HOW TO MAKE YOUR CONFESSION?
Once you have completed your Examination Of Conscience, and you have told God that you are deeply sorry for your sins, enter the confessional box (or reconciliation room).
You may either:
- Kneel before the screen, or
- Sit so you can talk face to face to the priest.
You begin by saying these words (or similar ones.)
"I confess to Almighty God and to you, Father, that I have sinned. My last confession was ______________ weeks (months, years) ago."
You say one of the following:
"Since then, I do not recall committing any mortal sins."
Or
"Since then, I have committed mortal sins. They are..." (mention the sins, how many times they were committed and related circumstances.)
And then...
"My venial sins are..." (mention the sins and the number of times.)
Or
"I do not recall having committed any venial sins"
"For these and all the sins that I have committed during my life, I am deeply sorry." Then listen to the words of the priest. When invited to do so, make an Act Of Contrition.
Next,
- Listen to the priest's words of forgiveness (absolution), and
- Make the Sign of the Cross with the priest.
If the priest says, "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good,"
You answer,
"For His mercy endures forever."
Then you leave the confessional box (reconciliation room) and you say the penance that the priest gave you
ACT OF CONTRITION
O My God, I'm sorry for all my sins because they displease You, who are all good and deserving of Your love, with Your help I will sin no more.
PRAYER BEFORE CONFESSION
Receive my confession, O most loving and gracious Lord Jesus Christ, only hope for the salvation of my soul. Grant to me true contrition of soul, so that day and night I may by penance make satisfaction for my many sins. Savior of the world, O good Jesus, Who gave Yourself to the death of the Cross to save sinners, look upon me, most wretched of all sinners; have pity on me, and give me the light to know my sins, true sorrow for them, and a firm purpose of never committing them again.
O gracious Virgin Mary, Immaculate Mother of Jesus, I implore you to obtain for me by your powerful intercession these graces from your Divine Son.
St. Joseph, pray for me.
PRAYER AFTER CONFESSION
O almighty and most merciful God, I give You thanks with all the powers of my soul for this and all other mercies, graces, and blessings bestowed on me, and prostrating myself at Your sacred feet, I offer myself to be henceforth forever Yours. Let nothing
in life or death ever separate me from You! I renounce with my whole soul all my treasons against You, and all the abominations and sins of my past life. I renew my promises made in Baptism, and from this moment I dedicate myself eternally to Your love and service. Grant that for the time to come, I may detest sin more than death itself, and avoid all such occasions and companies as have unhappily brought me to it. This I resolve to do by the aid of Your divine grace, without which I can do nothing. Amen.
PRAYER FOR BEING SORRY FOR OUR SINS
O my God, I don't want to go to hell.
I know that because of my many sins I deserve to go there.
Help me get rid of my sins.
I don't want to lose my soul in everlasting torment,
without all happiness, banished from You forever.
Help me realize that I shall have to make up for my venial sins,
too, and that some of the punishment due to all sin,
even if we escape hell,
must be paid in purgatory.
Help me do some real penance to make up for my sins,
and get rid of part of my purgatory before I die.
O my God, now I see very clearly that I have not given You
the service that I owe You for so many reasons.
I have abused Your wonderful gifts,
using them to offend You who are so good and so lovable.
I sinned even in Your presence.
I saddened Your Heart at the very moment
when You were looking on me with perfect love.
I was so blind and ungrateful as to love creatures more than You, my creator,
who because You are infinitely good and lovable deserve all my love;
I preferred my own pleasure to doing Your will.
Pardon me, O my God,
for all the sins of my whole life.
I am sorry for them.
I hate them from the bottom of my heart because You hate them.
I beg of You, say to me, "Your sins are forgiven."
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