Steps to Making a Good Confession

Steps to Making a Good Confession

Before approaching the Sacrament of Penance & Reconciliation please make sure to go through these steps to making a good, sincere Confession.

1. Examination of Conscience: Before planning on going to confession, it is of utmost importance to find a thorough Examination of Conscience. Then, take time and quietly and prayerfully go over the examination of Conscience. It might be helpful to write down all the sins you have committed.
   • Take this with you into the confessional. Here is a good examination of conscience: communityofhopeinc.org  
   • The Fathers of Mercy also have a copy that you could purchase or download for free
2. Sincere Contrition: We need to work on truly being contrite for having sinned against God. That means we see that we were guilty of breaking God’s loving laws, which breaks us away from God’s mercy. We take full responsibility for having disobeyed God. We need to be very careful to not let any excuses cover over our sins. Often times we have reasons for why we sinned. So what, we still broke God’s law and are guilty. Grow up and take responsibility for your actions. Do not blame it on circumstances or other people. They will not be there when you are judged; just you and God.  
3. Deep Sorrow :Once we are contrite and have taken responsibility for having sinned, we also need to work on a true and deep sorrow for having done the sin. This means meditating on the pains we caused for Jesus and the harm we have done to ourselves and to others when we sinned. The monks use to have a cry room. It was not for babies who cried. It was a room where they went and cried for having been so sinful and having crucified Jesus and hurt others. This is true sorrow.  
4. Firm Resolution to Sin No More: So, we are contrite, we are sorry, but now we need to do something about these easily worked up feelings. It is one thing to say I am sorry to someone after I have been caught or feel guilty. But it takes much more effort to stop doing what I have done against them. This is something that has to be diligently worked on. As you confess, be sure you have a firm resolution to change your way of living and especially in the area of your life that is displeasing to God.  
5. Concrete Plans to Avoid the Occasion of Sin: If the internet is causing you to sin, you need to be willing to give up using the internet. If a person is tempting you to sin, (a few examples: to have sex, use drugs, drinking or gambling), that person has to be avoided. Many so called friends act as instruments of the devil to get us to sin. Jesus says it is better to pluck out an eye, cut off a hand, or a foot rather than to be thrown into hell for all eternity. Whatever it is that is causing you to sin, get rid of it (or the friendship).  
6. Love for God and Fear of God’s Judgment: We should want to make a good confession because we love God. When we work on a loving friendship with God, we want to love Him, not hurt Him. So in our prayer life, working on true love of God, can really help us to please Him rather than to shun His loving life that is sustaining our souls. But if you cannot stop sinning out of love, at least do it for fear of God’s judgment and damnation. Fear is better than remaining in a state of sin. When you have fear of God, you will clean up your soul in confession, even when it may be embarrassing. The devil always helps us forget about embarrassment when we are in the act of sinning. But as soon as we are in the line to confess, he makes sure to fill us back up with embarrassment so that we become afraid to confess or tell all the details of our shameful sins.