The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations/Confession—How to Make a Good Confession
Confession.
HOW TO MAKE A GOOD CONFESSION.
“This sacrament owes its institution to the singular goodness and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.”— Catechism of Council of Trent.
SPIRITUAL writers — men of great learning, piety, and experience — recommend us to prepare for each confession as if it were the last opportunity we would have of approaching the holy Sacrament of Penance. “ This reflection ” says St. Alphonsus, “ will induce you to discharge every part of your duty, both as to the examination of your conscience, your sorrow for your sins, your firm purpose of amending your life, and the sincerity of your confession, in the most perfect possible manner.”
There is scarcely any duty of greater importance in religion, than to receive the Sacrament of Penance with the necessary dispositions. Penance is as indispensable for those who have fallen into sin after baptism, as baptism itself is for those who have never been baptized. It is a second plank after the shipwreck of sin, without which the sinner must inevitably perish. But then it is to be observed, that this sacrament must be received with the necessary dispositions. The cleansing of the baptismal robe, and restoring it to its original purity, is not to be effected without much labour and application. It would be absurd to imagine that the justice of God, which could not be satisfied but by the sufferings of Jesus Christ, and which, notwithstanding these sufferings, doth still condemn to eternal torments the unrepenting sinner — it would be absurd, indeed, to imagine, that his justice should now be appeased by a superficial or outward compliance with this duty, accompanied, perhaps, with insincerity, gross negligence, or a fixed adherence to mortal sin, and therefore destitute of real sorrow, change of heart, and a firm purpose of amendment. The enormity of sin is the same at this day as it ever was, it is as unchangeable as God himself; because it is essentially a rebellion against him, a breach of his law, an insult offered to the Eternal Majesty; and consequently not more remissible at present in the Sacrament of Penance, than at the earliest periods of Christianity, when the severest discipline prevailed, and the fervour of primitive penitents was so ardent. Hence, that this merciful institution may never be frustrated of its end, and in order that the sinner may always obtain by it the pardon of his offences, we must strictly fulfil these five following conditions:
I. An examination of conscience, that we may know our sins.
II. A heartfelt sorrow for having committed them.
III. A firm resolution never to commit them again.
IV. An humble confession of them to a Priest empowered to absolve us.
V. A desire or intention of performing our penance.
When you make a good confession, God grants you the pardon of the sins you have fallen into; and he grants you also strength to avoid sin, and to serve him better for the time to come. But should you make a bad confession, you are guilty of a great crime, and you become much worse than you were before in the sight of God. As often, therefore, as you go to confession, go with an earnest wish of making a truly good confession.
You must also hear in mind that we can neither know our sins, nor be sorry for them, nor confess them well, without God’s grace. Hence prayer, which is the great key to divine grace, is the best part of our preparation for confession.
With regard to persons who approach the Sacraments but seldom, viz., at Christmas and Easter only, they ought to begin their preparation some days beforehand; and during these days they should make a serious effort to correct every bad habit, and should, from time to time, with great fervour, beg of God the grace to make a good confession and a worthy communion. Let this grace be asked in the name of Jesus Christ, and through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin, of our Guardian Angel, of St. Joseph, and of all the saints and angels of heaven.
As to pious people who frequent the Sacraments, and who seldom or never fall into a grievous sin, it is very desirable, when they go to confession, that, after confessing any sins committed since last .absolution, they should, at least in a general way, accuse themselves of all their past sins. “No man,” says St. Augustine, “ should cease to bewail his sins till his last breath.” How instructive is the example of Holy David. Although he knew his gross crimes were pardoned, he still continues to cry out: “ Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me.” (Psalm 1.)
BEFORE CONFESSION. WHAT MUST BE DONE.
First, you must pray fervently for grace to make a good confession, asking that grace again through the merits of Jesus Christ, and through the intercession of his blessed Mother and of all the angels and saints. Secondly, you must carefully examine your conscience, in order to find out the different ways in which you have offended Almighty God, and how often you have fallen into each particular kind of sin. Thirdly, you are to implore God's pardon with sorrow of heart for having offended him, and resolve, with the help of his grace, to lead a virtuous life for the time to come. And you should bear well in mind, that you cannot be truly sorry for your sins unless you be firmly resolved to keep away from all dangerous occasions. In the Sacred Scripture it is said, “ He who loves the danger shall perish in it.”
AT CONFESSION WHAT MUST BE DONE,
BEGIN by devoutly making the sign of the cross; saying at the same time, Bless me, O Father, for I have sinned. Then repeat the Confiteor, or “I confess to Almighty God,” &c., till you come to the words “through my fault,” at which strike your breast, full of compunction, like the humble publican in the Gospel, and so proceed to accuse yourself with candour and sincerity, telling first, how long it is since you were last at Confession, whether you were then absolved, and whether you performed your penance. Make an humble acknowledgment of your guilt. Let there be no excuses, no throwing the blame on others; but above all, let not shame, or fear, or hypocrisy, tempt you to tell lies, or conceal a mortal sin in confession. Should you feel a difficulty in confessing a certain sin, pray to God for help to overcome that difficulty; and recollect that without the confession of that sin you have no hope of pardon, and that by concealing it you draw down upon your soul the heaviest evils both for time and eternity.
“ O God! What a hell does a soul suffer within herself after leaving the tribunal of penance without telling her sin! She always carries within her a viper that unceasingly lacerates her heart. The miserable being shall suffer a hell in this life, and a hell in the next. O my children, if any of you have fallen into the misfortune of concealing a sin through shame, let him take courage and confess it as soon as possible. It is enough for you to say to the confessor: Father, I feel ashamed to tell a certain sin; or to say, Father, I have a scruple regarding my past life. This is sufficient, for the confessor will take care to pluck out the thorn which torments you, and thus give peace to your conscience. And, oh! what joy shall you feel after having expelled the viper from your heart.” — St. Alphonsus.
AFTER CONFESSION, WHAT MUST BE DONE.
1. You are to thank God for the grace of sacramental absolution. How truly valuable is that grace, and how many Catholics are there to whom it is not given ! How thankful should you be for being specially favoured by God, and with what fervour should you return thanks to heaven at least after each confession' 2. Neglect not the penance, or satisfaction, imposed by your confessor. Discharge that duty within the proper time and in a penitential spirit. It is sinful to omit any portion of it; and it is sinful also not to fulfil it within the appointed time, when it is within your power to do so. 3. Be careful to reduce to practice the good advice given by your confessor, and especially to fly the dangerous occasions of sin, to pray for help in times of temptation, and to approach the Sacraments as often at least as experience tells you it is necessary to do so, in order to keep you from falling into mortal sin, and so preserve the grace of God in your soul.