Have you already gone to confession during Lent this year? If you only did it once or still haven't done any yet, here's why you need to go often.
But first, if you already forgot the process, here are the basic information I previously shared in older posts. Learn more about the Sacrament of Penance in case you're not very familiar yet:
- The Devil Rejoices Whenever People Do Not Confess To Priests
- Non-Catholic Christians Also Confess to Priests or Pastors?
- Should We Still Go to Confession Just For Those Venial Sins?
- Who Says It's Boring or Scary To Go to Confession?
If you're done reading those and finally understand more of the Sacrament of Reconciliation then lezgoooo!
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☝️ So What's Up With Doing Frequent Confession?
Well before last year I rarely went to confession. Haha. During high school (in 4 yrs) I think I only did it twice or thrice. (?) After that, I never did it again except once! (Story in the fourth link above.) Fast forward to 2023 and voila! Almost weekly confession until now! Oh I love it. ♥️
No am still not a saint but I'm definitely way better than I was before! To think I thought I was already a nice person back then before I got worse. Hahaha. I will only laugh and not say anything more. 😆
Anyway why do I mostly confess weekly instead of just monthly or quarterly or even twice a year? The answer is simple: we all sin more than once a day! After getting rid of all my mortal sins the next step is to eradicate the venial sins by frequent confession. Now this isn't as easy as it sounds. 😂
Let's just say, because everyone is a frequent sinner we must also be a frequent confessant! It is not required by the Church but it is highly encouraged. You can even read the part about it in the Catechism of the Catholic Church for more info. 😉
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❌ 3 Misconducts We Need to Avoid When Availing of the Sacrament of Confession
Here are some do's and don't to follow according to what I learned from priests who share and catechize online.
- DON'T deliberately do the same sins again! If you have no intention to stop doing a certain sin then don't make a mockery of the sacrament freely given to us by Jesus! NEVER intentionally do the sin again just because you can confess it afterwards. No no no, that's another sin if you do! It means you have truly not repented yet!
- NEVER deliberately omit to mention any sin you've committed because that will void your entire confession! Don't even try to deceive Jesus who is behind the priest you're confessing to! The priest won't know but God does.
- DO NOT confess sins you've already confessed. Reconfessing a confessed sin means (1) you do not trust in Jesus and His forgiveness or that (2) you have not forgiven yourself yet. Those two are different things and must be stated separately upon confession.
Never ever do the above because you will just add insult to injury. Do not insult our Lord anymore because He is already very much offended! His very own mother says so!
Our Lady of Fatima's statement. | source
Other important points to consider:
- Better make a list to avoid forgetting anything after going through an examination of conscience.
- For mortal sins, list how many times you did one particular sin since your last confession. For example: (1) if you had sex with someone who isn't your spouse (or even if they are your bf/gf) on three different occasions then specifically mention you did it 3x outside of marriage, (2) if you stole two things each in 10 different occasions then say you stole 2 items at 10 different times.
- DON'T be scrupulous and think everything is a mortal sin. Refer to reputable Catholic online lists when examining your conscience to make it easier to know. Most likely it is venial or a personal characteristic that needs to be corrected. Or just ask your parish priest about it first.
- AVOID giving too much details when stating sins. No explanation or detailed story needed unless the priest asks it for clarity and gravity of the offence. Be thorough and straight to the point instead especially when there's a long line!
- Do not talk about other people's sins! SAY YOUR OWN SINS and not your spouse's or family member's. You are the one confessing not your husband/wife or relatives. The purpose of confessing sins is because you want to clean YOUR soul and avoid getting dirty again.
Why Should We Confess Frequently?
Think of it this way: Do you love rolling in mud everyday and then going home to sleep like you did nothing? After having your dirty clothes laundered, do you deliberately roll in the dirt again like a pig so someone else can just wash it again?
Do you enjoy sleeping as dirty as this everyday? | Photo source
If we who do the laundry hate it when our clothes get stubborn stains to wash off, do you think God would be pleased if someone also deliberately put hard to remove stains on their souls again and again without remorse? You think it's fun to have thick, piled up filth inside and a vile and stinky soul when nobody even wants to look like a beggar physically nor even be near a greasy street dweller!?
We do everything to be visibly and olfactorily presentable all the time and yet we disregard the cleanliness of our souls. When we are clean on the outside, we must also clean the spirit inside!
I mean, come on. Nobody wants to live in an exteriorly marvelously designed house with a rotting and disgusting interior quality. We don't buy ultra expensive food that tastes like sh|t and puke. So why do we not take a lot of time to clean our souls too if we don't like to live or eat disgustingly?
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What are the Benefits of Frequent Confession?
When we assume and think our spirit is already clean enough, I'm telling you, it's not! 😂 I've been there, done that too.
So, is there any benefit to doing weekly confession? Of course!
Again, according to Pope Pius XII in his Mystici Corporis Christi, no. 88, the pious practice of frequent confession does the following:
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Personally, here's what I discovered from such an experience:
- You can only know your soul's true quality or status if you go to frequent confession and NOT when you haven't been doing it for decades! (What more if you've never done it? Oh boy. 😅)
- You will find out there are some daily or regular bad habits that we automatically do! This means we will finally have the presence of mind to notice them when they happen. And then we can change our ways to avoid doing such habits or venial sins again in the future.
- You can "hear" God's voice, or at least know His message to you, especially when you ask Him to clarify things or whatever. I've experienced this in front of the Blessed Sacrament not just once! Personally, these insights don't happen all the time but there will be instances that it will happen.
- You can gain more plenary indulgences for yourself or other souls in purgatory! Hurray!
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There will even come a point when you think you don't have anything to confess anymore after 1 week. That's fine too, you can just go the next week or anytime you need to do it. Easy and no pressure at all.
In short, nobody dies from frequently confessing sins. 😆 We can actually gain more as we get closer to eternal life with God! Who doesn't want to go to Heaven, right?
How about you, have you ever tried doing this before? Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences too!
XOXO,
