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In Confession we receive Christ’s love, mercy, and forgiveness in a direct way. We need only approach the Confessional with a true sincerity of heart and sorrow for our sins and they will be forgiven. In confession, Christ does not apply limits or conditions to his mercy, rather, he forgives totally and unconditionally.
When we take part in the sacrament, the priest is not acting in his own person but in that of Christ. What is said to the priest in confession, is said not to the priest but to Christ himself. The priest is bound not to reveal anything that is said, and so it is possible to approach confession with a total trust.
We are bound to confess anything in confession which is a mortal sin, that is a sin we have committed which:
- Was a grave matter.
- Involved our full consent.
- We were fully aware of what we were doing.
If a sin does not meet these three tests, it is considered venial rather than mortal. A mortal sin is one which cuts us off from God, whereas a venial sin is one which only damages our relationship with God – however, venial sins in a sufficiently large number are still serious and still harm our relationship with God. Whilst we are required to confess any mortal sins we may have committed, we are not required to list every venial sin we may have committed, but we must still have sorrow for all of our sins.
In preparing for Confession it is good to take time and to make a full examination of conscience, a few good examples can be found here.