Confession is a sacrament in the Catholic Church where a person confesses their sins to a priest and receives absolution. To prepare for confession, one should set aside some quiet time for reflection and pray to the Holy Spirit for help in making a good examination of conscience. The following are some examples of sins that can be confessed:
- Disobeyed the commandments of God or the Church
- Betrayed anothers confidence through speech
- Failed to speak out in defense of the Catholic Faith, the Church, or of another person
- Abortion, adultery, all use of illegal drugs, any dealing with the occult, artificial birth control, blasphemy, reckless driving that endangers you, passengers, or others, rudeness, selfishness, stealing, superstition, unjustified anger, using others for your own personal gain, watching or looking at pornographic material, and sins of omission
- Jealousy, envy, greed, selfishness, and materialism
- Rebellion, sloth, fear, unforgiveness, laziness, wickedness, witchcraft, false teaching, swearing, blasphemy, and knowing to do good but refusing to do it
It is important to remember that there is no exact guide for what one should confess, and the best guide is ones conscience. When confessing, one can choose to go anonymously behind a screen or face to face with the priest. After the priest greets you in the name of Christ, make the sign of the cross and say "Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been (state how long) since my last confession. These are my sins". Tell your sins simply and honestly to the priest, and listen to the advice and accept the penance given by the priest. Then make an Act of Contrition for your sins.
