Read

Why Confession is Always Worth It

Creator:
Published:
January 30, 2024
April 15, 2019
Why go to confession? This author made his first confession at 25. Read why he thinks it's worth it every time.|Why go to confession? This author made his first confession at 25. Read why he thinks it's worth it every time.

If you’ve ever been hospitalized, you know the indignities of the hospital gown. It’s flimsy and open at the back, which means it’s pretty tough to retain any sense of decency or decorum.

It’s all by design, of course, because clinicians — nurses, doctors, surgeons — require ready access to our anatomy in order to assess, diagnose, and treat our physical problems. Upon admission, we might balk at disrobing and then donning the revealing wrap, but if we expect our caregivers to do their job — facilitating our healing and wholeness — it’s in our best interests to bare our bodies to them.

I can’t think of a better analogy for what it was like for me to go to confession for the first time when I was 25. I learned that the only way to heal is to open things up to let fresh air and light in, to shed our guard and expose to God (through the priest) what ails our souls. As St. Jerome explained, “The medicine cannot heal what it does not know.” The Lord wants to heal us, but it’s up to us to show him where it hurts.

I made my first confession during Holy Week and I was terrified. I was in Chicago took the “L” downtown to St. Peter’s in the Loop. All the way there, I mulled over my quarter-century of moral gaffes and lapses, trying to organize them in my mind so that I could tick them off for the priest in an orderly fashion.

Plus, I kept checking my cheat-sheet with the prayers on it: “Bless me, father, for I have sinned,” it read. “This is my first confession.” (Should I tell him how old I am? Should I tell him I’m joining the Church? Will he figure that out?) After the priest offered the prayer of absolution, there’d be an Act of Contrition: “O my God, I’m heartily sorry for having offended you… (What if I forget something? Will it count if I don’t mention all my sins?)… I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to sin no more….” (How firm does that resolve have to be? What if I blow this — can I still join the Church?)

None of that mattered, of course — what a relief. When I sat across from Father Robert, I barely got out the “Bless me” part before I started blubbering. He was patient and kind, and he gave me time to collect myself before urging me on. What I’d hoped would be a structured recitation of rebellion turned into a sprawling mess of false starts, awkward pauses, and blurts.

Mercifully, Father Robert put me at my ease. “Just tell what you’re sorry for,” he said. “Do the best you can.” Truly, he echoed the voice of Jesus, which is the whole idea. The priest is a sacramental stand-in for our saving Lord, a “sign and instrument of God’s merciful love for the sinner,” in the words of the Catechism.

There is no better time to make a confession than during Holy Week, especially if you haven’t been in a while. This is the culmination of our Lenten journey, and even if you haven’t been walking that path, your Easter will be just that much richer for it. This is a time when the Church touches the deepest, most fundamental mystery of faith — Jesus’ saving death and resurrection. It’s never too late to take a step toward that mystery and away from anything holding you back from the person you were created to be.

You might recoil from the idea because you’re afraid of doing it wrong. Or perhaps you’re reluctant to expose all your wounds. Go anyway. If you know you’re sorry for things in your past, and you’re committed to avoiding those same things in the future, then you’re ready. Don’t worry about the mechanics; don’t fret about leaving stuff out. Think of it as another first confession. Come clean, as best you can, and allow the medicine of grace to heal your whole life.

You won’t regret it.

Creators:
Rick Becker
Published:
January 30, 2024
April 15, 2019
On a related note...
The Writings of This Mystic Changed How I See God

The Writings of This Mystic Changed How I See God

Catherine Sullivan

St. Anthony the Abbot Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

St. Anthony the Abbot Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Grotto

How I Made Friends When I Came Back to Church

How I Made Friends When I Came Back to Church

Emily Mae Mentock

Free Download: A 9-Minute, 29-Second Prayer for Racial Justice

Free Download: A 9-Minute, 29-Second Prayer for Racial Justice

Grotto

3 Reasons I Secretly Love Going to Confession

3 Reasons I Secretly Love Going to Confession

Sophie Caldecott

What a Near-Collision Taught Me About Life

What a Near-Collision Taught Me About Life

Erin Spruit

3 Things to Consider Before Entering Grad School

3 Things to Consider Before Entering Grad School

Molly Gettinger

4 Lessons I Learned from Rock Climbing

4 Lessons I Learned from Rock Climbing

Tanner Kalina

The Benefits of Waiting During the Holiday Season

The Benefits of Waiting During the Holiday Season

Ben Wilson

5 Saint-Inspired Cocktails to Celebrate Their Feast Days

5 Saint-Inspired Cocktails to Celebrate Their Feast Days

Maria Walley

Sharing Love Through Her Pottery

Sharing Love Through Her Pottery

Grotto

A Cigarette at Midnight: Lenten Thoughts on Desire

A Cigarette at Midnight: Lenten Thoughts on Desire

Nicole Watt

5 Ways to Find Direction in Your Life

5 Ways to Find Direction in Your Life

Dan Masterton

Why Mass During Holy Week is Anything but ‘Boring'

Why Mass During Holy Week is Anything but ‘Boring'

Ben Wilson

What It Means to be a Catholic Feminist

What It Means to be a Catholic Feminist

Mariah Cressy

Why I Spent a Month at a Monastery After Graduation

Why I Spent a Month at a Monastery After Graduation

Kate Fowler

Good and Decent EP 17: Finding Forgiveness

Good and Decent EP 17: Finding Forgiveness

Grotto

What to Do to Stick with Lent for All 40 Days

What to Do to Stick with Lent for All 40 Days

Ben Wilson

St. John Bosco Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

St. John Bosco Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Grotto

Lenten Bundle: What You Need for the Next 40 Days

Lenten Bundle: What You Need for the Next 40 Days

Grotto

newsletter

We’d love to be pals.

Sign up for our newsletter, and we’ll meet you in your inbox each week.