Confession

Video: Come back to Confession

In this video, Father Tony Corr (Newry Cathedral Parish) answers your questions about the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (Confession) and explains why you should come back.

Video: Confession – Sacrament of Mercy

A message from Father Damien Nejad about the transformative power of the Sacrament of Confession (Reconciliation) and how you are missing out on something vital if you don’t make use of it. He warmly invites you to come back to Confession to experience God’s Grace, Love and Mercy.

Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation

Confession liberates us from sins that trouble our hearts and makes it possible to be reconciled to God and others. We are asked to look into our souls and, with an honest and unblinking gaze, identify our sins. This preparation opens our minds and hearts to God, moves us toward communion with the Church and offers us a new future.

In confession, by naming our sins before the priest, who represents Christ, we face our failings more honestly and accept responsibility for our sins. It is also in confession that a priest and penitent can work together to find the direction needed for the penitent to grow spiritually and to avoid sin in the future (cf.CCC, nos. 1455, 1456).

The Sacrament of Penance is an experience of the gift of God’s boundless mercy. Not only does it free us from our sins but it also challenges us to have the same kind of compassion and forgiveness for those who sin against us.

A Short Act of Contrition

O my God, I thank you for loving me.

I am sorry for all my sins, for not loving others and not loving you.

Help me to live like Jesus and not sin again.

Amen.

Source: (The Alive-O Programme, Dublin: Veritas Publications, 1996-2004) Further reading: Chapter 18 (pp. 263 – 278) Irish Catholic Catechism for Adults Copyright © Irish Episcopal Conference 2014