“Confession is oftentimes thought of as the only means to partake in the Sacrament of Penance. True, it is one of the acts important to and evident in the Sacrament of Penance, but we must look at Confession strictly on its own merit in each of our lives, its benefits to our Soul, and its beneficial aspects on our piety, our living our Faith in God in a more fruitful manner with the Goal of Sainthood as the result of our devotion to Confession, and our strength in purification that comes through perfection in our Confession.
Confessing one’s sins can become so automatic that the true meaning of the sin becomes secondary to the offensiveness of the sin. In practicing the habit of going to Confession to a Priest has benefits beyond human understanding because of the Sacrament of Penance involved, the humility it takes to confess in this manner.
There is also another form of Confession that has tremendous impact on our Spiritual growth, and this is a consistent and constant form, format and formula to each day: examine one’s own actions, thoughts, words and deeds, in reference and in accordance with God’s Ten Commandments. If this can become a form of prayer to be practiced at least once a day, better if twice a day, one can find a repetitiveness in offenses that can be corrected when they are recognized in the true sense of their practice.
Going to Confession to a Priest once a week, once every two weeks, once a month, should never be eliminated, but it is really too infrequent because of the nature of human nature and the personality of the individual.
Unless one sees constantly that a habit has been formed that is offensive to God’s Will, one tends to dismiss it as natural habit, natural to man’s environment and association with other people; but, if one, in examining their conscience daily or twice daily, admits to themselves that unkindnesses, big or small, a lack of respect to another human being, or to God’s House in any way, is probably offensive to God, then a continuous, a constant reminder that this offense must cease, is surely the first step to true piety and to Sainthood.
Infrequent observance of God’s Ten Commandments, and infrequent consideration regarding one’s own flaws in behavior, can delay one’s Sainthood. Perhaps the best words to use regarding what was just said could be summed up like this: Sometimes the greatest lessons in the world have been taught so simply, bearing such sound logic that they cannot be misunderstood, and they should be looked at and looked into for the beauty that is in the true meaning for the good of one’s own Soul.
Remember, reviewing one’s own actions, thoughts, words and deeds, asking God’s forgiveness for any offenses against Him, always remembering that God is The Absolute, and that it is God Who gives The Absolution, should alert everyone to how important it is to keep in this close contact daily with God so He will know our true intentions, and He, in His Love for us, will give us the strength to conquer our offenses.”
