benefits of going to confession

Going to Confession regularly will truly change your life. In one declarative sentence, it is a divinely instituted means of giving us peace of soul. We become more resolute to follow God’s will and not our own whims. Fr. Unpacking the Heart “I found Confession hard when I was little and I still do. He has also hosted several televised series for EWTN, which have covered such topics as the necessity of the Spiritual Life, The Four Last Things, The Ten Commandments of Catholic Family Life, and The Gospel of Life vs. the Culture of Death. Confession helps us to better “know thyself.” St. Augustine and countless other saints and doctors of the Church talk about the importance of knowing ourselves well. Five Benefits of Frequent Confession. The graces from frequent Confession can help ignite a renewed spiritual fervor that will help make your daily spiritual life grow stronger and more committed every day. Wade has also served as the Chaplain-in-Residence at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Alabama. Catholic Exchange has this article here. © Copyright 2021 Catholic Exchange. What are Some of the Benefits of Going to Confession? In other words, the frequent reception of the sacrament of Penance contributes to the well-being of our mind. Confessing is actually the acknowledgement of who we are, what we believe or what we have done. Jesus Christ, in His abundant love and mercy, established the Sacrament of Confession, so that we as sinners can obtain forgiveness for our sins and reconcile with God and the Church. It is also immensely beneficial psychologically. When one is in line to go to Confession, one feels all these things, even shame, but then when one finishes Confession one leaves free, grand, beautiful, forgiven, candid, happy. Acknowledging the truth of your sinfulness before God and recognizing your need for His grace to help you become the person He wants you to be will really… Benefits of Frequent Confession. Don’t be your own savior; let Jesus Christ be your Savior. Here we see nine benefits of the sacrament, whether it be just venial sins or mortal sins, or a combination, that are confessed. Consider the Old Testament, which is shot through with mediation in the form of the prophets, who bring God’s saving message to the people. On 30th May 2020 / Latest News Latest News. We do not have the weight of sin on our souls anymore. Much of the work for a good celebration of a sacrament takes place prior to arriving at church. This is tied to the healing aspect of Confession. “But Father, I am ashamed …”. Best of Week, Many Catholics are afraid to go, or believe they don’t need to confess their sins to a priest because they pray to God for forgiveness. As my column says, there is nothing you have to confess that is going to shock us; we’ve heard it all before, believe me!! Only you can control you. Overcoming the Evil Within: The Reality of Sin and the Transforming Power of God’s Grace and Mercy, The Ten Commandments of Catholic Family Life, The Gospel of Life vs. the Culture of Death, The Four Last Things: A Catechetical Guide to Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell, Overcoming the Evil Within: The Reality of Sin and the Transforming Power of God's Grace and Mercy, How Families Can Prepare for Spiritual Warfare | Kathleen Beckman, How Can Beauty & Culture Save the World? Indeed, scruples can stunt one’s growth in the spiritual life. This is the beauty of Confession!”. Of course, the list of benefits of Confession goes on and on! He is the author of two books: The Four Last Things: A Catechetical Guide to Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell and Overcoming the Evil Within: The Reality of Sin and the Transforming Power of God's Grace and Mercy; both books are available from EWTN Publishing. It can be very humiliating. That is why it is necessary to ask pardon of the Church, and of the brethren in the person of the priest. Faustina Kowalska, By Fr. The Church only requires confession once a year, but it recommends going to confession frequently and regularly. Confession of one’s sins brings with it a purification and, importantly, peace of conscience. Confession of one’s sins brings with it a purification and, importantly, peace of conscience. Indeed, we should not be afraid to return again and again to the Tribunal of Mercy. I always feel like the fat mouse from Cinderella trying to juggle all the corn, which for me is how I … On Going to Confession Before Mercy Sunday. And remember that Pope Pius XII recommended the practice of frequent Confession, even if only venial sins are in question: By it, genuine self-knowledge is increased, Christian humility grows, bad habits are corrected, spiritual neglect and tepidity are resisted, the conscience is purified, the will strengthened, a salutary self-control is attained, and grace is increased in virtue of the Sacrament itself. Every sacrament, when it is received worthily, increases sanctifying grace in the soul. Confession is one of my favorite sacraments, and I try to go as often as I can. Fear: Though the vast majority of priests are kind and understanding confessors, many potential penitents fear being judged or scolded. But this wasn’t always the case. Here are the most common:. sacraments, Your failures to practice these devotions would be examples of “spiritual neglects” that cause your spiritual life to suffer. Here are just a few reasons I love going to confession. By Anonymous (not verified) Questions about when to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation prior to Divine Mercy Sunday are on the minds of many devout Catholics at this time of year. The graces from frequent Confession can help ignite a renewed spiritual fervor that will help make your daily spiritual life grow stronger and more committed every day. During my priestly ministry, I have discerned several reasons why people hesitate to approach the Sacrament of Confession. We should add, though, that going to Confession out of scrupulosity is not helpful to the penitent, nor is it the intention of the sacrament. Our souls are clean and unblemished once again. Both the Monastery and Shrine are affiliated with EWTN, the Eternal Word Television Network. Jesus was perfectly humble, perfectly generous, perfectly patient, perfectly loving—perfectly everything! Through coming to know ourselves better, we realized how fallen we are, and how badly we need God’s help and grace to … Frequent Confession helps remind us to rely on God to help rid us of our sins. Sin in our lives is like having roadblocks on our path with God. This is tied to the healing aspect of Confession. A faithful, monthly penitent most likely never, or at least infrequently, has mortal sin to confess, because the fervent practice of monthly Confession keeps him from committing mortal sin. The first benefit of confession is the freedom that you experience. Ninth, confession often brings about healing of the soul. If we have gone into the confessional burdened by guilt, anger, hatred, desire of revenge, sadness or even depression, we often emerge significantly healed and ready to begin again. Furthermore, did we go “straight to God” for our Baptism? I would like to share with my readers a summary of the content of this very timely reminder, especially as we are about to begin another Season of Advent, a time for fostering in ourselves the spirit of penance. (Diary, 225). Humility seems to have fallen out of fashion, but I think this actually comes from a misunderstanding of what admitting fault is really all about. All hope consists in confession.”-St. Isidore. That’s the greatest benefit of confession. This means knowing and admitting your virtues so you can advance them in your life, and knowing and admitting your vices so you can uproot them out of your life. Through coming to know ourselves better, we realized how fallen we are, and how badly we need God’s help and grace to get through life. Well, you can do that for venial sins, but mortal sins require the Sacrament of Confession. Whereas Confession stresses the action of the believer in the sacrament, ... often ask whether they can confess their sins directly to God and whether God can forgive them without going through a priest. Going to Confession? This article is adapted from a chapter in Fr. – Grace is increased. Without making any moral judgment, I sometimes worry when I see numerous Catholics going … The benefit of confession is that healing takes place immediately. Acknowledging the truth of your sinfulness before God and recognizing your need for His grace to help you become the person He wants you to be will really, truly set you free. Every time we experience the Sacrament of Confession, God strengthens our will and our self-control to be able to resist the temptations that confront us in our lives. What’s keeping you from Reconciliation? Benefits of Going to Confession It’s Holy Week, and whether you just recently went to confession, or if you haven’t been in several years, there’s no better time to go. – Self-knowledge is increased. Did we go “straight to God” for our Confirmation? by Joshua J. McElwee Over at the U.S. bishops' media blog today, Mercy Sr. Mary Ann Walsh, the bishops' spokesperson, lists her top ten benefits for going to confession. Quite simply, you will not be a successful, productive, capable person in bondage. Wade has been a contributing writer for The National Catholic Register, Our Sunday Visitor, Catholic Faith and Family, Pastoral Life, The Catholic Faith, Lay Witness and Christian Ranchman publications. Can You Be Forgiven? Frequent Confession has so many benefits, including: Confession helps us to better “know thyself.” St. Augustine and countless other saints and doctors of the Church talk about the importance of knowing ourselves well. 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