IN THIS ISSUE:   Cover Page AS WE FORGIVE by Bro. Pete Lapid   The Father Speaks FAMILY MATTERS - Relationship of Parents and their Children By Fr. Binzler, SJ   Special Feature THE DIVINE MERCY By Pinky Torres   Our Faith REPENTANCE, RETURN AND RESPONSE By Fr. KJ Veeger, MSC   Place of Refuge I AM YAHWEH, YOUR GOD By Philip Yuson   Inspirations HEARTFELT REPENTANCE By Desomnd D'Souza   Genesis Happenings A MARCH OF LENTEN ACTIVITIES By Sansu Garin   Special Feature A TALK ON CONFESSION  By Fr. Jojo San Juan, SDB   Surabaya Corner GOD'S BOUNTIFUL GOODNESS  By Ramon Martillano   Saint for the Month SAINT DOMINIC SAVIO   MAILBOX

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PROFILE OF THE  GENESIS CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

SPECIAL FEATURE

When I was a kid, I learned my first Confession from my religion teacher Sr. Maria Mercedes, who said that to confess means to say sorry for the bad things that I did in front of the Lord. And this definition had left an impression that whenever I did something bad, I have to go first to God and ask for pardon. She also told me that before receiving Holy Communion, I have to clean my soul because Jesus loves a clean and pure heart and He cannot stay in a dirty soul. So, I always thought that Confession is a way of cleaning my sins and bad behavior before receiving Holy Communion.

 

These were the thoughts that have remained in me about Confession until I begun my study on Catholic doctrines. There was a slight change of my understanding when I learned from theology and spiritual counselors who define Confession not just as a sacrament of forgiveness but a way to be humble and follow the truth about oneself. It is in this aspect that I like to share my experience and the beautiful value of the sacrament of Confession.

 

I know you all understand that Confession is a sacrament. This is a special way whereby man meets his Creator who is loving and forgiving. This is the strength of the sacrament of Confession, God forgives man by means of a priest who is ordained for this and given power by the Lord Jesus who said, “the sins you have forgiven shall be forgiven, and the sins that you don’t forgive, they are not forgiven”

 

In my own experience as a religious and a priest, I have always loved to confess because it is a practice of humility and truth.

 

1. A practice of humility. Confession is an acknowledgement of who man is. Man is weak. Man is sinful. He falls, he fails. So when one confesses, he just says that he is a sinner, he is good for nothing, he is weak, he fails, he sometimes hurts people with his words, his gestures, his thoughts and even with his actions. Humility means to accept who I am.  I am a man not God. I am sinful.  And so, whenever we confess, we practice humility on ourselves. We are humbled in the sight of the Lord.

 

2. Confession is a practice of truth. When I confess as a sinner, I accept the truth about myself. The truth that I tried my best, but my best was not good enough and here I am back to where I was before. Confession is a practice of truth, because in Confession we seek the truth that will really make us free. Free from shame, free from pretensions, free from masks. When I confess I say that I like to follow the truth. The truth in Jesus’ way, the truth in the Ten Commandments, the truth in the law of loving God and loving neighbor which I failed to do.

 

And so in general, we may say that Confession is a practice of truth because the penitent and the priest will try their best to seek the truth from this spiritual experience. At this, it is good to point out the story of the two men who prayed in the synagogue. One a Pharisee who thought himself to be righteous, stood in front of the Lord and begun the litany of his good deeds and forgetting that in front of the Lord, he is also nothing, he is also a sinner. He failed to know himself. He is proud. He is not humble. Then the other, a publican would not dare to come near the Lord. He felt he is not worthy to stand, not worthy even to look up to the Lord and say I am sorry. But in his humility, stood at the back and bowing, beat his breast and confessed his sins, “have mercy on me a sinner.” This man is humble and truthful. And Jesus concluded the parable by saying this man (publican) went back home justified (forgiven) and the other man, no.

 

Here are some practical guides in making a Confession:

 

·         Open your heart to the Spirit to guide you.

·         Ask the Lord for forgiveness and the strength not to sin again.

·         Confess your sins to the Lord. Only your sins and not the sins of others.

·         Listen very well to the counsel because it is a great spiritual advice for your soul.

·         Listen carefully to the penance and do it at once.

·         Thank the Lord for forgiving you and for giving you another chance.

 

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About the author:

Genesis was privileged to hear Fr. Jojo give a talk about Confession. Fr. Jojo is a missionary priest assigned in EastTimor. He has been serving there for almost 10 years now.

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