#confession reference

I love good questions like this! Excuse me while I ramble a bit. 

Christ, and therefore, God are the true forgivers of sin, but part of seeking forgiveness is to confess it openly and aloud to one’s community. In the Bible, God gives the power to forgive to the Son of man and then on to designated men. This is so we have someone in the community to confess to without judgment from others. This also allows us the opportunity to be given a penance to perform to help heal ourselves and others from the sin. It would be hard for everyone to receive penance instructions from God. 

My personal confession routine is to pray about my sin that night. Then write about what happened, the why, how to be better, and burn it. If it is still bothering me, I make a bee line to confession. If it is something embarrassing, I will go to a nearby parish versus my normal ones as it is sometimes easier to be candid there. I really enjoy confession when the priest directs me to certain verses or stories of a Saint who struggled with something similar. It’s great to know I’m not alone in my struggle. 

I confess wanting things that clearly are not meant for me, or not in His plan for me at this point. 

I confessed praying, begging for a child when I was having the first miscarriages. I confessed the anger for not being able to do what God designed me to be able to do. I confessed the envy of others having children, especially when I judged them to be a less able parent. I confessed the sloth that came from giving up. 

I feel it is a very helpful thing for any Catholic! I do not go as often as I should and completely understand that feeling you have about your priest looking at you differently. I know some denominations claim you can confess to God directly without a priest. For little things that is what I do, but confession is a truly important part of being Catholic and I need to go more often. I’ve found it helpful to go to confession at a parish I rarely attend and have explained to the priest that I am more comfortable with him in that role. 

I do not even know where you would start creating such a ritual. I will say that if you choose not to go to confession at least once a year, during Lent, then perhaps you need to think about what you feel it means to be Catholic. We all have moments where we drift away, and some drift completely to other religions. 

It is encouraged for Catholics to confess anytime their soul is burdened by sin. Can’t get that fight with your parent out of your mind? Realize you acted like a jerk at work? 

Think of it this way. The priest is standing in for God so that you have a physical person to talk to, a therapist in a way, who will give you steps to take to ease your burden. Those steps may be as simple as apologizing to the one you wronged or as complicated as praying every day, donating your time, etc.If one does not have such scruples, it is deemed a requirement to confess at least once a year and during the Lent season.