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The Sacrament of Penance (Confession)
"Open the doors of
the Church, and then the people will come in…if you keep the light on in the confessional and are available, then you
will see what kind of line there is for confession" -- Pope Francis
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Confessions are regularly heard at St. Joseph's Church, Troy,
NY each Saturday from 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM and each Sunday from 11:30 AM to 12 Noon.
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Confession Basics:
- Make the sign of the cross as you say, "Bless
me Father, for I have sinned, it has been (state how long since your last confession) since my last confession, and these
are my sins."
- Tell the Priest your sins.
- When you have finished confessing your
sins, say, "For these and all the sins of my past I am truly sorry." The Priest will give you a suitable penance, and he may
give you some advice.
- Make an act of contrition. "O my God,
I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee. I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because
they have offended Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace,
to confess my sins, to do penance, and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen."
- The Priest will say the prayer of absolution.
At the end of the prayer, say "Amen."
- The Priest will say, "Your sins are
forgiven, go in peace."
- Than say, "Thank you Father."
- Perform the penance you were assigned by the
Priest.
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From My Missal By Abbot Cabrol, O.
S. B.:
The Sacrament of Penance was instituted when our Lord breathed
on his apostles and said to them “Receive ye the Holy Ghost whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them and
whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. “ (St. John xx, 22-23.)
Original sin is removed by Baptism. Sins committed after Baptism, actual sins, are removed by the Sacrament of Penance. Besides—and
this is very important to remember—the Sacrament of Penance gives special grace to resist fresh temptations to sin.
The conditions required for receiving this Sacrament
1. The confession to the priest of all sins that can be called to
mind.
2. Contrition that is, sorrow for sin, because by it God has been offended,
a sorrow which includes a firm purpose of amendment.
3. Satisfaction that is, the due carrying out of the penance imposed.
In
order to make a good confession and obtain the grace of the Sacrament, the necessary condition is a careful examination of
conscience, which may be made by taking the Ten Commandments and the Commandments of the Church, and applying them to the
special duties of our state of life, It is not, however, always necessary to go through all the Commandments in detail.
This examination, by showing where the penitent has failed in the
service of God, should lead to true contrition for sin, which is the most important of all the conditions for receiving the
grace of the Sacrament.
It is not strictly of obligation to confess venial sins,
but those who are striving earnestly and faithfully to serve God, will not fail to do so. Such sins however may also be removed
by the use of sacramentals—the taking of holy water; making the sign of the cross; reciting the Our Father; invoking the holy Name of Jesus; praying in a consecrated church, or using blessed objects; but above
all by assisting at Mass and receiving holy Communion.
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Links:
Confession is available Monday through Friday at various times and Saturday
from 10:30 AM to 12:00 noon and 12:40 PM to 3:45 PM at St. Francis Chapel at Wolf Road Shoppers Park on Wolf Road in Colonie, NY. For more information
call 518-518-459-2854. Confession is also available FOLLOWING each 12:15 PM Mass Monday-Friday at St. Joseph's Church
in downtown Schenectady.
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During a meeting in October 2005 with 100,000 children who were about to receive
First Communion a little girl asked Pope Benedict XVI why it is necessary to confess before receiving Communion, if our sins are always the same. Smiling at her question, Benedict
XVI answered: "It is true that our sins are always the same. Yet do we not clean our house, our room, at least once a week,
though the dirt is always the same? If we do not, we run the risk of the dirt accumulating, though we may not see it. The
same is true of our souls. If we never confess, our souls are overlooked. I may be pleased with myself, yet I do not understand
that I have to improve constantly in order to progress. Confession helps us to have a more open conscience and thus to mature
in a spiritual and human way." ______________________________________________________________
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As a means of regaining grace and justice, penance was at all times necessary for those who had defiled their souls with any mortal sin. . . . Before the coming of Christ, penance was not
a sacrament, nor is it since His coming a sacrament for those who are not baptized. But the Lord then principally instituted
the Sacrament of Penance, when, being raised from the dead, he breathed upon His disciples saying: 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost.
Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained' (John, xx, 22-23).
By which action so signal and words so clear the consent of all the Fathers
has ever understood that the power of forgiving and retaining sins was communicated to the Apostles and to their lawful successors,
for the reconciling of the faithful who have fallen after Baptism. (Sess. XIV, c. i)
—The Council of Trent
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