Jesus Christ came into the world to save all people from the power of Satan, sin and its consequence, death. The purpose of his ministry was our reconciliation with the Father. In a special way, his death on the cross brought the possibility of forgiveness, peace and reconciliation to all.

On the evening of his resurrection from the dead, Jesus appeared to his Apostles and gave them the power to forgive all human sins. Breathing upon them, He said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. If you retain anyone's sins, they are retained." (John 20:22-23) Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, bishops and priest of the Church receive the ability from Christ himself to forgive sins. It is exercised in the Sacrament of Reconciliation., also known as the Sacrament of Penance or simply as "confession." Through this Sacrament, Christ forgives the sins that the members of his Church commit after baptism.

In order to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation worthily, the penitent (the sinner) must be sorry for his or her sins. Sorrow for sins is called contrition. Imperfect contrition is sorrow for sins motivated by fear of the fires of hell or the ugliness of sin itself. Perfect contrition is sorrow for sin is sorrow for sin motivated by the love of God.

Contrition, perfect or imperfect, must include a firm purpose of amendment, that is, a solid resolution to avoid the sin committed as well as the persons, places and things that prompted you to commit the sin in the first place. Without this repentance, contrition is insincere and our confession is pointless.

Whenever you sin, you should beg God for the gift of perfect contrition. Often God gives this gift when a Christian thinks about Jesus' agony on the cross and realizes that his sins are the cause of that suffering. Throw yourself into the arms of the crucified Savior's mercy and resolve to confess your sins to a priest as soon as possible.

When you come to Church to confess your sins, you should first examine your conscience. Review your life to see how you offended the good God since your last confession. The Church teaches that all mortal sins committed after Baptism must be confessed to a priest in order to be forgiven. This "precept" or law is of Divine Institution. Simply stated, this means the confession of grave sins to a priest is part of God's plan and therefore is supported and carried out in the life of the Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (#1455) underscores the therapeutic value of confession for all believers.

Mortal Sin is a direct, conscious and free violation of one or another of the Ten Commandments in a serious matter. Mortal sin, also known as grave or deadly sin, destroys the life of grace in your soul. God's grace begins to draw the sinner back to him through sorrow for sin. He is brought back to life when he confesses his sins to a priest and receives absolution (forgiveness). The Church recommends that Catholics confess their venial sins which are violations of God's law that do not sever the relationship with him or destroy the life of grace in the soul.

The following is an examination of conscience to help you prepare for confession. If you are not sure whether your sins are "mortal" or "venial," the confessor (the priest whom you confess your sins too) will help you to understand the difference. Don't be shy: seek his assistance. Ask him questions! You always have the right to confess your sins in a face-to-face encounter with the confessor. It is also your right to confess "anonymously" behind a screen. The Church wants to make it as easy as possible for you to make a frank, honest confession of all your sins. Most parishes schedule confessions every week, often on Saturday. You are also free to call your parish priest and make an appointment for confession.

1) I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me.

--- Do I seek to love God with my whole heart and soul? Does He truly

hold the first place in my life

--- Have I been involved with the occult or superstitious practices?

--- Have I ever received Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin?

--- Have I told a lie in confession or deliberately withheld a mortal sin?

2) You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

--- Have I insulted God's holy name or used it lightly or carelessly?

--- Have I wished evil on anyone? (consider persons you may

consider enemies)

3) Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.

--- Have I missed Mass deliberately on Sunday, the Lord's Day, or on

Holy Days of Obligation?

--- Do I try to keep Sunday as a day of rest?

4) Honor your father and your mother.

--- Do I honor and obey my parents? Do I care for them in their old age?

--- Have I neglected my family responsibilities to spouse and children?

--- Is my family life centered around Christ and his teaching?

5) You shall not kill.

--- Have I murdered or physically harmed anyone?

--- Have I had an abortion? Have I encouraged an abortion?

--- Have I mutilated myself through any form of sterilization?

--- Have I encouraged others to have themselves sterilized?

--- Have I harbored hatred, anger or resentment in my heart towards

anyone?

--- Have I given scandal to anyone by my sins, thereby leading them

into sin?

6) You shall not commit adultery.

--- Have I been unfaithful to my marriage vows in action or thought?

--- Have I practiced any form of artificial contraception in my marriage?

--- Have I been engaged in sexual activity with a member of the

opposite sex or the same sex?

--- Have I masturbated? (self-abuse)

--- Have I indulged in pornographic material?

--- Am I pure in my thoughts, words, actions? Am I modest in dress?

--- Am I engaged in any inappropriate relationships?

7) You shall not steal.

--- Have I taken what is not mine?

--- Am I honest with my employer/employees?

--- Do I gamble excessively thereby robbing my family of their needs?

--- Do I seek to share what I have with the poor and needy?

8) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

--- Have I lied, gossiped or spoken behind anyone's back?

--- Have I ruined anyone's good name?

--- Do I reveal information that should be confidential?

--- Am I sincere in my dealings with others or am I "two-faced?"

9) You shall not desire your neighbor's wife.

--- Am I envious of another's spouse or family?

--- Have I consented to impure thoughts? Do I try to control my

imagination?

--- Am I reckless and irresponsible in the books I read and the

movies I watch?

10) You shall not desire your neighbor's goods.

--- Am I envious of the possessions of others?

--- Am I resentful and bitter over my position in life?

When you enter the place set aside for the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the priest may greet you and together you will make the sign of the cross. He will then choose a brief reading from the Bible to help your feel the merciful presence of Christ. Next, you tell yur sins simply and honestly to the priest. The simpler and more honest the better! Don't make excuses! Don't try to disguise or minimize what you have done! Most importantly, think of Christ crucified dying out of love for you, step on your pride and admit your guilt!

Remember, God wills that you confess all mortal sins by name and number. For instance, "I committed adultery three times and helped a friend procure an abortion." "I missed Mass on Sunday." "I gambled away a whole week's pay check."

The sacrament is not only for the forgiveness of mortal sins. You may also confess your venial sins. The Church encourages devotional confession, that is, the frequent confession of venial sins as a means of growing perfect in the love of God and neighbors.

After you confess your sins listen to the advice the priest offers you. You may also seek his help and guidance. He will then give you a penance. He will ask your to either pray, fast or perform an act of charity. Through the penance, you begin to make reparation for the harm your sins have caused you, others and the Church. The penance of the priest reminds us that we need to be one with Christ in his sufferings so as to share in his resurrection.

Finally, the priest will ask you to express your sorrow for the sins confessed in an act of contrition and, then, exercising the power of Christ, he will give you absolution. As he prays over you, know with certainty of faith that God is forgiving all your sins, healing your and preparing your for the Banquet of the Kingdom of Heaven! The priest will dismiss you saying, "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good." You respond: "His mercy endures forever." Or he may say, "The Lord has freed your from your sins. Go in peace." To which you answer, "Thanks be to God." Try to spend some time in prayer, thanking God for his forgiveness. Perform the penance the priest has given you as soon as possible after receiving absolution.

If you make good use and frequent use of this sacrament, you will have peace of heart, purity of conscience and a deep union with Christ in his love for his Father and for all men and women. The grace of the sacrament will cause you to become like Jesus, our Lord, in all you say and do! It will make you a stronger and more committed member of his Church.!

By: Father Frederick L. Miller, S.T.D.,

As to Penance. If the Church is to fulfill in its entirely her task of saving mankind she needs the power to forgive sins. It is a power essentially different from her mission to preach the Gospel and baptize. In baptism, indeed all sins and the punishment due to them are remitted. Baptism is the first justification. But the first justification is also the first entry into the realm of the supernatural which works entirely by God's grace and which asks of the person baptized no more than that he turn away from sin and turn in faith to Christ. Penance is something different. A baptized person who sins again, sins against God to whom, since his baptism in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, he belongs. He also betrays the Church of which he is now a member. Thus, the new atonement assumes the character of a legal trial, with accusation, sentence and satisfaction. The practice of penance has varied considerably down the centuries. In very early days satisfaction, usually in the form of public penance, was very much to the fore. Re-acceptance into the Church community normally took place only after completion of the penance imposed. More and more, however, penance has withdrawn from the public domain and today only the private administration of the sacrament is still in use. The development of the system of confession shows that misunderstanding easily arises above the nature of penance. In the face of all attacks - by Wycliffe, the Reformers, liberal dogmatic historians and modernists - the Church has always maintained the judicial character of the sacrament of penance and drawn the necessary conclusion.

THE CHURCH THUS TEACHES: The Church has the power to forgive all sins. This forgiveness of sins is a true sacrament instituted by Christ, different from baptism, particularly on account of its judicial form. Sins are forgiven only by the sacrament of penance. Sins are forgiven by absolution which can only be given by an authorized priest. It is a real judicial pardon. The Church has the power to reserve certain cases. On the part of the sinner contrition, confession and satisfaction are required. Contrition is aversion to the sins committed. Perfect contrition remits sin even before confession if it is joined with the intention to confess. Imperfect contrition (attrition) is sufficient if there is confession, and is a good and salutary thing. Confession must cover all mortal sins committed since baptism and not previously confessed. Venial sins, and sins already confessed can validly be confessed. And satisfaction. The effect of the sacrament is reconciliation with God, that is, the remission of sins and the eternal punishment but not all the temporal punishment. (

For more information on the remission of -temporal punishment- refer to the explaination and teaching of Mother Church in regards to INDULGENCES within this program.... )