Understanding Confession

The name of the sacrament is “Penance” not “Confession,” because confession is only a part of the sacrament of Penance. If we have no mortal sins to confess, we are not required to go to confession but, if we choose to make a confession of devotion, we must confess some sin or renew our sorrow for a past sin which has already been forgiven. Confession of our venial sins, although not obligatory, is one of the best ways to overcome our sinful habits and to avoid falling into more serious sins in the future. We should avoid unnecessary details and tell our sins frankly, sharing only those details which would change the nature of the sin.

Armed with the Christian understanding of “neighbor,” we should seek out and remove the selfishness in our souls, being always critical of our actions. Our sins of omission are especially easy to miss when examining our conscience. If God was capable of raising the dead to life. as we see in the Gospel, then He has the power to restore a sinner to grace through His priests.