Confession
On the evening of His Resurrection, the Lord breathed on the Apostles and said: “Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them” (John 20:22–23). In the confessional the priest stands in the person of Christ, and through his absolution God Himself forgives. No sin is too great for that mercy, only too great to be left unconfessed.
The Five Steps to a Good Confession
- Examine your conscienceCall to mind the sins you have committed since your last good confession.
- Be sorry for your sinsGrieve for them, above all because they offend God, who is all good.
- Firmly resolve to amendPurpose, with the help of grace, to sin no more and to avoid the occasions of sin.
- Confess your sinsTell them honestly and simply to the priest — all mortal sins in kind and number.
- Do your penancePerform the penance the priest gives, and give God thanks for His mercy.
How to Go to Confession
- Enter, and kneel or sit. Begin: “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been [time] since my last confession.”
- Confess your sins simply and honestly. If you are unsure, ask the priest to help you.
- When finished, say: “For these and all the sins of my past life, I am sorry.”
- Listen to the priest’s counsel and penance; then say your Act of Contrition.
- Receive absolution, and do your penance as soon as you can.
Prepare Your Soul
Acts of Contrition
The Traditional Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee,
and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell;
but most of all because they offend Thee, my God,
who art all good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.
A Shorter Act of Contrition
O my God, I am sorry and beg pardon for all my sins,
and detest them above all things,
because they deserve Thy dreadful punishments,
because they have crucified my loving Saviour Jesus Christ,
and most of all because they offend Thine infinite goodness;
and I firmly resolve, by the help of Thy grace,
never to offend Thee again, and carefully to avoid the occasions of sin. Amen.
Deus Meus (the Latin Act of Contrition)
Deus meus, ex toto corde pænitet me omnium meorum peccatorum,
eaque detestor, quia peccando, non solum pœnas a te iuste statutas promeritus sum,
sed præsertim quia offendi te, summum bonum,
ac dignum qui super omnia diligaris.
Ideo firmiter propono, adiuvante gratia tua,
de cetero me non peccaturum peccandique occasiones proximas fugiturum. Amen.
O my God, I am heartily sorry for all my sins, and I detest them,
because in sinning I have not only deserved the punishments justly established by Thee,
but most of all because I have offended Thee, the sovereign Good,
and who art worthy to be loved above all things.
Therefore I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace,
to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.
An Act of Perfect Contrition
O my God, I love Thee above all things, with my whole heart and soul,
because Thou art all good and worthy of all my love.
I repent with my whole heart of all my sins, because they displease Thee, my God,
who art so good; and I resolve, with the help of Thy grace,
to sin no more, and to confess my sins. Amen.
After Confession
Give thanks for the mercy you have received, and do your penance without delay. Then guard the grace of a clean soul: flee the near occasions of sin, take up the aids to amendment below, and return often; frequent confession is one of the surest helps to a holier life.