Thursday, March 28, AD 2024 5:18pm

Confession, Thank God!

 

 

My bride and I just went to Confession, and once again I pitied the poor priest who had to hear my lawyer’s confession!  I have never been to Confession without feeling a great sense of relief.

 

Here is the formula that I have followed for Confessions since childhood:

Bless me Father for I have sinned, it has been ____________ since my last Confession and these are my sins.

 

I then recite my sins.  I follow the rule of three B’s in Confession:

Be Blunt

Be Brief

Be Gone

I say my sins, with no attempts to minimize or justify, no matter how it shames me to do so, and sometimes I do feel great shame, which I suspect is a good sign.  I end my recital with the statement that these are all the sins I can recall but that I am truly sorry for those I cannot recall.

After the priest absolves me, and what a wonderful word absolve truly is, I say an Act of Contrition:

O my God I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest of all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the Pains of Hell, but most of all because I have offended Thee my God who art all good and deserving of all my love.  And I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life, amen.

If any of you who read this have been away from Confession, please go before Easter.  Celebrate the Resurrection this year with a clean slate.

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Ezabelle
Ezabelle
Tuesday, March 19, AD 2019 7:31pm

I like your rule of the 3 B’s. I will be using this next confession, as I struggle with the “Be Blunt” part. God Bless Donald.

John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
Tuesday, March 19, AD 2019 8:47pm

I went tonight as well. Twas a good night to be absolved.

Foxfier
Tuesday, March 19, AD 2019 9:17pm

Amen!
We did the same on last Saturday– it is wonderful.

Foxfier
Tuesday, March 19, AD 2019 9:18pm

Amen!
We did the same on last Saturday– it is wonderful.

I find that “be brief” is very helpful in avoiding wrong justifications.

OrdinaryCatholic
OrdinaryCatholic
Wednesday, March 20, AD 2019 4:18am

I agree FOXFIER. We are so good at justifying sin that we can justify them our of existence and avoid confession!!

GUY MCCLUNG
GUY MCCLUNG
Wednesday, March 20, AD 2019 9:49am

Don, I don’t know if you just forgot this part:
Be sure to take into the confessional the written list your lovely, loving spouse has done for you.

Guy

Foxfier
Wednesday, March 20, AD 2019 7:17pm

*grumple* sorry, guys, trying to post from my phone, not having much luck…probably go to radio silence instead. -.-
On the road, obviously.

Jeanne Rohl
Jeanne Rohl
Thursday, March 21, AD 2019 12:06pm

Last night do to health problems and very limited access to Confession my husband and I went to “communal penance” examination of conscience (sort of) Face to Face (fast please, no long serious actual sin) no Act of Contrition! Probably 300 students, parents. “Every one just go out and do something nice for someone”. penance from the pulpit. ????????????

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