Confession is good for the soul.

What is confession and why should you do it?

In many faith traditions, there is a type of confession, or repentance for sins. In the Catholic and Orthodox traditions we go to confession- that is, we confess our sins to a priest and he absolves us from them. We then vow to not do them again. Some are more difficult than others not to repeat.

Why do we need confession at all? We sin, and that separates us from God. How can we mend that relationship? We need to reconcile with our creator. We confess our sins and repent. To repent means to change my heart, turn away from sin. This action builds our bridge back to God. When we tell God our sins and that we are sorry, His mercy fills us and our broken places are mended, and our relationship is made whole again.

I know many people that go to confession at least once a month. I am not one of them. I go once a year, usually during Lent. I pick a big penance service, because sometimes there is general absolution. Sometimes there is not. The benefit of the “drive thru” confession is that there is a line so you are not going to spend a lot of time with the priest, because you can see the people waiting. (I like the easy way out).

God has a funny sense of humor because when I went to a penance service at a friend’s parish last year, the lines were long, and I ended up hopping into a line that looked short. Not long after joining, the young woman in front of me turned around and asked me how to go to confession. She was in the process of joining the church and had never been. So, I explained the process, how it goes, etc. As it turns out, that night was a freeing confession session for me.

Today, my sweet godson is going to confession/reconciliation for the first time- this leads up to his first Communion this spring. I am supposed to be his example, so I will go too this spring-even though it’s not my favorite, it’s good for my soul. (Plus you have the “shiny new” feeling for a few minutes)

If you haven’t been in awhile, consider joining me. If you aren’t Catholic, that’s ok! Make time to tell God you are sorry and repent for your sins. You won’t be sorry that you did. You will feel lighter and receive the grace and mercy that God has in store for you.