ACTS OF THE PENITENT - CONTRITION AND CONFESSION
Lesson 19 of THE SUPERNATURAL LIFE- Editorial Luis Vives
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Part I of the translation
[One of the 5 precepts of the Church is to confess and receive Communion at least once a year for Easter, in total these are 5: 1º To hear Mass in its entirety every Sunday and holy days, 2º To fast and keep abstinence from meat when the Church commands it, 3º To confess and receive communion at least once a year for Easter and when there expects to be danger of death. 4º To contribute to the support of the Church, 5º Not to contract marriages contrary to the laws of the Church].
226. Examination of conscience: To examine one's conscience is to remember all mortal sins committed since the last confession well made. This examination should extend especially to all grave sins not yet confessed or badly confessed [grave sins should be named one by one and the number of times they have been committed should be confessed, but if the number is not remembered, at least the period of time in which they were committed should be confessed]. It may also embrace venial sins and minor faults, even if it is not obligatory to confess them.
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227. How to make the examination: First of all, it is convenient and necessary to begin by asking God for sufficient light to see as clearly as possible the present state of the soul. After that, one will go through the commandments of the law of God and of the Church; the obligations of one's state and the capital sins, remembering the places where one has been, the occupations one has had, and one's relations with others.
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If the penitent is a frequent confessor, the examination will be easy for him, especially if he is in the habit of making a review or examination every night of the faults committed during the day. In this case, it is enough for him to review the thoughts, desires, words, deeds and omissions of the week; the friends and persons with whom he has had dealings.
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Those who do not confess frecuently, it is good for them to go through the Commandments, one after the other, the capital sins, etc., as we have already indicated. In general, it is necessary to try to determine the kind of mortal sins, their exact or approximate number, or at least the frequency with which they are usually committed, as well as the circumstances that can aggravate them.
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It is important to look at the dominant passion or defect and the occasions or dangers that one has of sinning.
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With regard to venial sins, since there is no obligation to confess them, it is not necessary to seek to know all of them; it is convenient to accuse especially the most notable ones, those that are committed more frequently or that lead more easily to commit serious sins.
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228. Obligation of Examination: The examination of conscience is not an essential part of the Sacrament, but since it obliges one to confess all mortal sins with their aggravating or extenuating circumstances, hence the obligation to make the examination of conscience beforehand with the diligence and care that one would put into a serious matter, unless one remembers all the grave sins he has committed.
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[There is a drawing of the prodigal son kneeling down and the father running towards him and there is a throne with angels above it as if welcoming him, and it has written underneath:] God forgives every repentant sinner [remember that there are sins that cannot be forgiven by a priest but only by the bishop] - The father saw his prodigal son while he was still far away and, feeling sorry for him, he ran to him and threw himself on his neck and covered him with kisses. The son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against you; and I am not worthy to be called your son." But the father said to his servants, "Bring quickly the richest robe..." (Luke, XV, 20-22)
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The examination of conscience is not always equally necessary, because it may well happen that the sins committed are very present, either because one is a God-fearing soul, or because of the remorse that the guilt brings with it.
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In the examination there are two extremes: an excessive preoccupation or diligence and a superficial inquiry or review.
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229. Of Contrition: Once mortal sins are known, it is very important to exercise oneself in two transcendental things, which are: sorrow for having offended God, and the purpose of amendment. Both things together form what is called contrition. [Remember: a confession without purpose of amendment is badly done.]
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Contrition is, then, the abhorrence of the sins committed and the pain of the soul for having offended God, together with the purpose of confession and the firm resolution to sin no more.
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Here it is convenient to note the two conditions that repentance or sorrow requires, in order for it to produce its effects, namely: the resolution to confess and the firm resolution not to sin again.
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It can also be seen that in contrition three tenses come together: past, present and future. The past, with the repentance of the act; the present, with the abhorrence of sin; and the future, with the purpose of amendment.
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230. Kinds of sorrow for sins: There are two kinds of sorrow for sins: one perfect, properly called contrition, and the other imperfect or attrition. The two are essentially distinct in the motive which produces them and in their effects.
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Perfect contrition is that which is born of the special love that the soul has for God because He is who He is, most good, and because sin offends Him greatly. Whereas in attrition the motives of detestation and repentance, although supernatural, are born of fear, such as: the fear of hell, the loss of Heaven, the ugliness or baseness of the sin, etc.
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To these motives is added a certain degree of love of God, with which the sorrow becomes apt to receive the effects of the Sacrament. It is necessary not to confuse attrition with the so-called "pure servile fear" which is not valid for Confession.
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Confession looks at God as a good, kind, holy and most worthy father to be loved above all things, and with this consideration they are very sorry to have displeased him. Attrition, on the other hand, regards him principally as a just judge and fears his punishments.
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231. Effects of sorrow for sins: As to the effects, the difference is most essential, for contrition, accompanied by the desire or purpose of confession, erases all sins, which should be kept in mind in case of mortal accident or grave danger of death, while attrition has no efficacy to erase sins if it is not united to confession.
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For the validity of confession it is indispensable to have even this imperfect sorrow: but it is much better and safer to confess moved by perfect contrition.
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It is an excellent practice to make frequently the act of perfect contrition, especially at night before going to sleep and when some danger of death threatens. It is indispensable for dying persons guilty of grave sins who, through no fault of their own, cannot confess. It is very useful to do it before Communion for the faults that may have been committed.
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232. Necessity of contrition: Contrition of sins is a most essential part of Penance. Sorrow for sins and the resolution of amendment are absolutely indispensable for God to return his friendship to the sinner; without these two things God cannot forgive any sin, mortal or venial.
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[Remember and teach that there was no forgiveness of sins if there was no purpose of amendment]
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In case of physical or moral impossibility, one may be dispensed from confession by mouth and satisfaction by deed, but from contrition or sorrow (1) nobody can be dispensed.
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(1) A case: An epidemic was wreaking terrible havoc in the Eskimo mission of Lake Pelican (Canada). The missionary did not give himself a moment's rest, going from one place to another, distributing medicines and giving the last sacraments to the most. The whole village was a hospital.
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From another camp, 100 km. away, messengers came to him, begging him to go, because many people were dying and there was no priest. What to do? The main village was demanding his care and everyone begged him not to leave. He had no choice but to stay. But as soon as the scourge began to decrease, he ran to the other village, where he was presented with a terrible sight: in all the huts, dead and dying. In one place, eleven corpses were lying on mats, stiff with death and ice.
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He approaches, and about to kneel down to pray for them, he notices with surprise that they all have in their hands a folded birch leaf (the paper there). Is it some superstition that they have fallen back into? He picks up one of those leaves and reads on the outside: "Only the father can open it..." He opens it, and his joy reaches its peak when he sees the faith of these poor people. With trembling hands and with the last of their strength, they had written their confession, thus testifying to the contrition of their hearts.
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And the missionary's eyes burst into tears, reading: "This is my confession... Please, Father, pray a Mass for the repose of my soul... In payment I leave you a sable skin, a beaver skin..."
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It was the case of saying: "the last here, will be the first there".
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233. Why the sorrow of sins is necessary: Impenitent sin and the friendship of God are incompatible. God and sin are two opposite poles, and irreconcilable.
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Man by grievously offending God turns away from the Creator to cleave to the creature. As long as the sinner persists in this evil will, God cannot forgive him, for a gulf separates them. For God to forgive him, man must begin by turning away from the creature and converting to Him, for which he needs to do two indispensable things: repent and propose amendment sincerely [that is, propose the steps to follow to turn away from the occasions of sin], that is, he needs the two elements that constitute contrition. From this we can deduce the indispensable necessity of this first act of the penitent.
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234. Qualities of sorrow: For the confession to be valid, it is necessary that the sorrow or regret of having offended God have these four qualities: that it be internal, supernatural, supreme, and universal.
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For the pain to be true, it must be internal, that is to say, it must come from the heart, from the inmost depths of the soul, and it must not be a matter of mere words, superficial or the product of the imagination, because, the heart having sinned, it is the heart that must repent. It is useless for the lips to pronounce the act of contrition if the words are not accompanied by the affection of the heart and the feeling of the will. It is not necessary that this regret be sensible; an act of the will suffices, grieving for what has been done, just as the sin was also rooted in it.
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Secondly, for sorrow to have the efficacy of obtaining God's forgiveness, it must be supernatural, that is, it must be founded on motives of faith or that refer to God, for example: love of Jesus, the goodness of God, fear of hell or purgatory, etc. Thus a motive of shame for having been discovered, a disgrace or other human motives would not suffice.
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In the third place, the sorrow has to be supreme, as far as appreciation is concerned. It is necessary to grieve for sins with greater sorrow than all the evils and misfortunes of the world could cause us, because sin is the supreme evil, the evil of God, while all the misfortunes and material evils that can come to us are nothing more than evils of the creature (2). The more intense it is, the more temporal punisment is forgiven in confession.
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(2) In the life of St. Isaac Jogues, J.F., we read the following example of a Canadian Indian of the Huron tribe, named Charles Tsondatsaa; I fear less the fire of hell than sin, he said to his friends who instigated him to return to his past pagan deviations.
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After a hard day's work he was invited to take a steam bath. It did not take long for it to become excessively hot until it was a torment to him because of the asphyxia it caused him. At this, he cried out, saying that if the heat increased he would drown. But the author of this infernal invention wants to force him to pronounce three words in favor of his familiar demon to drive away an evil spell that - according to a dream - threatens him. "Lend me this service," he tells him, "and I will deliver you from torment.
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Carlos, seeing that they want to take from him by force what he does not want by being asked, answers him resolutely: "Comrade, the fire of hell is hotter than this one. I would be crazy if to avoid the lesser one, I were to throw myself into the greater one. If you want you can kill me, but you will not get from me an impious word. I have no tongue to commit sin... I do not fear men not even my countrymen nor the French nor the Iroquois, but I fear God, whose eye sees into the depths of consciences."
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In the meantime, the heat grew more and more intense, but Carlos did not lose heart. His voice, growing weaker and weaker, announced his approaching end, when the accomplices of the crime took pity on Carlos and forced the author of this cruelty to cease tormenting him. Charles was already almost lifeless; however, he managed to come to his senses and, out of vengeance, he sent his executioner a look full of meekness, saying: "You have killed me, but you have not made me sin". He lived a long time, continuing to edify Christians and pagans.
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Finally, sorrow must be universal, that is, it must extend to all mortal sins, known or unknown, and if it is a question of venial sins, it must include those that are to be confessed, or at least some of them. It is fitting for the soul, moreover, that contrition should extend to all sins committed in life.
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It is necessary that this sorrow be in relation to the sacrament and at least prior to the moment of receiving absolution.
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235. Purpose of amendment: The purpose of amendment is a firm resolution not to offend God and to flee from the occasions of sin.
In order to return to the grace of God, it is not enough that the sinner repent of having sinned; it is necessary, moreover, and very necessary, that he sincerely propose to do everything possible to amend himself and not to sin again.
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Judas repented of his treason, but did not manifest a desire to amend, but went to hang himself. Peter sinned, repented, and so as not to fall again, he withdrew to the upper room, and the Lord forgave him his threefold denial.
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[cenacle: room in which Jesus Christ celebrated the last supper. Be clear that St. Peter never betrayed Jesus, he only denied him. To betray is to change from being someone's friend to being someone's enemy]
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What man will forgive and befriend someone whom he knows for certain that he will betray him at the first opportunity? Neither does the Lord accept the friendship of the man who is as ready as ever to offend him grievously.
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In order to return to the friendship of God, it is not necessary for the sinner to be certain that he will not sin again; it is enough that he be resolved to take the necessary means to avoid sin.
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If one has committed a sin by going to such and such a place or frequenting such and such a company, it is not enough for him to say, "I do not want to do that any more." He must be determined to avoid that occasion that made him sin.
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236. Qualities of the resolution: The resolution of amendment, an essential part of contrition, must be firm, efficacious, and universal.
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That the resolution must be firm means that it must be translated into a present deliberate act of the will even if there is no certainty of future amendment.
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It must also be efficacious, that is, there must be a sincere will to fulfill what the confessor advises, and to employ the necessary means to carry out what is proposed.
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Both the purpose and the repentance must include all mortal sins (as we have already said in speaking of the sorrow of sins), that is, they must be universal. If one has only venial sins, in order for the confession to be valid, the effective purpose of avoiding some special sins, especially deliberate ones, is sufficient.
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The resolution must be well determined and deal with the practical and concrete means to be taken to avoid relapse: I will not go to such and such a place; I will not engage in such and such a conversation contrary to charity; I will avoid such and such a company; etc.
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237. Signs of true contrition: The following are signs of true contrition:
1º The persevering effort to uproot the bad habits contracted.
2. faithfully putting into practice the advice of the confessor.
3º The effort and care to avoid the occasions of sinning. Likewise, in order not to commit sins, it is necessary to flee from occasions.
4º The change of life after confession.
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238. Confession: The second essential act of the penitent is confession. Sacramental confession, or confession of the mouth, is the accusation of one's sins to a competent priest, in order to receive absolution and with the intention of doing penance.
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Confession by mouth is a true trial in which the accused accuses himself of his crimes or sins before the judge who is the priest representative of Jesus Christ, who, sitting on his tribunal, having heard the confession of the sinner, and witnessing his repentance, absolves him in the name of God, and by way of punishment, or by way of satisfaction, imposes on him a small penance.
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The obligation to confess sins was implicitly imposed by Jesus Christ himself in instituting the Sacrament of Penance, since the confessor can neither know them nor forgive them without the penitent declaring and accusing them to him.
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239. Conditions of a good confession: A confession will be good if it is: humble, sorrowful, sincere, vocal, integral, discreet and brief.
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Of these conditions there are three principal ones, namely, that it be sincere or truthful, vocal, and integral or entire.
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240. Doubtful sins: Not all sins can be distinguished with clairvoyant certainty; sometimes the conscience remains perplexed and doubtful. Three kinds of doubts can arise about sins: 1st, whether one sinned or not; 2nd, whether the sin committed was grave or light; 3rd, whether any sin committed was confessed or not.
Given the different states of conscience, what is advised as safer is to confess doubtful sins as doubtful.
In practice, moralists give the following norms:
1º Penitents of lax conscience should declare them by manifesting the doubt they have.
2º The ignorant and rude must do the same when they doubt if it was a grave or light sin.
3º It is also convenient to manifest the doubt in case it is a question of whether a sin was confessed or not.
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241. Other special cases.
1º To the penitent who, after examining himself diligently and carefully, confesses, with due conditions, and repents of all his known and unknown sins, all sins of which he does not remember in confession are indirectly forgiven. If afterwards he remembers some mortal sin, he can receive communion without a new confession because that sin is forgiven. It is enough that he accuses it in the next confession he makes. Let it be borne in mind that this accusation is obligatory and grave.
2. He who voluntarily, out of malice or shame, conceals some mortal sin in confession commits a grave sacrilege, and no sin is forgiven him because that confession was bad. He is left with the grave obligation to repeat his confession, accusing, in addition to the sin or sins concealed, the sacrilege committed.
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242. General confession: To repair bad or simply doubtful confessions, and at the same time to recover perfect tranquility of conscience, a good remedy is the general confession of one's whole life or part of it, for example, since the last confession well made, or using a notable event, such as an anniversary, a mission, etc.
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243. Absolution: When the accusation of sins is finished, if the minister of the Lord judges that the penitent has the proper dispositions, he gives him absolution.
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Sacramental absolution is the sentence of pardon which the confessor, as judge, pronounces in the name of Jesus Christ and by virtue of which the penitent's sins are forgiven, provided he receives it with the proper dispositions.
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Absolution is the form of the sacrament; its principal part is the following words: I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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While the confessor gives absolution, the penitent performs the act of contrition, renewing at the same time his sorrow and the resolution to make amends, with God's favor.
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Absolution can forgive all sins, whatever their gravity and number. In danger of death, any priest can absolve any penitent from any sin, however grave, even those reserved to the pope or bishop.
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244. Practical teaching: The Christian soul looks upon this sacrament with a great spirit of faith. He knows very well that it is God whom he has offended and not the confessor; therefore, when he goes to prostrate himself before the confessor to confess, he approaches him as one who is going to present himself before God personally to humbly declare to Him his weaknesses and falls in imploring forgiveness.
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Prepare yourself for this act as well as possible, beginning by first asking for the light of the Holy Spirit and the protection of the Blessed Virgin, in order to examine your conscience properly and to see clearly the state of your conscience.
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[Note that we are not asking the Holy Spirit to come directly over us, but to enlighten us. Remember that we cannot ask him directly to come, we ask God the Father to send Him, be faithful to the Gospels].
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Once the examination is finished, he provokes appropriate considerations (sanctity and goodness of God, passion of Jesus, his own degradation, hell, purgatory, etc.) to the pain and detestation of all his sins, in confirmation of which he proposes to do everything possible to avoid them at all costs, aided by grace.
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In this state of contrition, he approaches the confessor with complete confidence and without any qualms, since for him the priest is Jesus Christ or visible God, and he also knows that he will keep absolute secrecy about what he discovers.
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With all sincerity he declares to him his faults and sins, remembering that it is to God Himself that he confesses, as he has said at the beginning or before coming to the confessional: "I, a sinner, confess to Almighty God,..." And since he knows that God knows perfectly well what he has done and that he cannot deceive him, he is not ashamed to accuse with humility and simplicity all the sins and faults that he remembers and such as his conscience shows him.
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If any temptation of shame comes to him, he thinks that it is better to pass it before one in secret than before everyone at the final judgment. He is grateful for the advice of his confessor, and so that the latter may know him better and his advice may be more useful to him, he should try to change priests as little as possible. Having finished the confession after receiving the absolution very contrite, he withdraws with recollection, begins by giving thanks to God for the favor that he has just granted him and fulfills the penance with fervor and with the spirit of reparation.
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Keeping in mind the precious effects of the sacrament, he holds it in great esteem and tries to approach frequently this holy tribunal, in which the conscience acquires ever greater rectitude and delicacy, and the soul greater esteem for the divine life.
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READING
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Qualities of a good confession
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Confession will be humble if the accusation is made simply, without haughtiness of mind or expression, and on one's knees as a penitent, except in case of sickness or for other reasonable cause.
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A sincere or truthful faithful confession is made by one who declares his sins as they are according to his conscience, without excusing them or diminishing or increasing them, declaring the certain ones as such and the doubtful ones as doubtful, as well as the aggravating circumstances and the relapses.
The confession must ordinarily be vocal, that is to say, made in words unless there is an impediment. Sometimes it can be made in writing, which is read by the penitent himself. And it must be brief, that is to say, without adding useless complements or stories to the accusation of sin.
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The confession must be discreet or prudent, using delicate and modest terms in the accusation of certain sins, for example the dishonest ones, and without ever uncovering anyone.
[This does not mean that confession covers up, for example, pedophiles since in the exhortation after the accusation, the priest will tell him what legal means he should do or to which person to turn for justice, the priest is simply not the judge of the other person who is not confessing.]
The confession will be painful, if the internal regret of having offended God is manifested outwardly.
The confession will be integral or entire, if all the mortal sins not confessed or not directly forgiven are declared with their number, their species and the circumstances that change the species and add new malice.
Except in exceptional cases, confession is secret. [THIS APPEARS AS ADDED BY ONE WORLD PLANNERS BECAUSE CONFESSION IS ALWAYS SECRET, ONLY WHEN THE SIN HAS BEEN PUBLIC IT IS REPARATION WHAT MUST BE PUBLIC]