The Sacrament of Confession
Are you there God? It's me, Rose.
Confession often gets a bad rap.
Why do I have to drag all my garbage out in the open and tell it to a priest? Haven’t I already been forgiven? Doesn’t God already know? Can’t I confess in my sins to Jesus in my heart and be done with it?
Yes . . . And also no.
In the spirit of Lent, I want to lean into the beauty of Confession; what it is, and why we do it.
Confession—also known as Penance—is one of the seven sacraments in the Catholic Church, all instituted by Jesus Christ. The other six are Baptism, Confirmation (or Chrismation), Eucharist, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.
A sacrament is a visible expression of an invisible fact. In the Sacrament of Confession, an ordained priest acts in persona Christi, in the actual person of Christ.
It’s not just a symbol, or a pantomime—it’s real.
When I go to Confession, Jesus is there, sitting in the confessional with me, giving me his listening ear.
I sit with a priest, separated by a screen, in the presence of Christ. I acknowledge my faults, failures, and willful transgressions. I own them and repent of them.
And I am forgiven.
Not in theory, not as a symbol, or a feeling. The forgiveness happens, no matter how I feel.
I converted to Catholicism nearly four years ago, and confession has been where I’ve felt God’s love the most. As a physical being, I need a physical act to draw and connect me to the eternal reality of God’s love.
So, when someone asks Why Confession? the answer is Love.
Real, tangible Love.
Confession isn’t for God, it’s for me.
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