From the Desk of Father Nathan

A Message from Father Nathan

My dearest people who are all close to my heart! Prayers and blessings to you.

What is the Sacrament of Confession?

Why do we need confession? What are the benefits of going to confession?

The Sacrament of Confession is one of the most unique and beautiful aspects of Catholicism. Jesus Christ, in His abundant love and mercy, established the Sacrament of Confession so that we as sinners can obtain forgiveness for our sins and reconcile with God, our neighbors, and the Church.

This sacrament ”washes us clean” and renews us in Christ Following Vatican II, the Church began to emphasize penance as a process of reconciliation and as a means of obtaining pardon from God. The priest is seen as a healer and aiding in the process, so penitent sinners are called to conversion and correction in their lives.

The Purpose of Confession – Restoration of Grace

The purpose of going to Confession is to reconcile man to God. When we sin, we deprive ourselves of God’s grace. By doing so, we make it even easier to sin more and more. The only way out of this downward cycle is to acknowledge our sins, to repent for them, and then to ask for God’s forgiveness.

Therefore, in the Sacrament of Confession, grace can be restored to our souls, and we can once again resist sin.

How to Make a Good Confession

We do know how to make a good confession. It’s so simple:

• You must be contrite or, in other words, sorry for his sins.
• You must confess those sins fully, in-kind and in number.
• Finally, you must be willing to do penance and make amends for these sins.

The Benefits of confession

There are innumerable benefits of going for confession, let me cite a few of them for you.

1. Confession helps us to better “know thyself”. St. Augustine and countless other saints and doctors of the Church talk about the importance of knowing ourselves well. Through coming to know ourselves better, realized how fallen we are, and how badly we need God’s help and grace to get through life. Frequent confession helps remind us to rely on God to help rid us of our sins.

2. Confession helps us overcome vices. The grace we receive from the Sacrament of Confession helps us combat our faults and failings and break our habits of vices much more easily and expediently than we could otherwise do without the sacrament of grace.

3. Confession brings us peace. Guilt from the sins we commit can make us feel all mixed up inside and cause us to lose our peace and joy. When we hear God’s forgiving words to us from the lips of the priest in Confession, a burden is lifted off our shoulders and we can again feel the peace of heart and soul that comes from being in a good relationship with God.

4. Confession helps us become more saintly, more like Jesus. Saints throughout history have felt that way too, and they have frequented the Sacrament of Reconciliation to help transform them into people who are more like Christ. Little images of Christ—that’s what saints are!

5. Confession makes our will stronger. Every time we experience the Sacrament of Confession, God strengthens our will and our self-control to be able to resist the temptations that confront us.

What is Absolution

The words of absolution in the Confessional are truly beautiful.

“I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.“

Jesus is waiting to forgive you—all you have to do is ask! Don’t miss out any longer on the healing power of Confession. Let us go for confession especially in the Season of Holy Lent

Ever wanting to be faithful to your service,

With love and blessings,

—Fr. Sahayanathan Nathan