruits of the Spirit)
• Ephesians 4-6 (moral teaching)

Also, some people find great help for their examination of conscience by using a confession app on their cell phone. The app does not take the place of a sacramental confession, but it does assist us in preparing for it. A presentation of the variety of confession apps can be found at https://catholicapptitude.org/confessionapps/.

After examining our conscience and taking responsibility for our sins, the next step is to confess our sins to a priest. If we are unfamiliar with the procedure, we can ask the priest to guide us through it. We should not be concerned that our sins will shock the priest or give him a heart attack. Most priests have heard similar sins plenty of times before. We should confess our own sins, not the sins of someone else.

We must confess all the mortal sins that we have committed (in kind and number) since our last confession. The Church strongly recommends also confessing the less serious (venial) sins, though this is not strictly necessary. Confessing our venial sins contributes to the ongoing formation of our conscience, helps us to fight against evil tendencies, and fosters further growth in holiness (CCC, nos. 1456-1458).

After we confess our sins to the priest in individual confession, the priest might offer us some encouragement or guidance for our moral or spiritual growth. He might ask some questions for clarification in an effort to help us. Sometimes we are simply confused as to what is sin and what is not sin. The priest in confession can help us to come to a clearer understanding. Of course, we should not expect the confession to be a therapy session. Although it is a sacrament of healing, the priest is not acting as a psychotherapist.

Next, the priest proposes a penance for us to complete after the confession. That penance might consist of some form of prayer, works of mercy, service of neighbor, voluntary self-denial, or personal sacrifices. He might also speak about the need to do reparation, to repair the harm we have caused to others by our sins. This could include, for example, returning stolen goods, restoring the reputation of someone slandered, rectifying an injustice, paying compensation for injuries, etc. (CCC, no 1459).

After giving us a penance, the priest will ask us to say aloud an act of contrition. There are many different possible forms for this prayer. We can use a memorized version or use our own words. After we have made our act of contrition in the presence of the priest, he prays the prayer of absolution, utilizing the power that Christ has entrusted to the church to bring pardon and peace. After we have received absolution, we should complete our penance as soon as possible. Once we have completed the sacrament of penance, we should try not to worry about our past sins. We should trust in the mercy of God and rejoice in the fact that he has lifted the burden of our sins off our shoulders.

There are various opportunities to celebrate the sacrament of penance. One way is to contact a priest and set an appointment. This would typically entail a face-toface confession. Another way is to show up at a church at one of the posted times for confession. Depending on the construction of the confessional room, one might have the option to confess face-to-face, but there should always be the opportunity to confess anonymously behind a screen.

During the seasons of Advent and Lent, most of our parishes offer communal penance services, which usually include the proclamation of Scripture, a homily, and the group recitation of an act of contrition. This is followed by individual confession and individual absolution. A list of Lenten penance services is posted on the website of the Diocese of San Angelo at https://sanangelodiocese.org.