Posted on 07/08/2017 4:12:04 PM PDT by Catmom
https://www.catholicparents.org/faith/examination-conscience/
Every 6 weeks works pretty good for me.
Catholic ping!
True. Even as a catholic, I believe in talking right to the man upstairs, instead of the priest...
Begging your pardon, but if that were true, Alcoholics Anonymous would not exist.
There is nothing more sobering than having to confess the same sins to the same person more than once....
In addition, you know that God has forgiven your sins and forgotten them through Confession.
Are you aware of the words of absolution? It's God who forgives your sins, not the priest.
The formula of absolution used in the Latin Church expresses the essential elements of this sacrament: The Father of mercies is the source of all forgiveness. He effects the reconciliation of sinners through the Passover of his Son and the gift of his Spirit, through the prayer and ministry of the Church:
God, the Father of mercies, through the death and the resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Just run through the Ten Commandments, perhaps with the aid of the Catechism.
And the precepts of the Church. Usually listed as six.
Do not be scrupulous about any details of your sins. Just try to name them and give a number. For something like missing Mass, just say, “I missed all Sundays and Holy Days for 20 years...” or however many.
Don’t be scrupulous about the numbers, either.
Don’t keep reviewing your life after your general confession. If there is anything important to confess, you won’t have to dig for it.
In John 20:23, Jesus tells the apostles he is giving them the power to forgive sins.
To say that we never need to confess our sins in order to be forgiven is to contradict Jesus.
And you take Communion?
Having been a Catholic padre for 25 years who does take this divinely instituted sacrament very seriously (John 20: 19-23), my suggestion would be to ask around to find a good confessor. In addition, read about the life of St. John Vianney, who is the patron saint of parish priests and would spend 14 to 18 hours a day hearing Confessions.
I found this:
http://www.teachpeace.com/generalconfession.htm
I know checklists aren’t the best approach to spirituality but it might help you organize your thoughts before writing your confession out.
Ask the Lord to lead you. You don’t have to do them all at once. Cover the Ten Commandments. The priest will probably lead you. Or catalog a page or two, the ones that are nagging at you. And welcome back. Sounds like you have a priest who is invested in his job.
When we converted, the very liberal parish we attended told us - ‘Just choose one sin; the priest is busy.’ !!! The ones you don’t confess that needed to be confessed will bubble up and you can chuck them next time around.
I would suggest going back to the priest who suggested it, if you can.
Yes.
That is up to you. The most serene people in my parish do it weekly. I tell myself I should but don’t. . Whenever I feel that I should not receive the Eucharist I make a point of going to Confession, or Reconciliation as it is now called.
Giving your life to Messiah Jesus, you are seen righteous before our God through the blood of the Lamb. It is just that simple.
God knows your weaknesses. He knows you better than you know yourself. Confession to a priest is for US, not God. It helps you and I reconcile our sins, but God has already forgiven you. When Jesus said, “It is finished”, He was saying, those who believe in me will have their nature changed. Changed from sinner, to righteous.
This is why Jesus is referred to as the 2nd Adam. Hamartia. This Greek word is used in the New Testament to describe sin. Hamartia is not a verb, it is a noun. When Jesus paid the penalty for us, He changed who we ARE, not what we've done.
So, go on and go to confession. It is a good thing. It is a good thing to have a priest help you come to terms with sin, but remember, when you've yielded your life to Jesus, your name is written in the book of life.....forever.
It is ALL about what Jesus did. Not what you do or have done. Your righteousness means nothing apart from the blood of Jesus. You could never do enough to earn your way into Abba's heaven.
The awesome wonder of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ has made FULL atonement for our sins by His shed blood on the cross - because by a single offering He has made perfect for all time those who are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14) When we come to Him in sincere faith and trust, He cleanses us from all sin - past, present and future. The "unpleasant" time you are experiencing is evidence of the conviction you feel in your heart for the many times you know you have failed to live the way He has called you to live. It really is a GOOD sign because those who have no desire for change or feel shame over past sins are still living in denial and cannot know the truth. The atonement for our sins - only by the shedding of blood is atonement made for the soul - has already been made by Christ. We come to Him with empty hands ready to receive the righteousness we need to be declared HIS own.
Confession of our sins - whether to those we have sinned against or directly to God - is how we "come clean" before God. We admit our wrongs without rationalizing, justifying or excusing them and accept the forgiveness freely given and are cleansed from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). Rather than worrying about trying to remember every possible sin we have committed, I'd say it's more about acknowledging we cannot save ourselves and do not deserve to be accounted righteous enough to be saved, but realizing that this is what God's GRACE is all about. It is UN-deserved, UN-merited, UN-earned, but granted to us by His everlasting mercy and love. What a wonderful God we serve!
Hi Catmom! IMHO... i would definitely request a one to one meeting with a priest. They can do face to face confessions in their office. I also would do this: get a notebook and start writing things out. Visually go through the Ten Commandments and write those sins. In addition, write out other concerns/intense feelings. For example, “I feel intensely angry at people” because “I am in the midst of a divorce”. The priest will guide you and there is nothing wrong with having a cheat sheet (so to speak). You will be fine and I’ll be praying for you. (((Hugs))) Mom
The 1929 prayer book has an excellent one
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