The following is taken from the Knights of Columbus website on ‘How to Make a
Good Confession’ (kofc.org). It is helpful to review this and to make thorough
good confessions not only now during Lent but frequently throughout the
year.
As followers of Jesus, we need to examine our lives and recognize our sinful
thoughts, words, deeds, and omissions so that we can bring them to God for
forgiveness. Such an examination of conscience should be done regularly, always
with trust in God’ mercy and love and in the power of the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. We all sin, but we do not all acknowledge our sins.
Sin is the deliberate violation of God’ law. Mortal sin is a
deliberate and free choice of something known to be seriously wrong that
destroys our friendship with God and separates us from him (cf. 1 Jn
5:16-17).All of the following three conditions must be met for a sin to be
mortal: (1) it must be something serious; (2) it must be done with sufficient
knowledge of its gravity; and (3) it must be done with sufficient freedom of the
will. Venial sin is a minor offense against God’s law that hurts our
relationship with God but does not destroy it.
1. I am the Lord your God. You shall not have strange gods before me.
Do I seek to love God with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength (Dt 6:5)?
Do I put anything or anyone above God? Do I pray daily? Have I had any
involvement with the occult, witchcraft, wicca, ouija boards, seances, tarot
cards, new age crystals, fortune telling, or the like? Have I put faith in
horoscopes? Have I received Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin? Have I abused the Sacrament of Penance by lying to the priest or
deliberately not confessing a mortal sin? ¦ Have I denied a truth of the faith
out of concern for the respect or opinion of others?
Have I used God's ’holy name irreverently? Have I blasphemed God, the Church, Mary, the saints, or sacred places or things?
Continued next week
Father Stanley
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