Confession
MONDAY: 8:30 – 9:30am
TUESDAY: 8:30 – 9:30am
WEDNESDAY: 6:30 – 7:30pm
THURSDAY: 8:30 – 9:30am
FRIDAY: 8:30 – 9:30am
SATURDAY: 8:30 – 9:30am
(Confessions are heard for one hour after every daily Mass)
What You Need to Go to Confession
- Make the Sign the Cross
- "Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been...since my last confession
- Confess your sins
- Priest will give you a penance
- Make an Act of Contrition
- Priest will give you absolution
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things.
I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.
Jesus wants you to receive His mercy! Sin has a way of keeping us chained to patterns of darkness which require the healing mercy of God's love. The Sacrament of Confession brings us that mercy so we can live in the light. Here's what the Church teaches as a general guide for how often we should go to confession.
- After having reached the age of reason (7 years old), each member of the faithful is obliged to confess faithfully his or her grave sins at least once a year. (Canon 989)
- The Lord addresses an invitation to us, urging us to receive him in the sacrament of the Eucharist. To respond to this invitation we must prepare ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion. (CCC 1384-1385)
Excerpted from In the Know with Father Joe by Fr. Joseph Krupp
OK, first we need to establish the fact that there are a lot of different types of sin. The Bible, as well as our catechism, is filled with examples of how we sin (as is television!) The Catechism of the Catholic Church sums it all up nicely in section 1853:
Sins can be distinguished according to their objects, as can every human act; or according to the virtues they oppose, by excess or defect; or according to the commandments they violate. They can also be classed according to whether they concern God, neighbor, or oneself; they can be divided into spiritual and carnal sins, or again as sins in thought, word, deed, or omission. The root of sin is in the heart of man, in his free will, according to the teaching of the Lord: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a man.” But in the heart also resides charity, the source of the good and pure works, which sin wounds.
That’s a pretty helpful summary. Through it, we see that sin can be classified by what it attacks and how and why it attacks the good. We can sin by doing something; we can sin by not doing something. The catechism makes clear that our hearts are the problem, as is our abuse of free will. The cool thing is, and this is classic God, the heart is a place where hope is – as Jesus, who redeemed us, lives there.
Now, in general, all sins fall into one of two categories: mortal and venial. What is the difference? The difference tends to be manifested most clearly in the consequences of our actions (or inaction)!
When we commit a mortal sin, we damage our soul in a very specific way: We wound our hearts’ ability to repent and receive mercy. The damage we do is real and intense, and the catechism tells us that it takes a special initiative of mercy on God’s part to heal us. (1856)
So, what are the mortal sins? Well, it’s easier to describe how a mortal sin is committed than what specific sins are mortal. Here is an easy way to remember it: C.I.A.
That acronym works like this:
C – Circumstance: We have to be completely free to choose to sin or not.
I – Intent: We have to know that it is a sin, be free not to do it and do it anyway.
A – Action: The sin needs to be of a serious matter.
If we commit a sin and all three of these things are simultaneously true, then we have committed a mortal sin. The consequences are that we should not receive Communion without either going to confession or making sure that we are going to go to confession as soon as possible.
So, then, what is venial sin? Venial sin is, simply, all the rest. Venial sins are those sins that damage our hearts and souls, but still allow God’s love to live and work within us. The danger of venial sins is that they are a choice we make toward something less than God and what he wants for us. According to the catechism, venial sins also have the ability to condition us to commit a mortal sin. You know how it goes, the more we sin, the more open we are to sinning and the more difficult it is to recognize the sin and repent.
I hope this is helpful; the key to all of this is to remember the power and consistency of God’s mercy. There is nothing we can do that God can’t forgive; we need to remember to ask.
Enjoy another day in God’s presence.
Examination of Conscience for Adults
Pride– Pride is the mother of all sin.
- Have I refused to admit my own weaknesses?
- Have I dwelt on the failings of others?
- Have I judged others, in my thoughts or words?
- Have I ranked myself better than others?
- Have I borne hatred or disdain for another?
- Have I refused to learn from others?
- Have I been irritable with others?
- Have I been critical of others?
- Have I been slow to listen to others and quick to speak over them?
- Have I been stubborn? Refused to admit I was wrong?
- Have I refused to accept that another person had a better idea?
- Have I been arrogant?
- Have I held others in contempt?
- Have I reacted negatively when questioned?
False Humility:
- Have I neglected to use the talents that God has given me?
- Have I shied away from my duties or doing or saying what is right because of fear of how others will respond?
- Have I failed to give witness to my faith in Christ in public?
Vanity
Vanity (an expression of pride) (ST II-II q132) – Vanity is excessive concern about what others think of me –not just what they think of my appearance.
- Have I been overly concerned about what others think of me? Have I allowed this to motivate my actions?
- Have I failed to follow God’s will because of a fear of what others might think of me?
- Have I lied or exaggerated to make myself look good?
- Have I wasted undue time and money on clothes and appearance?
- Have I been content with my lowly position, or have I resented the role that Christ asks of me?
- Do I constantly take selfies or spend time primping and correcting my hair, clothing or other aspects of my appearance?
Anger is undue desire for vengeance – undue in cause or in amount.
- Have I harbored resentment, grudges, and hatred in my thoughts?
- Have I nurtured imaginary angry conversations?
- Have I been slow to forgive?
- Have I lost my temper?
Impatience:
- How have I carried my cross without complaint or self-pity?
- Have I been impatient with people, family, events, sufferings, sicknesses?
Lust is disordered desire for sexual pleasure, isolated from its procreative and unitive purpose (CCC 2351).
- Have I maintained custody of my eyes or have I allowed them to wander?: “Whoever looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mt 5:28)
- Have I viewed other people as mere sexual objects rather than as persons to be loved and served?
- Have I viewed pornography or related sexual or sexualized material on internet? or TV? or Social Media?
- Have I engaged in romantic fiction leading to sexual fantasy?
- Have I entertained impure thoughts?
- Have I engaged in masturbation, alone, or with another?
Avarice is the excessive love of possessing things.
- Have I been overly concerned about my own comfort and well-being?
- Have I been resentful of my lack of money or resources?
- Have I been generous in giving? Have I given with a cheerful heart?
- Have I avoided sacrificial giving? Do I only give what is easy to give?
- Have I cheated, stolen, or failed to pay my bills on time?
- Have I used people for my own ends and advantage?
- Have I wasted money on things I don’t absolutely need?
Envy/Jealousy is sadness at the happiness of another.
Have I envied or been jealous of the abilities, talents, ideas, good-looks, intelligence, clothes, possessions, money, friends, family, of others?
Gossip:
- Have I judged others in my thoughts?
- Have I damaged the reputation of another person by my words, attitude, or looks/reactions/responses?
- Have I repeated accusations that might not be true? Have I exaggerated?
- Have I failed to defend the reputation of others?
- Have I failed to keep secrets?
- Do I despise others of different race, class or culture?
Lies: Have I lied, exaggerated, or distorted the truth?
Sloth, Apathy or Laziness, especially in the things of God. Sloth is a sorrow in the face of spiritual good -it makes you lethargic and want to do nothing and/or it drives you to neglect spiritual goods.
- Have I sought God above all else, or have I put other priorities ahead of him? (e.g. friendships, ambition, comfort and ease)
- Have I got so caught up in the things of this world that I’ve forgotten God?
- Have I risked losing my faith/piety by bad company, bad reading, cowardice, or pride?
- Have I trusted God, especially in times of difficulty?
- Have I attended Mass each and every Sunday?
- Have I neglected to say my daily prayers?
- Have I entertained distractions in prayer, or failed to give God due concentration in prayer or in the Mass? (Note: Not giving God the effort He deserves in prayer is a sin, but it is not the same thing as involuntary weakness in mental distractions.)
- Have I made a prayerful preparation before Mass and a good thanksgiving after Mass?
- Have I received Holy Communion while in a state of serious sin?
- Have I neglected to seek Confession before Holy Communion?
- Have I taken the Lord’s name in vain? Or used other foul language?
Towards My Neighbor:
- Have I been lazy in helping others?
- Have I been attentive to the needs of my neighbor, the needs of my extended or immediate family?
- Has my conversation been focussed on my own pleasure, or on others?
- Has my humor been insensitive to others?
Towards My Family:
- Have I been more focused on myself than on the needs of others?
- Have I spent time with my family? How have I manifested my concern for them? Have I been forgiving and tolerant of them? Have I scandalized them by a bad or lazy example?
Use of Time:
- Have I wasted other people’s time or dishonoured them by being late or have I failed to keep my commitments regarding being on time?
- Have I been late for Mass?
- Have I gone to sleep on time?
- Have I made good use of my time, or have I wasted time needlessly? e.g. cell phone, TV, gaming, or internet?
- Have I planned good use of relaxation and recreation, knowing that I need to rest well in order to serve well?
Gluttony is the inordinate or excessive desire for, focus on, attachment to, or use of food or other material goods.
- Have I consumed more than I need to – more than my body needs to maintain a healthy weight?
- Have I consumed food or drink that is damaging to my body to satisfy my tastes or appetites?
- Have I spent time engaging with food (or other material things) or fantasizing about food (or other material things) that should be spent elsewhere?
- Have I spent excessive money on food?
- Have I consumed alcohol excessively? Have I driven after drinking?
- Have I eaten greedily with little consideration for those at table with me?
- Have I failed to give money to help the hungry?
- Have I failed to practice fasting and self-denial, especially on Fridays?
- Have I failed to abstain from meat on Fridays?
- Have I always fasted an hour before receiving Holy Communion at Mass?
- Do I spend excessive energy and expense seeking to ensure my food or environment is perfectly to my desires (temperature, texture, atmosphere)?
- Do I spent excessive energy and expense seeking comfort?
(1) I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.
(2) You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain.
(3) Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.
(4) Honour your father and your mother.
(5) You shall not kill.
(6) You shall not commit adultery.
(7) You shall not steal.
(8) You shall not bear false witness.
(9) You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife.
(10) You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
