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The Healing Power of Confession By TOM DENNEHY
Confession is one of the greatest sacraments the Church has given us and it is a shame that in todays world, we fail to avail of it. We have lost our sense of sin in a world where we can explain our sins away and let our sinful pride deceive us. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” 1. John 1;8. On Holy Thursday night, Jesus spoke these words at the Last Supper when he said, “This is My blood of the New and Eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins”. He made the ultimate sacrifice on the following day, Good Friday, by his death on the cross when he conquered sin and death and rose from the dead on Easter Sunday morning. On that very day, when He appeared to The Apostles and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit! Those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; those whose sins you retain, they are retained.” John 20;23. He could not give us this gift of confession until he had carried out what he had been sent to do by His Father to make atonement for our sins. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” John 3;16. Confession is one of the seven sacraments of our Catholic faith. Our sins will be forgiven provided we are truly sorry. But the real significance is that it is one of the great channels through which sanctifying grace is poured in to our souls. This grace is so important to help us lead a good life and set us on the road to eternal life.
Issue 61 April 8, 2022
In Confession, there is no judgement and no condemnation. We have the wonderful opportunity to be washed clean of all our sins and all our worries and anxieties. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be washed as white as snow” Isaiah 1;18. We live in very uncertain times and we do not know when we will be called to go before the judgement throne of God. We will be judged on the ten commandments, and we will be shown all the sins we have committed and their consequences. We have the opportunity during Easter to avail of Confession during a special night arranged in all the parishes for Easter Confession. Sadly, this did not take place in the last three years due to Covid 19. Take some time out to reflect on your life and examine your conscience by referring to the ten commandments. They have not gone away. They are cast in stone. Jesus did not change any of them. In fact, he added two more, love God and love your neighbour as yourself. You can google “examination of conscience” or you can refer to Catechism of the Catholic Church 2052 to 2557. Confession is a healing
sacrament, and all healing begins in the soul. When we are healed in the soul, we are then healed in mind and body. After you have confessed your sins, mention any hurt you find hard to forgive, any illness: physical, emotional, or spiritual you wish the Lord to heal for you. The Gospel message is to repent and believe the good news. Put this in to action this Lent by having a good confession and be washed clean just like the day you were baptised. Unburden yourself and remove any obstacle that is blocking the flow of sanctifying grace in to your soul. Jesus is the wonder counsellor. “Come to me all who are heavily burdened and I will give you rest “ Matthew 11;28 God our Father is there waiting to embrace us and pour out his love and mercy upon us.
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