Have mercy on me, O God, according to your merciful love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

— Psalms 51:1–2

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Either before you arrive or as you wait for class to begin, find this short passage from Sacred Scripture in your Bible or through an online search. Reading it will prepare you for this week’s material.

— John 20:19–23

O God, the Father of mercies, help us to understand our own sinfulness and of the forgiveness you offer us through the sacrament of confession. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

As you watch the video lesson, refer to these key highlights. Feel free to use the space provided to take notes.

• The Christian life is a life of continual conversion. Christ instituted confession for the forgiveness of the sins of those already baptized.

• Christ gave his apostles the power to forgive sins, a power that has been handed down through the centuries to bishops and priests.

• Sin is an offense against God. Sins can be serious (mortal) or of lesser severity (venial).

• The sacrament of confession has four parts: contrition, confession, absolution, and penance.

• An examination of conscience helps prepare one to go to confession.

• Confession transforms our hearts.

Wisdom of the Saints

Even if I had on my conscience all the sins that can be committed, I would go, my heart broken with sorrow, and throw myself into Jesus’ arms, for I know how much He loves the prodigal child who returns to him.

— St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Take a moment to go through these questions with the group. For larger classes, divide them up into partners. Answers are provided to assist you in leading discussion.

1. Why did Jesus institute the sacrament of confession?

   Jesus instituted the sacrament of confession principally so that those who fall into serious sin after baptism may obtain forgiveness of their sins. The sacrament also forgives venial sins and is an immense help in the struggle against sin and the process of continual conversion.

2. What are the four parts of confession? Briefly explain each one of them.

   The four parts of confession are: contrition, confession, absolution, and penance. Contrition is the sorrow one has for sin. Confession is the actual saying of one’s sins. Absolution is the priest’s act of forgiving sin through a special formula. Penance is the act of reparation one does after this forgiveness to help make up for the effects of sin.

3. What is the difference between mortal and venial sin?

   A mortal sin is a serious offense against God that separates one from God’s friendship and kills the life of grace in the soul. It requires that one chooses to commit a grave violation of the moral law with full knowledge and complete consent. A venial sin is a lesser offense that does not separate one from God’s friendship and sanctifying grace.

4. Does a person need to confess all of the mortal sins they remember committing? What other information should be included? Why is it important to confess one’s venial sins as well?

   Yes, one must confess all of the mortal sins that one is conscious of having committed. It is necessary to mention how many times the sin was committed and any relevant circumstances.

   It is important to also confess venial sins in the sacrament of confession so that they may be forgiven, charity may be strengthened, and so that habits of sin may be prevented.

Catechism Connection

To return to communion with God after having lost it through sin is a process born of the grace of God who is rich in mercy and solicitous for the salvation of men. One must ask for this precious gift for oneself and for others.

— CCC 1489

Discuss these questions with the group, pair them with a partner, or ask them to meditate on their own.

1. Think of a time when you asked another person for forgiveness? How do you think going to confession will be the same as that experience? How do you think it will be different?

   Going to confession is similar because it requires admitting wrongdoing, expressing genuine remorse, and seeking reconciliation. It differs because the sacrament involves confessing to a priest who ministers in the person of Christ, receives sacramental absolution, and grants grace and a penance that helps repair the effects of sin and foster ongoing conversion. Confession also carries the assurance of God’s forgiveness in a formal, ecclesial way and includes confidentiality (the seal of confession).

2. Faith gives us the certainty that God forgives our sins when we make a good confession. Do you think leaving your past sins behind through confession will have a positive effect on your relationship with God and with others? How so?

   Yes. A sincere confession can restore peace of conscience and strengthen trust in God’s mercy, making it easier to grow in prayer and charity. It often leads to healthier relationships with others by encouraging accountability, prompting concrete acts of reparation, and freeing one from patterns of sin so one can love more fully. The sacramental grace received also helps sustain ongoing conversion.

3. Do you have any fears or hesitations about confession? Explain how you think God will help you overcome these.

   I sometimes fear judgment or embarrassment, but remembering that confession is a sacrament of mercy helps. Trusting in God’s forgiveness, preparing honestly, and focusing on growth rather than shame will make it easier to go and receive grace.

After concluding your group discussion, return to watch the second video where converts to the Catholic faith discuss their conversion and how they live today as Catholics.

Rome to Home

The difficulty of confession and the shame at uncovering sins could seem to be burdensome were it not lightened by so many advantages and consolations that will most certainly be granted through the absolution to all who approach the sacrament worthily.

— Council of Trent, Session 14, chap. 5

Sin: An offense against God. It can take the form of a thought, word, or action we do or fail to do. Mortal sins are serious sins that separate us from friendship with God and the life of grace. Venial sins are lesser offenses. (For more on mortal and venial sin, see chapter 18.)
Penance (Satisfactory Penance): In the sacrament of confession, this refers to an action done after receiving forgiveness through absolution to atone or to “make up” for sin. This is typically a specific prayer or action assigned by the priest hearing the confession to be done after leaving the confessional. More generally, the term penance can also refer to the interior conversion of heart toward God and away from sin and to external acts like fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.

Examination of Conscience: A prayerful and careful inquiry within oneself to assess how one has sinned and, therefore, what one should confess. This term can also refer to a document listing common sins or posing questions typically used by someone in preparing to go to confession.

Firm Purpose of Amendment: The decision or resolve not to commit sin in the future.

Absolution: The sacramental words in which the priest, through the power entrusted to the Church by Christ, pardons the sins of the penitent (the person who is confessing his or her sins).

God’s Word

I acknowledged my sin to you, / and I did not hide my iniquity; / I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”; / then you forgave the guilt of my sin.

— Psalms 32:5

O God, who manifest your almighty power above all by pardoning and showing mercy, bestow, we pray, your grace abundantly upon us and make those hastening to attain your promises heirs to the treasures of heaven. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

—Collect of the twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

This serves as a review of the material that your students can read after each class, but it may be helpful for you to read as well. Consider reading it before each class to better prepare you for group discussion.

Seeking Forgiveness through Confession

Baptism conforms us to Christ, wipes away sin, and sets us on a journey to heaven. This first sacrament is a decisive moment of conversion; that is, a turning away from sin and a resolve to live a life of holiness by God’s grace. Yet, even after baptism, the Christian life remains a life of continual conversion as we struggle against sin and often turn away God by disobeying his commandments. Although Baptism takes away sin, all Christians are left with the ability to sin, even to sin seriously and separate themselves from God.

Jesus knew that sin would continue to remain a problem even for the baptized, so he instituted a solution to treat the weakness and sinfulness of his members. He entrusted the forgiveness of sins to the Church and gave us the sacrament of confession as one of his great channels of grace.

After the Resurrection, Our Lord entrusted to his apostles the power to forgive sins in his name: “He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’” (Jn 20:22–24). Through apostolic succession and Holy Orders, bishops and priests receive the power to forgive sins. The sacrament of confession exists principally so that those who commit serious sins at some point after their baptism can

…be reconciled with God and restored to the life of grace and holiness. The sacrament of confession is also called the sacrament of Reconciliation because it reconciles a sinner with God and the Church.

Before approaching the sacrament of confession, it is important to understand something about sin. Sin is essentially an offense against God. It can be a thought, a word, or an action we do (sin of commission) or neglect to do (sin of omission). Not all sins are of the same severity. (For more on this point, see chapter 18.) A mortal sin is a serious offense against God, a grave violation of his law. Mortal sin takes its name from the word death. Like a mortal wound, mortal sin causes spiritual death to the soul. A mortal sin is a grave violation of God’s law (a sin concerning something serious, called grave matter) that one commits with full knowledge and complete consent. A mortal sin may also be called a “grave” or “serious” sin. Mortal sin kills supernatural charity (the love of God that is supernaturally infused into the soul by grace) because every mortal sin involves choosing to act in disobedience to God’s command to love him (since sin, at its core, is loving something else more than God).

A venial sin is when one fails to observe the moral law through a lesser offense. If someone commits a gravely serious action but without full knowledge of what he is doing or without consent of the will, the sin is also venial. Many people try to obscure the distinction between mortal andvenial sin. They claim, “sin is just sin,” as though all sins are the same. Some argue that no sin is so serious that it would separate one from God. The Scriptures say otherwise: “There is sin which is not deadly” (1 Jn 5:17). The sacrament of confession takes away the guilt of both mortal and venial sins.

The sacrament of confession has four main parts. First, contrition is the sorrow we have for committing sin. It is the primary “material” we bring to the sacrament of confession.

Just as we need to express sorrow when we hurt another human being and ask their forgiveness, so, too, in seeking forgiveness from God, sorrow is an essential component. We can be sorry for our sins because we are afraid of punishment (imperfect contrition) or because we love God and recognize we have offended him (perfect contrition). In going to confession, one must also have a firm purpose of amendment; that is, a decision or resolve not commit sin in the future.

Second, confession refers to the verbal articulation of the sins we have committed.

For the confession to be valid (effective), a person must confess all of the mortal sins he or she is aware of having committed. Since confession is about restoring one’s relationship with God, it has an “all-or-nothing” character to it. To deliberately withhold mortal sins and leave them unconfessed does not result in forgiveness, but rather adds a further mortal sin of misusing the sacrament. The Church guards the confidentiality of confession (the seal of confession) with the utmost protection. A priest or bishop may never, under any circumstances, reveal a person’s sins, and should even be willing to die rather than reveal the secrets of the confessional.

Third, absolution refers to the action of the priest in forgiving sins using special sacramental words called the formula of absolution. The formula of absolution is particularly beautiful and acknowledges that God is a merciful Father who forgives us through Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Through these words, the priest acts of as an instrument of Christ’s mercy and forgives sins.

Lastly, the satisfactory penance (typically just called “a penance”) is the task of reparation that the priest assigns to the person confessing to help them make up for the spiritual damage caused by sin. While it is principallyChrist’s merits and merciful power that forgive sin, the satisfactory penance is how the sinner can, in some small way, share with Jesus in “making up for” the disorder caused by the sin. A penance is usually a set of prayers or charitable actions. Our sins are truly forgiven by the absolution of the priest, but we must be willing to perform our penance after confession.

To some, going to confession might seem daunting or even intimidating, but it is helpful to remember that it is a tremendous gift of mercy. Through this sacrament, God will help you to be free of the burden of sin. In fact, God will give you the strength to make a good confession. And when, with God’s help, you acknowledge your sins directly and make an act of repentance for them, God gives the wonderful gift of true and complete forgiveness for them.

Some people object to the Catholic practice of confession, saying, “I can just ask God for forgiveness in my heart. Why do I need to confess my sins to a priest?” The answer is that sins are forgiven by Christ. Indeed, no Christian would presume that sins are forgiven apart from Jesus and his action. Jesus himself instituted a sacrament for the forgiveness of sins after baptism when he gave the power to his apostles to forgive the sins that are confessed to them. This power has been handed down from the apostles to today’s bishops and priests. That is, it was Jesus who established this sacrament so that we would receive grace from him when we confess our sins to a priest.

It is true that God can grant a special grace of forgiveness to someone even before they go to confession (or when it is impossible for them to get to confession). We call this a grace of “perfect contrition,” and it means that God infuses a special grace of charity or supernatural love into the person’s heart so that he repents of the sin not only because of the fear of punishment but purely out of the love of God, “who is all good and deserving of all our love.” When this grace is given, however, it still points forward to the sacrament of confession; someone with perfect contrition is still required to confess his sins at his next opportunity to do so precisely because Jesus himself set it up this way. He established the sacrament of confession for this very purpose. To put it another way, if you were to decide on your own that, because you received this special grace, you did

…not need to confess to a priest, you would not be following Jesus’s plan for forgiveness—a very dangerous thing to do!

In order for confession to be effective, we must already be asking God for forgiveness in our hearts; that is, we must have contrition or sorrow for sin. As with many things, God desires to use human intermediaries to draw us closer to him. The priest or bishop stands in the place of Christ. Verbally confessing our sins to the minister also helps us to make an honest assessment of our sin and manifests our reconciliation with the Church. The practice of verbally listing our sins to another person has a mysterious power that brings things to the surface and allows God to heal our wounds.

Before going to confession, it is important to do an examination of conscience; that is, to take time to reflect and remember what sins we may have committed. Many guides are available to help this process. Doing an examination of conscience helps one articulate and express his sins honestly and thoroughly. It is a time to allow God to begin his healing work in our souls and to prepare us for the grace of the sacrament.

Someone may be concerned that they do not remember absolutely all of their sins. This is okay, God only asks that we express our sins as bestwe can remember them. Going to confession is different than going to counseling or spiritual direction. It is focused principally on the confession and absolution of sins and therefore typically takes less than ten minutes. However, it is fine to bring up questions you may have relating to your sins or of practicing the Catholic faith. When in doubt, ask the priest. He will be able to help guide you through the sacrament.

When one goes to confession, it is necessary to confess all the mortal sins one has committed, how many times one committed them, and any relevant circumstances. It is not necessary to go into great detail, but one must at least name the types of sin. For example, “I missed Sunday Mass one time without a serious reason,” or, “I stole one thousand dollars from my employer by overstating my travel expense.” After committing a mortal sin, it is important to fly to the sacrament of confession as soon as reasonably possible to restore one’s friendship with God and receive his healing grace. At the very minimum, all Catholics are obliged to go to confession at least once a year if they are aware of any mortal sins they might have committed. Even though confession exists principally for the forgiveness of serious sins, the history of Catholic practice shows that it is also very important to confess one’s venial sins and to do so frequently. Frequent confession keeps one close to the Lord, strengthens charity, and prevents habits of sin from increasing. Experience shows that going to confession every month or two is one of the keys to a healthy spiritual life. (For more information on the benefits of frequent confession, see chapter 32.)

When exactly you make your first confession will depend on whether you are preparing for baptism or preparing to be received into full communion with the Church. If you are preparing for baptism, you will make your first confession sometime after being baptized and initiated into the Church. If you are a candidate whose prior baptism has been recognized by the Church, go ahead and speak with your pastor about when would be an appropriate time to go to confession before you are received into the Church.

Confession is essentially about the transformation of our hearts. God uses the power of the sacrament not only to forgive our sins but also to transform our fear into hope and our sorrow into love. Many people…comment on how confession brings them great emotional relief. They feel as if a burden has been lifted from their shoulders. Whether we feel it or not, faith gives us the certainty that confession forgives our sins and infuses us with grace. Confession is thus an indispensable component of Christian life and greatly aids our continual conversion and increase in holiness.

Hahn, Scott. Lord, Have Mercy: The Healing Power of Confession. Image, 2003.

Keller, Paul Jerome. 101 Questions & Answers on the Sacraments of Healing: Penance and Anointing of the Sick. Paulist Press, 2010.