' Ask His forgiveness with all your heart with an act of contrition, and promise Him, 'Afterward I will go to confession. ' You will return to God's grace immediately. You yourself can draw near, as the catechism teaches us, to God's forgiveness, without having a priest at hand.”
It is very clear: If you cannot find a priest to confess to, speak directly with God, your father, and tell him the truth. Say, 'Lord, I did this, this, this. Forgive me,' and ask for pardon with all your heart.”
You confess sin to God through prayer, but you can also pray for the courage to confess to another person, and ask Him to help you see any other things you need to confess (Psalm 139:23-24). Grieve your sin. It is appropriate to mourn your sin and the hurt and separation it has caused (Psalm 51:17; James 4:8-10).
Let's summarize: Catholics confess their sins to a priest because that is the method of forgiveness that God established. The Almighty alone has the power to forgive sins, and the Son of God granted that authority to His Apostles.
Begin with a prayer asking for God's help. Review your life with the help of some questions, which are based on the 10 Commandments (see below). Tell God how truly sorry you are for your sins. Make a firm resolution not to sin again.
You can confess your sins directly to God. You do not need to confess to a pastor, priest, or spiritual leader to be forgiven.
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. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us.
In the Book of Matthew (12: 31-32), we read, "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
Priests can refuse to absolve a penitent in confession, but only under certain specific circumstances. A recent news story discusses a talk Pope Francis gave to a group of seminarians in December. Reportedly, the pope said that priests should not refuse absolution to penitents.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that one must confess serious sins at least once a year (CCC 1457). One can commit a serious sin without it being a mortal sin.
There is no doubt that confession is required in order to be saved, thus it is a condition of salvation.
Put simply, our salvation depends solely on the person and work of Jesus Christ. As we continue to trust in him, we will experience the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives to make us more like Jesus. When we see this happening, our assurance that we truly are one of God's children grows.
You may begin by saying: “Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has been (state length of time) since my last confession. These are my sins.” Then tell your sins, especially any serious sins. The priest will give the necessary advice and assign penance.
A: There are ordinary means for receiving forgiveness of venial sins outside of confession. These include: attending Mass and worthily receiving Communion; doing acts of charity; fasting; and almsgiving. It is also possible to receive forgiveness of mortal sins outside of confession.
Answer: Confession does indeed forgive all sins. However, if someone deliberately withholds a mortal sin from confession, it is not forgiven.
Given the delicacy and greatness of this ministry and the respect due to persons, the Church declares that every priest who hears confessions is bound under very severe penalties to keep absolute secrecy regarding the sins that his penitents have confessed to him.
The power to absolve lies with the priest, who can grant release from the guilt of sin to sinners who are truly contrite, confess their sins, and promise to perform satisfaction to God.
When we confess our sins to a priest in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are assured of God's forgiveness. Remind kids that God loves us no matter what, and God's forgiveness means that we get to start over with a clean slate.
Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."
All sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin” (Mark 3:28-29). Notice, there is a positive and a negative in what Jesus says.
According to the standard list, they are pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth, which are contrary to the seven capital virtues.
These are the infamous seven: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth.
Examples of mortal sins include murder, adultery, blasphemy, and idolatry. Some extreme instances of these sins, such as violence against the pope, can even result in ex-communication from the church which is a severe punishment that excludes a person from the sacraments and other aspects of the faith.
All mortal sins must be confessed, while confession of venial sins also is recommended but not required. The priest may emphasize repentance and offer counsel, and always proposes a penance which the penitent accepts and then recites an act of contrition. The priest imparts absolution.