As a Methodist, I did not need confession in face I thought the idea of going to someone about how I messed up and disappointed GOD was something that would never ever happen! How incredibly wrong I was.
My very first confession was when I was going through TIPS (my parish's sacraments class for middle schoolers). The priest was kind but also a little impatient because of his multiple knee replacements making doing anything for long periods of time not very fun. He lead me through the steps and handed me a prayer card to help say my Act of Contrition. This entire process for me was absolutely terrifying! To walk up to a man (especially a priest) and just sit there and tell them all of my sins! That was unthinkable to me! But it makes so much sense now that i've had time to really think and pray about why we do this.
Last night I was in line for confession and had an epiphany, the reason God designed confession this way is because it is scary. How willing are you to do a sin when you know in the back of your mind you're going to have to walk up to a priest and tell them all the nitty gritty of your week? Chris Stefanik said something along the same line when he suggested that if we struggle with a particular sin, especially with purity, that we go to the same priest every time and go face-to-face. That way when you commit your sin you see that priests face and realize that you're going to have to tell him.
Now i'm not saying that God gave us confession to punish us and make us feel absolutely horrible every time we cuss. What i'm saying is that he gave us this beautiful sacrament to show us his mercy and to have a constant reminder of why he died on the cross for you. For if it were not for the cross we would not the option to truly get rid of the dirt that covers our soul when we realize that we've been rolling around in mud when we could have been running in the fields of the Lord.
Some of you may be thinking: "But why do we need to go to a priest? Why can't we just pray to God for forgiveness?". Well, I've found a pretty good answer to that in an amazing little book called YOUCAT (youth version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church). It says: "We rationalize our sins away and like to sweep things under the rug. This is why God wants us to tell our sins and to acknowledge them in a personal encounter. Therefore, the following words from the Gospel are true of priests: 'If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained'." (pg 134)
If you have any questions of comments on what i've said don't be afraid to e-mail or comment below!
God Bless,
Clara
My very first confession was when I was going through TIPS (my parish's sacraments class for middle schoolers). The priest was kind but also a little impatient because of his multiple knee replacements making doing anything for long periods of time not very fun. He lead me through the steps and handed me a prayer card to help say my Act of Contrition. This entire process for me was absolutely terrifying! To walk up to a man (especially a priest) and just sit there and tell them all of my sins! That was unthinkable to me! But it makes so much sense now that i've had time to really think and pray about why we do this.
Now i'm not saying that God gave us confession to punish us and make us feel absolutely horrible every time we cuss. What i'm saying is that he gave us this beautiful sacrament to show us his mercy and to have a constant reminder of why he died on the cross for you. For if it were not for the cross we would not the option to truly get rid of the dirt that covers our soul when we realize that we've been rolling around in mud when we could have been running in the fields of the Lord.
Some of you may be thinking: "But why do we need to go to a priest? Why can't we just pray to God for forgiveness?". Well, I've found a pretty good answer to that in an amazing little book called YOUCAT (youth version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church). It says: "We rationalize our sins away and like to sweep things under the rug. This is why God wants us to tell our sins and to acknowledge them in a personal encounter. Therefore, the following words from the Gospel are true of priests: 'If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained'." (pg 134)
If you have any questions of comments on what i've said don't be afraid to e-mail or comment below!
God Bless,
Clara
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