
On making a Perfect
and Holy Confession

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
This magnificent
article is a reprint — with some editorial redactions
— from Sacred Heart Traditional
Catholic Church in Lawrence, MA. It is one of the
best and most informative articles on the Traditional
Catholic Sacrament of Holy Penance — or Holy Confession.
It provides eminently readable instruction on what Holy
Confession is, what is involved in making a good confession,
what to do, and what to avoid. It is a masterpiece
of authentic, traditional, Catholic teaching. It
has been modified in part for greater clarity.
[Editor’s Note: given the
extreme spiritual and moral laxity in society
today — and, alas, for sorrow — within the post-Vatican
II Church itself in which we find only “faults and
failures” ... but no “sins” — some of what
appears below, especially the questions of the priest-confessor,
may seem stern, rigorous, demanding, and even harsh.
To understand this correctly, you must
understand the contrast between the private and anonymous
Traditional Catholic “Confessional” and what
we encounter in today’s “Reconciliation Rooms”
which resemble informal offices with comfortably cushioned
armchairs, no kneelers, and no privacy:
the priests knows exactly who
you are and what you have done, for
he is face-to-face with you. This can be particularly
uncomfortable for women, understandably — and it is
uncomfortable for men as well, and often for the
same reason. What woman wants to confess her sexual
sins face-to-face with a priest? Given the widespread
homosexuality in the priesthood of the Novus Ordo
(post-Vatican II) Church, what man is comfortable
confessing the sin, say, of masturbation to a priest
who may be aroused by it? This is no mere speculation.
Men have been shamefully propositioned
by homosexual priests in today’s cozy “Reconciliation
Room”. This is very likely reason for
the precipitous drop (to around 2%) in Confession.
Equally to the point is that the sole
reason that a Traditional Catholic Priest is often
unstinting in knowing (in the privacy
of a proper Confessional separating the priest from
the penitent) the nature, number, and circumstances
of our sins. How can he put us on the right path if
he does not know the path we have travelled that led
us to sin? This does not mean that each
sin should be confessed in lurid detail! That is inappropriate!
But if the priest-confessor gives you absolution of
sins not fully disclosed or understood by either himself
or you — in addition to the sins that you have invalidly
or incompletely confessed —
not only do
your sins remain when you leave the Confessional, but
you ADD the very grave Mortal Sin of Sacrilege
— which is greater than any other sin you possibly
could have confessed! The priest is not trying to “torture”
you — as Pseudo-Pope Francis falsely claims in describing
the Sacrament of Confession — he
wants to help you get to Heaven and realizes
that you cannot possibly go there if you are in a
state of sin, especially Mortal Sin. You absolutely
must not conceal any sins through a misplaced
sense of shame. It is VITAL that you understand
this!]
You must receive the Sacrament
of Penance worthily!
You have been bound by
sin, and now desire to be loosed from the chains of sin which bind
you. When you feel the desire to be loosed from sin, God is
calling you. If you wish to go to Him, raise up your heart
in fervent prayer. You must earnestly ask God’s
help.
Many
sacrilegious Confessions and Communions may be traced to the fact
that a soul, of itself, presumes to approach the Tribunal
of Penance without the help of God. Men and women come
into the confessional without the least preparation, after having
been engaged in useless conversation on the street up to the moment
of entering the Church. Others spend their time idly gazing
around the Church while awaiting their turn in the pews. This should
never happen; and those who do so demonstrate that they do
not realize the utter sanctity of the Sacrament of Penance.
The priest is
the ambassador of Jesus Christ. Christ has placed in him the
power of reconciliation. The priest is sent even as our Lord was
sent, by the Father. How can he exercise that wonderful ministry
of reconciliation if you neglect to do your part in seeking
to be united to God in the Sacrament of Penance?
For this union
you must:
-
Have genuine and heartfelt sorrow
for your sins (one good test is this: if you could go
back in time, would you commit that same sin again)
-
Examine your conscience (were
the things you had done, things God would have had
you do? Did you fail to do what you know
God would have had you do?)
-
Confess your sins to the priest
(openly, honestly, sorrowfully, omitting no sin though a
sense of guilt or worthless shame: you are confessing
to Christ Himself in the person of His priest, no matter
how unworthy the priest may be!)
-
Make a firm resolution to sin no more. Saint Peter
was unsparing in his assessment of those who lacked firm
resolution:
“The dog turns back to his
own vomit again, and the pig that was washed goes back to
wallowing in the mud.”
(2 St. Peter 2.22)
Promise satisfaction (doing the penance
enjoined upon you by the priest in confession, repairing
the scandal you may have brought to an individual, restoring
property you may have stolen, and the good name to your
neighbor if you have gossiped against her or unjustly defamed
him.)
PREPARATION
WITH PRAYER
Try to start
your confession with the Rosary, imploring
that God may give you the grace to make a good, humble, sincere
and worthy confession. We never know when God may call us to account
in the Particular Judgment following our death, and we must show
our devotion to the Holy Trinity and a sober recognition of the
state our souls are in by always making a good confession.
Always
keep in mind that this life is a mere 70 - 80 years long at most.
After that we are judged.
God wants all his children to go to Heaven, but all of us reject
His love through sin at some point, and many of us unfortunately
reject His forgiveness through the holy sacrament of Confession.
LIFE
IS NOT ABOUT THIS WORLD, BUT THE NEXT
Remember
— God does not put us in Hell, we put ourselves in
Hell. God wants us to be in love with Him and out of His love,
we then have the opportunity to return that love during our live
by living the commandments God has given us, by our filial obedience
to Him:
“If
you love Me, keep My commandments”
(Saint John 14.15). If we choose
to travel down the path God has provided, we can then live forever
with Him in Heaven. It is difficult to be in this world and live
for God, but anything worth doing should be hard, and nothing is
more important than our eternal salvation. Living on faith is very
intense, but Our Lord has given us the tools to live a holy and
virtues life and the graces are there waiting for you. All you have
to do is simply ask for them or receive them through the sacraments,
like Confession and the Holy Eucharist.
CONTRITION
No matter how well
you examine your conscience, how exactly you count your sins, how
clearly you tell them, all will be useless, without a true sorrow
of heart for having offended God.
You must have sorrow for your sins.
As there is a difference between true joy and the pretense of
joy — so, too, with sorrow; one is from the heart and the other
a pretense. Sorrow of heart is necessary for the pardon
of sins in Confession.
There are two
kinds of sorrow. The first arises from a pure love
of God. Knowing how good, how loving, how tender a Father
we have offended by our sins; knowing all that He has done and
suffered for us, we are grieved to the very heart that we have
offended Him. This is perfect contrition.
Imperfect contrition
arises from fear of God’s judgment and from a knowledge of the
baseness of sin and of its evil effects on the soul. This
latter is true sorrow, but not perfect like the first.
United with confession, with a determination to amend the past,
and with the absolution of the priest, imperfect contrition
will justify the sinner; but you should always endeavor to have
perfect sorrow for your sins. This sorrow can be acquired
by prayer and meditation. You must earnestly ask it of God,
and make use of such meditations and considerations as will
move you to it.
SORROW FOR SIN
The
sinner, wishing to receive the Sacrament of Penance
must have true and sincere sorrow for his sin; he
must detest it, and turn away from it in order to be reconciled
with God, who it offends.
Mere natural
sorrow for sin because of the temporal evils which it causes is
not sufficient. I may be sorry because sin has ruined my good
name, or my wealth, or health, or honor or purity, but such motives
are merely natural, and have no relation to God. The sinner
in the Sacrament of Penance seeks reconciliation with God, and so
the motives of his sorrow must have reference to God; they must
be supernatural, founded on revelation and faith. Without faith
no act can be of avail for salvation, as
“without faith it is impossible to
please God.”
The sinner must regard sin as the greatest of
all evils, as it is. He must be prepared to do and suffer
anything rather than commit sin again.
Otherwise he cannot be said to fulfill that
greatest of all commandments, which bids us love God with our whole
heart, with our whole soul, with all our strength, and with all
our mind.
You must
know that our Lord is most desirous of giving us His graces. He
is the Good Shepherd who is anxiously seeking His poor lost sheep.
He is the Father of the poor hungry, wretched child. You must also
know that sin is the only enemy of God. Sin crucified
our Redeemer. Sin blackens and defiles the soul, which
is the temple of God. Sin robs the soul of its inheritance, the
everlasting joys of Heaven, and precipitates so many into the eternal
torments of Hell. A soul in grace is a spouse of Jesus Christ, a
temple of the Holy Ghost; a soul in mortal sin, is a subject
of Satan, a den of unclean spirits. A soul in grace
is beautiful, like an angel; a soul in sin is poor, despoiled of
all merit, a slave of the devil. Remember, mortal sin
kills the soul. It is true that our souls are immortal.
The Scriptures
mention a second death, which is the everlasting death of the soul
in Hell. Now, that death is the sequel and issue of mortal sin,
for mortal sin deprives the soul of the grace of God, which is the
life of the soul. How hideous is the body a few days after life
has departed! You could hardly find a man willing to stay a whole
night with a decomposing corpse. Yet a soul in mortal sin is infinitely
more horrible. One mortal sin changed the brightest angels of God
into hideous demons; so ugly, that the sight of one deformed spirit
would be enough to strike one dead. What, then, must be the terrible
deformity of that man’s soul who is guilty of many mortal sins!
We read in the life of St. Catherine of Siena, that God permitted
her to see a soul in sin; and she declared that, had she not been
upheld and strengthened by God, she would instantly have died from
fright and horror.
Sin is an infinite
evil. God alone knows the enormity of sin. Hence to have
true sorrow for sin, you must ask God to give it to you; and that
you may be moved to greater fervor in doing so, meditate on the
Passion of our Lord. For in the Victim of Calvary we see the
enormity of sin that required such atonement; the justice of God
that required such satisfaction; the love of our Lord Who endured
so much for us; the ingratitude of men who hardly ever think of
all that Jesus Christ suffered in order to save them from the punishment
they deserve for their sins.
During
your conservations with God through prayer,
you came to know your real self. He has given you strength and courage.
The Holy Ghost has enlightened the soul. Reflect upon how
you stand before God. Take account of your soul. Think about your
sins since your last Confession. This is making an examination of
conscience. The neglect of examination of conscience is a
source of sacrilegious Confessions. It is owing to carelessness
on the part of some, indifference on the part of others, and ignorance
on the part of still more. Generally, those who hasten to the confessional
without asking God to give them grace to make a good Confession,
begin to accuse themselves without any previous examination. They
never try to count their sins. Many do not truthfully show themselves
to the priest, as our Lord tells them. They either hide their guilty
conscience, or they show themselves in false colors. They do not
examine their conscience. They do not count their sins.
The following is an example of a confession made without an examination
of conscience.
An example:
Here is a man, for instance, who has been away from confession for
five years:
Confessor (Priest)
— When were you at confession last?
Penitent –
A long time ago.
Confessor (Priest)
— How long ago?
Penitent
— Oh, several years.
Confessor (Priest)
— Please tell me, as near as you can, how long it is.
Penitent
—it’s so long, Father, it’s hard for me to tell.
Confessor
— Is it one year, or two or five or ten years?
Penitent
—Well, it’s about five years.
Confessor (Priest)
— What sins have you committed since then?
Penitent
— A great many.
Confessor (Priest)
— Have you cursed?
Penitent
— I have.
Confessor (Priest)
— How often, and what did you say?
Penitent
— Oh, not very often.
Confessor (Priest)
— About how many times a day did you take the Holy Name
of Jesus in vain?
Penitent
— Some days a good many times, and other days not at all.
Confessor (Priest)
— Please, my child, tell the number of times you committed
each sin, and do not keep me waiting.
Penitent
— Well, I cursed and swore, told lies, missed Mass, had
bad thoughts, and got angry sometimes; that’s all, Father.
Such a Confession
is not clear enough. It is too general.
It is a most imperfect confession.
-
How can the priest
form a correct judgment of the state of such a man’s soul?
The priest must form a just judgment before he passes sentence,
otherwise God will not ratify his decision.
-
The penitent alone
is the only accuser, the witness against himself.
If he does not tell the truth, how can the priest rightly
tell the condition of his soul? In the example given
the penitent says, “I cursed,” but does not tell the whole
truth. He does not say whether it was once, twice,
ten or one hundred times a day. Again, he does not
tell the curses he used. He does not say whether,
in cursing, he invoked God, or Christ, or the sacred Name
of Jesus.
-
How, then, can
the priest have any knowledge of the curses and oaths which
that man has vomited forth, when he only hears, “Father,
I cursed.”
-
Then again he
says, “Father, I missed Mass.” He does not tell the priest
how often, whether it was once in a month or once in six
months, whether he could help it or not.
-
He says, too,
that he has had bad thoughts, but he gives no intimation
that he took pleasure in them; he does not tell how often
that was the case, and so on.
-
If he absolves that man without a knowledge
of his soul, he runs the danger of committing a terrible
sacrilege himself.
Examine
your Conscience (reflect upon your sins) relative to:
The Ten Commandments of God
I. |
I am the LORD your
God: you shall not have strange Gods before me.
|
II. |
You shall not take
the name of the LORD your God in vain.
|
III. |
Remember to keep holy
the LORD'S Day.
|
IV. |
Honor your father
and your mother.
|
V. |
You shall not kill.
|
VI. |
You shall not commit
adultery.
|
VII. |
You shall not steal.
|
VIII. |
You shall not bear
false witness against your neighbor.
|
IX. |
You shall not covet
your neighbor's wife.
|
X. |
You shall not covet
your neighbor's goods
|
The
Commandments of the Church.
The particular Duties
of your State of Life.
The Seven Deadly Sins:
-
Pride
-
Avarice (Greed)
-
Envy
-
Anger
-
Lust
-
Gluttony
-
Sloth
And consider
where, in, and how often, you have offended
God by thought, word, deed, or omission.
REMEMBER ALWAYS
TO COUNT YOUR SINS.
There
are certain words never to be used in the confessional.
Never say sometimes, a good many times, not
often, very often. Never use such expressions, because they
are all vague, indefinite terms; they do not give the priest any
idea of the exact number of one’s sins. Tell the priest:
If you cannot give
the exact number, give it as nearly as you can. Tell about
how often. God does not require impossibilities. Doing the best
you can, you need have no fear of telling a lie. To come as nearly
as you can to the number is not lying. It is all you can do. But
if you find this too difficult, because you have been absent from
Confession a long time, then give an average number of the sins
you have committed daily or weekly or monthly. Put one day
or one week or one month with another, and see about
how often in a day or in the week or in the month you have been
in the habit of committing each sin.
Moreover, have some
system in examining yourself and in telling your sins.
Follow the order
of the Commandments.
-
Separate your
different sins,
-
one kind from
another,
-
and count how many
you have of each.
-
And remember —
you must COUNT YOUR SINS before going to Confession.
First Commandment
“I am the
Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.”
-
In counting your sins, if you cannot give
the exact number, as nearly as you can, truthfully
approximate how often you have committed each.
I denied, or doubted my faith
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I murmured against God
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I despaired of His mercy
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I missed my daily prayers
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I went to places of false worship
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I talked against the Church, priests, or
faith
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I went to fortune tellers
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I was dealing with the occult — i.e. Ouija
Board
|
_____ Times a week, or month
|
I was guilty of superstitious practices
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I was guilty of excessive materialism
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I was guilty of malice (deliberate choice
of evil)
|
_____ Times a week, or month
|
I read books contrary to faith
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
Second
Commandment:
“Thou
shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”
I swore by name of God (Blasphemy)
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I swore by name of Jesus (Blasphemy)
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I cursed others by saying: God damn you
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I cursed my children and wife
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I cursed in the hearing of the young
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I perjured myself by swearing falsely in
court
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I took rash and unnecessary oaths
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I provoked others to curse
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I did not prevent cursing when I could and
should
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I spoke against saints, holy things and pious
practices.
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
Third Commandment:
“Remember
thou keep holy the Sabbath Day.”
I missed Mass on Sunday & Holydays through
my fault
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I spent a great part of these days in sinful
occupations
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I was late for Mass by my own fault
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I kept my wife, children or employees from
Mass
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I assisted at Mass with willful distractions
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
I engaged in servile works on Sunday and
Holydays without necessity
|
_____ Times a week, or month.
|
Fourth
Commandment:
“Honor
Thy Father and Thy Mother.”
1.
Duty of Children
I disobeyed my parents/teachers/leaders in
important matters
|
_____ Times a day, or week.
|
I caused them to be angry: I grieved them
|
_____ Times a day, or week.
|
I used insulting language to them
|
_____ Times a day, or week.
|
I kept or wasted my wages I should have given
to them
|
_____ Times.
|
I did not support them
|
_____ Times.
|
I incited my brothers and sisters against
them
|
_____ Times.
|
I neglected to write them, or send them help
|
_____ Months _____ years.
|
I neglected them in sickness, in death
|
_____ Months _____ years
|
2.
Duties of Husbands and Fathers
I grieved, abused, struck my wife
|
_____ Times
|
I accused her wrongfully
|
_____ Times
|
I neglected to provide for my family
|
_____ Times
|
I gave my children bad example
|
_____ Times
|
I failed to correct their faults
|
_____ Times
|
I neglected to instruct them in religion
|
_____ Times
|
I interfered with their religious vocation
|
_____ Times
|
3.
Duties of Wives
and Mothers
I disobeyed my husband
|
_____ Times.
|
I caused my children to disobey and dishonor
him
|
_____ Times.
|
I talked of his faults to my children or
neighbors
|
_____ Times.
|
I neglected to correct my children
|
_____ Times.
|
I gave them bad example
|
_____ Times.
|
I did not instruct them in their religion
|
_____ Times.
|
I interfered with their religious vocation
|
_____ Times.
|
Fifth Commandment:
“Thou
shalt not kill”
I was angry
|
_____ Times.
|
I caused others to become angry
|
_____ Times.
|
I was quarreling or fighting
|
_____ Times.
|
I desired the death of others
|
_____ Times.
|
I cherished hatred to others
|
_____ Times.
|
I've used or approved of artificial birth
control
|
_____ Times.
|
I refused to speak or to be reconciled to
others
|
_____ Times.
|
I caused the death of another by negligence
|
_____ Times.
|
I brought dishonor to family, school, community,
or the Church
|
_____ Times.
|
I have been guilty of detraction (telling
an unkind truth about another)
|
____ Times.
|
I led others to commit sin, by word or example
|
_____ Times.
|
I Used illegal drugs
|
_____ Times.
|
Sixth Commandment and
Ninth
Commandment:
“Thou
shalt not commit adultery.”
“Thou
shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.”
Here
the penitent must seriously consider past thoughts, words, and actions
against these commandments. If one had the misfortune to break
them, one must tell whether one is single or married; whether thoughts,
words, desires, or acts referred to single or married persons or
relatives.
I had premarital sex, including oral sex,
intercourse, impure touching of another
|
_____ Persons_____ Times.
|
I took pleasure in impure thoughts
|
_____ Times a day.
|
I had impure desires
|
_____ Times a day
|
I spoke immodestly in the hearing of others
|
_____ Persons_____ Times a day.
|
I boasted of sins of impurity
|
_____ Times a day_____ a week.
|
I sang or listened to immodest songs
|
_____ Times a day_____ a week.
|
I read immodest books, papers, or writings
|
_____ Times.
|
I was guilty of immodest looks
|
_____ Times a week
|
I kept, showed, looked at immodest pictures/pornographic
material
|
_____ Times a week.
|
I went to immodest places of amusement
|
_____ Times a week.
|
I was guilty of immodest acts
(See note above, and tell what
these acts were)
|
_____ Times.
|
I committed homosexuals actions with
|
_____ Persons ____ Times.
|
I committed immodest acts alone
|
_____ Times.
|
I was guilty of the sin of Onanism* (masturbation,
withdrawal method)
|
_____ Times.
|
(* In the Book of Genesis,
Onan was commanded by his father to impregnate the widow of his
slain brother and to raise the offspring of the union. In order
to avoid raising descendants for his late brother, however, Onan
engaged in coitus interruptus.)
Seventh Commandment
and Tenth Commandment:
“Thou
shalt not steal.”
“Thou
shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.”
I stole goods to the amount of ...
|
$ _____, _____ Times.
|
I destroyed property, defrauded insurance companies
|
$ _____, _____ Times.
|
I took from my employers
|
$ _____, _____ Times.
|
I stole $____ worth, but restored, though able
to return all, only
|
$______
Worth
|
I wasted time for which I was paid work, value
of ...
|
$ _____, _____ Times.
|
I injured others in their employment or goods
|
$ _____, _____ Times.
|
I neglected to pay my bills, just debts, amounting
to ...
|
$ _____, _____ Times.
|
I defrauded in weights and measures
|
$ _____, _____ Times.
|
I defrauded those employed by me
|
$ _____, _____ Times.
|
I unjustly deferred the payment of their wages
|
$ _____, _____ Times.
|
I desired to possess unjustly my neighbor’s goods
|
_____ Times.
|
Eighth Commandment:
“Thou
shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”
I told lies
|
_____ Times.
|
I seriously injured my neighbor’s character,
by publishing his secret faults
|
_____Times.
|
I carried stories and caused trouble
|
_____ Times.
|
I told a deliberate lie to the injury of
my neighbor
|
_____ Times.
|
I spoke without necessity of the known faults
of others
|
_____ Times.
|
I've broken promises deliberately
|
_____ Times.
|
I am guilty of calumny — telling lies about
one another
|
_____ Times.
|
I failed to defend my neighbor’s character
|
_____ Times.
|
I encouraged detraction or calumny, or listened
to it with complacency
|
_____ Times.
|
I failed to make reparation for sins of tongue
|
_____ Times.
|
Commandments of the Church (The 7 Precepts of the Church)
1. To hear Mass on Sundays and holydays of obligation.
2. To fast and abstain on the days appointed.
3. To confess at least once a year.
4. To receive the Holy Eucharist during the Easter time.
5. To contribute to the support of our pastors.
6. To refrain from eating meat on Fridays
[7. Not to marry persons who are not Catholics, or who are related
to us within the third degree of kindred, nor privately without
witnesses, nor to solemnize marriage at forbidden times.]
I neglected my yearly confession and Easter
Communion
|
_____ Times.
|
I attempted marriage contrary to the law
of the Church
|
_____ Times.
|
I neglected, when able, to support the Church
|
_____ Times.
|
I ate meat on days of abstinence, without
permission or necessity
|
_____ Times.
|
I caused others to eat meat on days of abstinence
|
_____ Times.
|
I broke the fasts of the Church
|
_____ Times.
|
I caused others to break the fasts of the
Church
|
_____ Times.
|
The Seven Deadly Sins
1. Pride
2. Lust
3. Gluttony
4. Greed
5. Sloth — Acedia
6. Wrath or Anger
7. Envy
I was guilty of gluttony
|
_____ Times.
|
I was drunk
|
_____ Times.
|
I caused others to be drunk
|
_____ Times.
|
I gave liquor to those drunk
|
_____ Times.
|
I was slothful in religious exercises
|
_____ Times.
|
I was lazy and idle
|
_____ Times.
|
I was envious
|
_____ Times.
|
I was yearning for impure pleasures
|
_____ Times.
|
I have had an immoderate desire for earthly
goods
|
_____ Times.
|
I have had an inordinate desire for revenge
|
_____ Times.
|
I was proud
|
_____ Times.
|
The Four Sins Crying to Heaven for Vengeance
Willful murder (including abortion)
|
_____ Times.
|
The sin of Sodom. (unnatural sex)
|
_____ Times.
|
Oppression of the poor.
|
_____ Times.
|
Defrauding laborers of their wages.
|
_____ Times.
|
The Six Sins against the Holy Ghost
Presumption of God's mercy-sinning and saying
God must forgive me
|
_____ Times.
|
Despair — to believe that God will refuse
to forgive you
|
_____ Times.
|
To attack as false or questioning the known
truth.
|
_____ Times.
|
Envy at another's spiritual good
|
_____ Times.
|
Obstinacy in sin — refusing to stop known
sinful behavior
|
_____ Times.
|
Final impenitence — refusing to accept God's
mercy at moment of death
|
_____ Times.
|
Nine Ways of being Accessory to Another’s
Sin
By counsel
— talking one into sin
|
_____ Times.
|
By command — telling one to sin
|
_____ Times.
|
By consent
— agreeing
with the sin
|
_____ Times.
|
By provocation
— to
pressure one into sin
|
_____ Times.
|
By praise or flattery
— congratulating
the sin committed by others
|
_____ Times.
|
By concealment
— covering
up the sin for another
|
_____ Times.
|
By partaking
— approving
sin by assisting in it
|
_____ Times.
|
By silence
— by
not speaking up against the sin
|
_____ Times.
|
By defense of the ill done
— rationalizing
the sin done or will be done
|
_____ Times.
|
Also,
don’t forget to always confess all Venial sins that you might
have committed — i.e. ingratitude,
reckless driving, selfishness, rudeness etc.
HOW TO GO TO CONFESSION
Having
prepared yourself for Confession, go to your confessor with great
humility and modesty, and remember that you are about to present
yourself before Jesus Christ Himself,
who sees the depths of you heart, and will one day judge you.
If you are obliged to wait, renew your act of contrition.
Regard yourself as a criminal bound with chains, who has been tried
and convicted, and is called before the judge who he has insulted
and offended.
When at the feet of your confessor, kneel with
the greatest reverence and humility, and consider that you are at
the feet of Jesus crucified, who desires
to hear from your own lips a sincere Confession of all your sins,
and is ready to pardon them if you really repent, and to wash you
in His own absolution. Avoid all mention of your virtues
or of the sins of others not pertaining to your own offences,
except when, through necessity, you seek direction and advice.
Never mention the names of others in the confessional.
We enter the tribunal to accuse ourselves of our own sins,
not to declare our virtues or to blame others.
Then make the Sign of the Cross, saying, “Bless me, Father, for
I have sinned.”
Then humbly, and in a clear, intelligible voice, say how long it
is since your last Confession, whether you received absolution,
and whether you performed you penance. Confess your sins according
to the Commandments; that is, tell first all the sins committed
against the First Commandment, then those committed against the
Second, and so on.
Say if you frequently fall back into these sins, or if you have
any attachment or occupation which leads you into temptation.
Mention, also, if you have neglected to fulfill any serious obligation;
— tell your confessor everything with sincerity and as clearly
as possible, both that he may be able to apply the proper remedy,
and that you may avoid making a bad Confession, which is easily
done by the slothful and careless.
If you desire to make really good Confessions,
imagine each Confession
to be the last one you will ever make, and that, immediately
after, you will be judged by Almighty God. Think that
on this Confession may depend your salvation or damnation.
Endeavor so to confess that at the hour of your death your past
Confessions may not be the cause of any disquietude to you, but
rather of consolation.
Listen with silence, attention, and humility to the instructions
of your confessor; remark carefully the penance enjoined; and while
receiving absolution, renew with all your heart your act of contrition
and purpose of amendment
On leaving the confessional, excite in your heart the liveliest
sentiments of consolation and confidence, hoping and rejoicing that
God has forgiven your sins. Perform your penance as soon as
possible, and thank God for the great favor He has granted you.
After Confession go before our Divine Lord in the Blessed Sacrament,
to make your thanksgiving for holy absolution. Spend at
least a quarter of an hour in forming acts of praise, thanksgiving,
and contrition. Our Lord delights to pour out His graces on
the grateful soul. Many shamefully go home from Confession
without saying one act of thanksgiving.
BAD CONFESSIONS
It is
a sacrilege to make a bad Confession.
To receive absolution after having made an unworthy Confession,
and consequently without having the right dispositions, is to incur
the guilt of sacrilege; that is, the violation of a sacred thing.
A bad Confession hinders and frustrates the instrumental action
of the Sacrament of Penance, and he who is guilty of it may be said
thus to destroy the efficacy of the Blood of Jesus Christ; for it
is in the precious Blood of our Lord, shed long ago, that souls
are cleansed from sin.
Our Lord,
instituted the Sacraments as so many channels through which His
Precious Blood may be applied to souls, quickening them with and
sustaining them in, a new and higher life. In Baptism, for
instance, when the water flows over the head of the child, and the
words are pronounced, at the same moment, in virtue of the Blood
of our Lord, its soul is cleansed from sin, and it is awakened to
the new life of a child of God and heir of Heaven.
In like manner, in the
sacred tribunal of Penance, when the penitent comes properly disposed,
as soon as the priest raises his hand over him and pronounces the
words of absolution, through the Divine agency of the Blood of our
Lord, the soul is laved and purified of all its sins, no matter
how great they may be; for Christ has said,
“Whose sins ye shall forgive, they are
forgiven.” But if the penitent has not the proper disposition
there is a sacrilege, for the Blood of our Lord is in a manner destroyed
– rendered ineffectual in that case. And,
what is worse, a bad Confession
is generally followed by a bad Communion. How great a crime
is committed by unworthily receiving our Lord in Communion!
They who do so, as St. Paul says, are guilty of the Body
and Blood of the Lord. You have heard, perhaps of the unnatural
mother who took her lovely smiling babe and buried it alive.
Oh, how much greater is the crime of the bad Catholic who will bury
the living Son of God in a heart foul with every crime, worse than
any grave, however horrible! How will such a wretch one day
answer an enraged Father for what may be called the murder of His
adorable Son?
What has been said was
not to terrify or keep you away from the Sacraments. God forbid!
The priest does not desire to frighten people away from the table
of the Lord, but to press them to come to the Feast. You know,
that if you do not approach and receive Holy Communion,
“you cannot have life in you;”
that is, the life of the soul, the life of the children of God.
Yes, go to Communion – go frequently! It will nourish
and strengthen your soul. Our Lord will dwell in you;
He will support you. He will sustain you in your conflicts
with the devil. Remember that what has been said was only
to guard you against that carelessness with which too many, alas,
approach the Sacraments.
GENERAL CONFESSIONS
[Editor's Note:
The term “General Confession” must
not be mistaken for “Ordinary Confession”.
A General Confession is usually
only required of those who have gone for a year or more
without the Sacrament of Confession.
A General Confession is often
long and should not be attempted in the queue for ordinary Confession,
since it would deprive the other waiting penitents the opportunity
for their ordinary (and generally much shorter) Confession.
A General Confession involves the confessing of all
ones sins that had been committed since one’s last Confession. Needless
to say, one can accumulate quite a bit in the way of sin in one
year, and substantially more when it has been longer.]
It is
not necessary to make a General Confession.
For some, it would be profitable, and there are some to whom a General
Confession is absolutely necessary; but there are others to whom
it would be hurtful. First: a General Confession is useful
to those who have been leading a tepid, careless life. To
such persons it is often the beginning of a life of fervor.
There are eight classes of persons who are under the necessity of
making a General Confession:
1. All those who, in some past Confession,
willfully concealed a mortal sin through shame, fear, or indifference.
2. Those who, instead of having used sufficient diligence,
having been grossly negligent in the examination of their conscience.
3. Those who have lived in gross and culpable ignorance
of the necessary points of faith and practice.
4. Those who have confessed without sincere repentance for
the past, and a firm resolution of avoiding sin, and the occasions
of sin, in the future.
5. Those who continue to go to Confession while they live
in the immediate occasions of sin, which they can, but will not,
avoid.
6. Those who have deliberately neglected restitution when
they had the power and opportunity of making it.
7. Those who lived in vicious habits without earnestly trying
to overcome them.
8. Those who have (after their Confessions the same as before)
continued to live in enmity, hatred and malice.
Thirdly, scrupulous
persons and those who have often made general Confessions should
not attempt to make a general Confession. Such persons worry
the priest. They say to themselves, “Well, if I am allowed
to make a general Confession now, I shall be satisfied.” But
if they are allowed to make it, they will be as dissatisfied as
ever.
The
best proof of true sorrow is a change of life. When a man
immediately falls into the sins which he has just confessed, almost
without a struggle to guard against such a fall, there is reason
to fear that he had no true sorrow. But when a man carefully
watches over himself, tries to shun the dangerous occasions of sin,
and prays fervently for graces to keep from sinning, we can reasonably
hope that his was true sorrow such as God accepts.
PURPOSE
OF AMENDMENT
There
can be no true contrition, and therefore,
no good Confession, unless there be a purpose of amendment.
It is an act of the will by which you firmly resolve to commit sin
no more, to change your lives, and to do penance for the past.
If you are really sorry for what you have done, you shall also be
firmly resolved to avoid the same and other offenses in the future.
This
purpose of amendment ought to be firm, that is, you must have a
fixed will never again to commit sin, no matter what temptations
may arise, no matter what you may have to endure in proving your
fidelity to God; you must be determined to use the means necessary
to avoid sin, such as shunning its occasions and following the directions
of your confessor; it must extend not only to those mortal sins
which you have committed, but to all mortal sins. In this
respect, your purpose of amendment must be like your contrition.
You should set no limit to it. You must hate and determine
to avoid sin. You should have no pet sin held in reserve.
Unless all be renounced, none will be forgiven: for the love of
God cannot exist in the same heart with mortal sin, nor will God
take up His dwelling in the same house with His enemy.
If you are weak,
do not imagine that you cannot promise to be faithful. God
is our strength. Grace will conquer nature and sin.
“I can do all things
in Him who strengthens me,”
says St. Paul. Do not hesitate, therefore;
your present will is what you must regard. Are you here and
now determined, with God’s grace, to do all you can to avoid sin
in the future? If so, take courage; God will strengthen you.
If
you fall at the first attack, if you make no struggle against temptation,
if you employ none of the means given you to avoid sin, then you
may judge that you were not sincere. But if you cannot in
any of these ways reproach yourself, only learn from your weakness,
lessons of humility, and begin again. Oh, yes! no matter how
often you fall, never cease to trust in the mercy of God,
even while you keep before your eyes the strictness of His justice.
HABITUAL SINNERS AND SINS OF HABIT
It is easy to account for some who become slaves
to their passions. In the first
place, we are all, because of your fallen nature, prone to sin:
“The life of man upon
earth is warfare,” says
holy Job. We must all fight, and no man, St. Paul declares,
will be crowned “except he strive lawfully.” “Strive,”
says our Lord, “to enter by the narrow
gate, for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter, and shall not
be able,” because they do not strive hard.
Again, “the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth
violence, and the violent bear it away.”
One of the holy Fathers
compares the heart to a rich garden. This garden, if neglected,
is soon filled with noxious weeds. Foreign seeds will be carried
there by the wind, and unless you pluck up the young plants by the
roots, you will soon have a forest to contend with. Another
Father compares our passions to the lion’s whelp. You can
easily strangle it when young; but if you nourish it a little, it
will become a wild beast, which will one day devour you. There
was a time, when the miserable man who dies a victim of his intemperance
could have said, “I can drink and I can let it alone.” A little
later he acquired the habit of drink, and could no longer let it
alone. He fed the wild beast of his passion until it became
strong enough to devour him. So it is with every other sin.
When
passions become strong, or when bad habits have been fostered for
a long time, it is hard to overcome them. When you indulge
in any passion, it becomes strong, a second nature, and therefore
very difficult to overcome. No matter how bad you may be,
how long you may have been given to the worst kinds of sin,
if you do your part,
God can and will lift you up and will break all the fetters that
bind you.
In order to break off
bad habits, such as those cursing, drinking and impurity, you must
be fully determined not to commit those sins again.
Without that determination, your conversion would be a mockery.
You must realize that your habit of cursing or drinking or impurity
was formed by repeated acts.
You are bound to overcome
such a habit. Nor can you excuse yourself, as many do,
by saying that you have the habit. By willfully placing
yourself in such a state you are responsible for the many crimes
it leads you to commit. A mere desire to do better
is not sufficient. You must have a strong will to do
better. You must then vigorously and watchfully
labor to destroy your bad habits. But how many show
by their lives that they are never in earnest, that
they never sincerely and courageously strive to overcome themselves!
They are satisfied with wishing to change their lives, but
they never make a real effort to do so. Hence you will
often see people make the Mission, but alas! you will also see them
in a few days returning to their old haunts of sin, committing the
same crimes that but a short time before, they had solemnly promised
God to abandon forever.
This happens because they
are not fully determined to keep from falling into their old habits.
When you have a firm will not to return to your former sins, you
will endeavor to avoid the occasions of them. What would you
think of a man who would throw a dry log into a burning furnace,
and yet declare he did not wish the log to burn? If you say you
do not wish to sin, and yet go into places, or associate with companions
who, you know, will drag you back into sin, you are equally senseless.
Oh, how true it is, “He that loveth danger shall perish in it!”
Not only must you have a firm resolution not to return to your
old ways, not only must you avoid as far as you can every occasion
of sin, but you must also pray earnestly to God for strength
to keep your good resolutions.
“Ask and ye shall receive,”
says our Lord.
Pray earnestly, fervently and constantly for grace to overcome your
temptations.
You
are tempted. Who is not? But, in the language
of St. Paul, “God will make issue with temptations,” that you may
overcome them. You must remember that our Lord knows your weakness.
He shed His Blood for us. By its virtue the soul is cleanses and
its wounds healed in Confession, and He gives Himself to us in Holy
Communion to be our soul’s food and nourishment. Men are wounded,
but they will not come to the Divine Physician. They are weak, but
they will not come to the Divine Table to obtain strength! Is it
not evident that they desire to remain slaves to their passions
when they do not make use of the proper means to overcome them?
Remember what has been
said: “Let your Confession be supplemented by a firm resolution
of never again offending God, and a strong determination of avoiding
all occasions of sin. Go to the Sacraments to obtain strength
to keep those resolutions, and pray fervently to our Lord for grace,
lest the enemy should overcome you.
Lastly, be devoted to
our dear Immaculate Mother, the refuge of sinners, the help of Christians.
Beg of her to shield you under the mantle of her protection from
all the fiery darts of your bitter enemy; and be assured that, no
matter what may have been your habits, you will overcome them. God
will one day crown you with victory.
PRAYER BEFORE CONFESSION
Most
merciful God, Father in heaven, relying
on Thy goodness and mercy, I come to Thee with filial confidence
to confess my sins and to implore Thy forgiveness. Thou wilt not
despise a contrite and humble heart. Bless me and receive
me again into Thy favor; I acknowledge that I have been most ungrateful
to Thee, but I sincerely repent and detest the wrong I have done,
and I desire henceforth to walk in the way of perfection, in accordance
with Thy holy will.
O Jesus,
my Savior, my good Shepherd, I have strayed far from the path Thou
hast marked out for me; I did not follow in Thy footsteps; I wandered
into forbidden places. Repentant and sorrowful, I beg to be admitted
again into the fold of Thy faithful followers. I want to confess
my sins with perfect sincerity, as if I were at the point of death.
My Jesus, I look to Thee with confidence for the grace to examine
my conscience well.
O Holy Ghost, come in
Thy mercy; enlighten my mind and strengthen my will that I may know
my sins, humbly confess them, and sincerely amend my life.
Mary, my mother, immaculate
spouse of the Holy Ghost, refuge to sinners, assist me in Thy intercessions.
Holy angels and saints
of God, pray for me. Amen.
INVOCATION
OF THE HOLY GHOST
O
Holy Ghost,
Source of all light, Spirit of wisdom, of understanding and of knowledge,
come to my assistance and enable me to make a good confession. Enlighten
me, and help me now know my sins as one day I shall be forced to
recognize them before Thy judgment seat. Bring to my mind the evil
which I have done and the good which I have neglected. Permit me
not to be blinded by self-love. Grant me, moreover, heartfelt sorrow
for my transgressions, and the grace of a sincere confession, so
that I may be forgiven and admitted into Thy friendship. Amen.
ACT BEFORE CONFESSION
I
thank Thee O my God!
For having waited for me until now! I hope, through
the merits of Jesus Christ, for the pardon of all my offenses against
Thee! I am sorry for them, and repent of them with my whole heart,
because by them I have lost heaven and have deserved hell; but,
above all, I am grieved to my inmost soul, and hate and detest my
sins more than all evils, because they have offended Thy infinite
goodness. I purpose in future rather to die than to offend Thee
any more. Amen.
ACT OF CONTRITION
O
my God, I am heartily sorry
for having offended Thee, and I detest
all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of
hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art
all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with
the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to
amend my life. Amen.
ACT
AFTER CONFESSION
My
dear Jesus!
how much do I not owe Thee? By the merits of Thy
blood I hope that I have this day been pardoned. I thank Thee above
all things. I hope to reach heaven, where I shall praise Thy mercies
forever. My God, if I have hitherto lost Thee so often, I now desire
to lose Thee no more. From this day forward I will change my life
in earnest. Thou dost merit all my love; I will love Thee truly;
I will no longer see myself separated from Thee. I have promised
Thee this already; now I repeat my promise of being ready to die
rather than offend Thee again. I promise also to avoid all occasions
of sin, and to use such means as will prevent me from falling again.
My Jesus, Thou knowest my weakness: give me grace to be faithful
to Thee till death, and to have recourse to Thee when I am tempted.
My most holy Mary, help me! Thou art the mother of perseverance;
I place my hope in thee.
PRAYER
OF PETITION
May
this confession, O Lord,
by the merits of Blessed Mary ever virgin,
Thy Mother, and of all the saints, be pleasing and acceptable in
Thy sight. Let Thy goodness and mercy supply for whatever has been
wanting in my contrition, and in the purity and integrity of my
confession. Deign Thou mercifully to regard me perfectly and entirely
absolved in heaven; Who livest and reignest God, world without end.
Amen.
PRAYER
FOR PERSEVERANCE
O
Almighty and most merciful God,
Who, according to the multitude of Thy tender
mercies, hast vouchsafed once more to receive Thy prodigal child,
after so many times going astray from Thee, and to admit me to this
Sacrament of reconciliation; I give Thee thanks with all the powers
of my soul for this and all other mercies, graces, and blessings
bestowed on me; and prostrating myself at Thy sacred feet, I offer
myself to be henceforth forever Thine. Oh! Let nothing in life or
death ever separate me from Thee. I renounce with my whole soul
all my treasons against Thee, and all thee abominations and sins
of my past life. I renew my promises made in Baptism, and from this
moment I dedicate myself eternally to Thy love and service. Oh!
Grant that for the time to come I may abhor sin more than death
itself, and avoid all such occasions and companies as have unhappily
brought me to it. This I resolve to do, by the aid of Thy divine
grace, without which I can do nothing. I beg Thy blessing upon these
my resolutions, that they may not be ineffectual, like so many others
I have formally made; for, O Lord, without Thee I am nothing but
misery and sin. Give me grave to be now and always a true penitent,
through the same Christ Thy Son. Amen.
THANKSGIVING AFTER CONFESSION
Eternal Father!
I thank Thee, I bless Thee, for
Thy goodness and mercy. Thou has had compassion on me, although
in my folly I had wandered far away from Thee and offended Thee
most grievously. With father love Thou has received me anew after
so many relapses into sin and forgiven me my offenses through the
holy sacrament of Penance. Blessed forever, O my God, be Thy loving-kindness,
Thy infinite mercy! Never again will I grieve Thee by ingratitude,
by disobedience to Thy holy will. All that I am, all that I have,
all that I do shall be consecrated to Thy service and Thy glory.
Amen.
“Heart
of Jesus, I put my trust in Thee!”
Indulgence of 300 days. – Pius,
June 27, 1906.
“ Jesus,
my God, I love Thee above all things.”
Indulgence of 300 days, each time.
– S.P. Ap., July 28, 1932.
O Divine Spirit!
penetrate my soul with true horror and loathing of sin. Grant
that I may be more exact in the fulfillment of all my duties, and
strengthen me by Thy grace, that I may not again yield to temptation.
“Sweet heart of Mary, by my salvation.”
Indulgence of 300 days, each time.
– Pius IX, Sept. 30, 1852.
“O
Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.”
Indulgence of 300 days, each time.
– Leo XIII, March 15, 1884; S.P. Ap.,
April 15, 1932
My
queen! My mother! Remember that I am thine; keep me,
guard me, as thy property and possession.
“ O
Mary, our hope, have pity on us!”
Indulgence of 300 days. – Pius X, January
8, 1906.
PRAYER TO THE BLESSED
VIRGIN, TO BE SAID AFTER CONFESSION
Virgin
Mother of God, most holy Mary
safe refuge of sinners! to thee, who art,
after God, our hope and consolation in this place of exile, to thee
I have recourse with sincere confidence, though most undeserving
of thy patronage. I know, one the one hand, how much I stand in
need of being converted from my very heart; yet, on the other,
the heinousness of my crimes strikes me terror. To thee, then, I
betake myself-to thee who art our sovereign mediator with thy dear
Son Jesus, as He is with His eternal Father. To thee, after Jesus,
must I look for my amendment. Vouchsafe then, O Mother of mercy,
to obtain for me the grace of a true and lasting conversion. I wish
to change my life entirely. In this I am sincere; but my evil habits
and ill-use I have made of so many saving inspirations, the multitude
and heinousness of my sins , and the bonds by which the world holds
me, while they render amendment difficult, call for thy special
assistance. Grant it to me in spite of my unworthiness. In thee
I trust; do thou not reject me. Although deserving of eternal punishment,
I throw myself at thy feet, sorrowful and repentant. My sins, I
own, have taken from me the strength which grace imparts, have cast
me out from among the adopted sons of God, have deprived me of the
right to everlasting happiness, and drawn on me instead the wrath
of heaven. Tell me what I must do to regain the friendship of thy
Son, Jesus. Beg of Him, by His precious Blood, His bitter Passion,
and cruel death on the cross, to pardon my offenses, and He will
pardon them. Tell Him thy desire for my salvation, and He will save
me. But as I can still fail into sin and lose the life of grace
amid the dangers which encompass me, ever watch thou over me, and
I shall surely triumph over the enemies who incessantly work for
my ruin. Instill into my heart a lively faith, a firm hope, an ardent
charity, and all the virtues suitable to my state of life; and obtain
for me constancy in good, and final perseverance. In fine, be thou
my loving Mother here below, and my advocate at the hour of death,
that I may be of the number of those to whom the divine Son shall
say: “Come , ye blessed
of My Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you.”
Amen.
An indulgence of 100 days, once a day; plenary
once a month on the last day of the month, or within eight days,
on the usual conditions — Pope Leo XII., Jan. 30, 1828.

The Death of Saint Dominic in Bologna in 1221
from a Dominican Missal printed in 1603.
This article is a redacted reprint from the:
SACRED HEART
TRADITIONAL ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
321 South Broadway
Lawrence, MA 01843
https://www.sacredheart-op.com/Examination.html
Geoffrey K. Mondello
Editor
Boston Catholic Journal
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“I
know your works ... that you have but little power, and
yet you have kept My word, and have not denied My Name.”
(Apocalypse
3.8)
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