We should prepare ourselves for Christmas by making room for the Lord in our hearts. We can clear away the clutter of sin with Confession. Listen to my homily to learn more!
Readings: Is 40:1-5, 9-11; Ps 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14 [8]; 2 Pt 3:8-14; Mk 1:1-8
Key Themes: Confession
Some resources to help prepare you for Confession:
Preparation for Confession
A great way to prepare for Christmas is to go to confession. Confession is not difficult, but it does require preparation. We should begin with prayer, placing ourselves in the presence of God, our loving Father. We seek forgiveness and healing through repentance and a resolve to avoid sin in the future.
We then thoroughly review our lives since our last confession, searching our thoughts, words, and actions for times we did not conform to God’s command to love him and one another through his laws and the laws of his Church. This is called an examination of conscience. By examining our consciences, we can recognize more of our sins and present them to God to be reconciled with Him and receive His mercy. Then we can be ready to welcome Jesus Christ at Christmas with a clean soul.
Brief Examination of Conscience
• Have I prayed to God every day, and thanked Him for His many gifts? Have I taken the name of God in vain?
• Have I gone to confession at least once a year? Have I received communion in a state of mortal sin?
• Have I indulged in boasting or vainglory?
• Have I put my faith in danger in any way or engaged in superstitious practices?
• Have I missed Mass on Sundays or holy days of obligation through my own fault? Am I attentive at Mass? Have I fasted and abstained on the prescribed days?
• Have I disobeyed my parents or lawful superiors in important matters?
• Have I hated others, or desired revenge? Have I been disrespectful or refused forgiveness? Have I been envious?
• Have I been drunk or taken illicit drugs?
• Have I consented to, recommended, or actively taken part in an abortion?
• Have I willfully looked at impure images, entertained impure thoughts, or engaged in unchaste conversations or actions?
• Have I used artificial contraception?
• Have I been unfaithful to my spouse or engaged in sexual activity outside of marriage?
• Have I stolen or damaged another’s property? Have I been honest in my business relations and with my employer?
• Have I been responsive to the needs of the poor? Do I contribute to the Church?
• Have I told lies or gossiped? Have I judged others rashly in serious matters?
A step-by-step guide to Reconciliation (Confession):
1. Make the Sign of the Cross and say, ‘Bless me, father, for I have sinned. My last confession was [give the number of weeks, months, or years].’
2. Confess all of your sins to the priest. In order to make a good confession, you must confess all mortal sins according to kind and number. If you are unsure about how to confess or you feel uneasy, ask the priest to help you.
3. Following your confession of sins, say: ‘I am sorry for these and all my sins.’
4. The priest assigns you a penance and offers advice to help you be a better Catholic.
5. Say an Act of Contrition: ‘O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins because of Your just punishments, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Your grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen.’
6. The priest, acting in the person of Christ, then absolves you from your sins.
7. Perform your assigned penance.
8. Resolve to return to the Sacrament of Reconciliation often.
