Confession how to ....

Sin is any thought, word, desire, action, or neglect (omission) prohibited (forbidden) by the law of God. There are two kind of sin, mortal sin and venial sin. A mortal sin is a sin that, unless forgiven and fully absolved, condemns a person to Hell immediately after death. Rome defines a venial sin (meaning "forgivable" sin) as a lesser sin that does not result in a complete separation from God and eternal damnation in Hell. A venial sin involves a "partial loss of grace" from God. According to Catholic teaching, mortal sin requires the sacrament of penance (confession to a priest who pronounces sentence, that is, acts of penance the person must do to pay for his sin).

“Bless me Father, in this confession it has been (state the length of time) since my last confession. I accuse myself of the following sins: (mention your mortal and venial sins and the number of times committed).”

Upon finishing, say

“For these and all the sins of my past life, I am truly sorry.”

Then priest will advise, gives your penance and asks you to say the Act of Contrition Then wait and listen as the priest gives the absolution. The say

“Thank you, Father”

and leave the confessional and perform the penance given by the priest.

Act of Contrition

O my God, because you are so good. 

I am very sorry that I have sinned against you; 

and with your help I will try not to sin again. 

Amen.

Sacrament of Reconciliation ~ Confession ~ Pope Francis

“The confessional is not a torture chamber, 

but the place in which the Lord's mercy 

motivates us to do better.” 

~ Pope Francis ~

"If we confess our sins, 

he who is faithful and just will forgive us 

our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

~ 1 John 1:9 ~

The best way to guard one’s heart is with the daily practice of an “examination of conscience”, in which one quietly reviews what bad things one has done and what good things one has failed to do for God, one’s neighbour and oneself.

The questions include:

Do I only turn to God when I’m in need?

Do I take attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation?

Do I begin and end the day with prayer?

Am I embarrassed to show that I am a Christian?

Do I rebel against God’s plan?

Am I envious, hot-tempered, biased?

Am I honest and fair with everyone or do I fuel the “throwaway culture”?

In my marital and family relations, do I uphold morality as taught in the Gospels?

Do I honour and respect my parents?

Have I refused newly conceived life? Have I snuffed out the gift of life? Have I helped do so?

Do I respect the environment?

Am I part worldly and part believer?

Do I overdo it with eating, drinking, smoking and amusements?

Am I overly concerned about my physical well-being, my possessions?

How do I use my time? Am I lazy?

Do I want to be served?

Do I dream of revenge, hold grudges?

Am I meek, humble and a builder of peace?

Catholics should go to Confession, the Pope said, because everyone needs forgiveness for their sins, for the ways “we think and act contrary to the Gospel”.

“Whoever says he is without sin is a liar or is blind,” he wrote.

Confession is meant to be a sincere moment of conversion, an occasion to demonstrate trust in God’s willingness to forgive his children and to help them back on the path of following Jesus, Pope Francis wrote.

Pope Francis goes Confession in public ~ 28 March 2014

Continuing to display humility and leadership by example, Pope Francis went to confession before a regular and ordinary priest, much to the shock of the congregation present in St. Peter's Basilica over the weekend. The pope walked over to a confessional and knelt before a priest in public. He then proceeded to confess his sins where everyone could see him.

The priest spent about three minutes hearing the pope mention his sins and then gave him the necessary absolution. Surely shocked to his core, but the priest still managed to clasp the pope's hands and kiss his simple silver ring, in what seemed a testament that he fully knows the individual penitent who knelt before was the Holy Father of the Catholic church. After he finished, the pope went into a nearby empty confessional and heard confessions for about 40 minutes.

"Who can say he is not a sinner? Nobody. We all are," the pope, dressed in a simple white alb and purple stole, told the thousands present at the penitential liturgy rites.

Two elements that are "essential to Christian life”, quoted by Pope Francis.

First,

"Human beings are worth more for what they are than what they have. Set your eyes on the essential. This is the difference between a life deformed by sin, and one illuminated by grace. From the heart of renewed person, according to God, comes all good behaviour.” 

Second,

"Our Father never tires of loving, and his eyes never tire of looking at the path toward home to see if His son, which has left and is lost, returns. We can talk about the God's hope. Our Father always waits for us. He not only leaves the door open, he waits.”

“Tell them that our father is waiting for us, our father forgives us, and even more, he celebrates,” 

Even with all of one’s sins and mistakes, God, “instead of scolding us, he celebrates, And you have to tell this, tell this to lots of people today” so they can experience God’s mercy and love.

~ * ~ Pope Francis ~ * ~

Confession - Sin and Forgiveness

"Confession, is an act of honesty and courage; an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God. It is an act of the Prodigal Son who returns to his Father and is welcomed by him with the kiss of peace."

— Pope John Paul II on Sin and Forgiveness