Frequent Confession
Do not be afraid of going to confession... Think of it as going for a bath. Let us not pretend, God knows how dirty we are, go for the plunge and clean up... The more we go the more cleaner we become.
Why Confession?
Why go to Confession, can't God just forgive us if we are sorry? Perhaps the best response is, how do we know if our sins we are forgiven. When we go to confession we know because the Priest forgives us...
If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." ~ John 20:23
Building the habit of frequent Confession
How can you develop a love for going to Confession? A simple was is do the First Saturday Devotion... It is only 1 confession a month for 5 months... But don't stop there, keep this devotion going.
Do this because of your love for Our Lady and for your soul. Once you do this regularly, you will really start to notice the difference; this forces you to think and realise all the stains you have gained in your life, some stains forgotten and some unnoticed to you until now. So you commit to having seriously dirty baths to having cleaner and cleaner baths; and no matter how clean you get, there will be always be more stains and more baths to take.
Breaking the habit of sinning through frequent Confession - Big and Small
When going to frequent Confessions you will be sick of becoming dirty with the same stain over and over, so you make conscious effort not to get that stain again in your bath! Work on the big stains, once you succeed with the big stains, start focusing on the little stains. This is where the frequent baths really help, you not only want to take regular baths, but you also want to take frequent baths because you will realise you really want your soul be clean all time and God really wants this too!
Again, if you start do the First Saturday Devotion where Confession is once a month and continue to do this, you will start to love doing fortnightly Confession, and if you really need to - weekly Confession. Do what you have to do, Just keep yourself clean.
Free from Attachment to Sin - Surrender yourself to God over sins.
If you want to break a habit of sinning you must make the decision to be free from that attachment to sin. If does not mean you are necessary from that sin, but you have no to desire to hold on to that sin.
For example if you make the decision to be free from getting drunk, and you accidentally get drunk, it is not the same as wanting to get drunk. You do not you have the desire to get drunk.
To be free from all attachments to sin is not easy... You have to make the conscious decision to surrender yourself to God over your attachment to sins. What does that really mean? It means to love God more than yourself. That after all is the first and greatest Commandment. Do not think that it is for the good of God, but rather it is truly for our good. God loves us so much more by His sacrifice for our salvation. That's true love.
Inspirational quotes on Confession:
Confession is the soul's bath. Even a clean and unoccupied room gathers dust; return after a week and you will see that it needs dusting again. ~ St. Padre Pio
"It is an excellent thing to go to confession often, because the sacrament of Penance, besides taking away sin, gives the graces necessary to avoid sin in the future." Catechism of St. Pius X
"The confession of evil works is the first beginning of Good works. ~ St. Augustine
Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever; and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow. ~ St. Augustine
"God created us without us: but he did not will to save us without us." 116 To receive his mercy, we must admit our faults. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." ~ Catechism of the Catholic Church
What to do for Confession
If information on what to do for confession please click here.
Why Confession?
Why go to Confession, can't God just forgive us if we are sorry? Perhaps the best response is, how do we know if our sins we are forgiven. When we go to confession we know because the Priest forgives us...
If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." ~ John 20:23
Building the habit of frequent Confession
How can you develop a love for going to Confession? A simple was is do the First Saturday Devotion... It is only 1 confession a month for 5 months... But don't stop there, keep this devotion going.
Do this because of your love for Our Lady and for your soul. Once you do this regularly, you will really start to notice the difference; this forces you to think and realise all the stains you have gained in your life, some stains forgotten and some unnoticed to you until now. So you commit to having seriously dirty baths to having cleaner and cleaner baths; and no matter how clean you get, there will be always be more stains and more baths to take.
Breaking the habit of sinning through frequent Confession - Big and Small
When going to frequent Confessions you will be sick of becoming dirty with the same stain over and over, so you make conscious effort not to get that stain again in your bath! Work on the big stains, once you succeed with the big stains, start focusing on the little stains. This is where the frequent baths really help, you not only want to take regular baths, but you also want to take frequent baths because you will realise you really want your soul be clean all time and God really wants this too!
Again, if you start do the First Saturday Devotion where Confession is once a month and continue to do this, you will start to love doing fortnightly Confession, and if you really need to - weekly Confession. Do what you have to do, Just keep yourself clean.
Free from Attachment to Sin - Surrender yourself to God over sins.
If you want to break a habit of sinning you must make the decision to be free from that attachment to sin. If does not mean you are necessary from that sin, but you have no to desire to hold on to that sin.
For example if you make the decision to be free from getting drunk, and you accidentally get drunk, it is not the same as wanting to get drunk. You do not you have the desire to get drunk.
To be free from all attachments to sin is not easy... You have to make the conscious decision to surrender yourself to God over your attachment to sins. What does that really mean? It means to love God more than yourself. That after all is the first and greatest Commandment. Do not think that it is for the good of God, but rather it is truly for our good. God loves us so much more by His sacrifice for our salvation. That's true love.
Inspirational quotes on Confession:
Confession is the soul's bath. Even a clean and unoccupied room gathers dust; return after a week and you will see that it needs dusting again. ~ St. Padre Pio
"It is an excellent thing to go to confession often, because the sacrament of Penance, besides taking away sin, gives the graces necessary to avoid sin in the future." Catechism of St. Pius X
"The confession of evil works is the first beginning of Good works. ~ St. Augustine
Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever; and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow. ~ St. Augustine
"God created us without us: but he did not will to save us without us." 116 To receive his mercy, we must admit our faults. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." ~ Catechism of the Catholic Church
What to do for Confession
If information on what to do for confession please click here.