Even more of what you need to know to be
able to fight the battles against our adversary AND WIN.
If your confessions are not absolutely ROCKING THE GATES OF HELL, then you need to know more about how to make powerful confessions!
Since the
Sacrament of Reconciliation is such an incredibly powerful weapon against the
forces of darkness, Part III of this series of posts on spiritual warfare focuses
on what you can do to make your confessions more intimate, meaningful, and POWERFUL.
Some background information:
And now, Part III:
The following information is not intended
to explain everything you need to know in order to make a valid confession, nor
does it include the criteria for making a thorough examination of
conscience. Instead, it is meant to encourage you
to go to confession regularly, and to help you make your confessions genuine,
powerful, meaningful, and intimate. This will lead you to closer union with
God, and His grace will give you the ability to fight our adversary AND WIN.
Don’t be intimidated by the many suggestions;
they are merely suggestions. Start simple. Perhaps you will prefer to keep your
confessions simple. Together with the Lord, make your confessions deeply personal, purposeful, meaningful, joyful, beautiful, and just right
for you.
A brief mention of what NOT to
do: Don’t make your confession an
exercise in self-loathing; always maintain
your great dignity. Remember, Confession
is the Sacrament of Christ’s Mercy. God loves
you! He knows you better than you know yourself, and He is very willing to help
you gain insight into your faults, and will help you overcome them. So rely on Him, and trust Him!
While confessing, you may find
yourself experiencing various emotions; you may feel very challenged, moved, sorrowful,
and/or joyful. That’s normal, understandable, and even admirable. Don’t ever
let your emotions keep you from going to confession. Also, don’t go on and on
and on. Be mindful that others
may be waiting, so keep your examination of conscience to a reasonable length.
Now, on to some suggestions to provide
structure, organization, and meaning to your confessions, thereby making them
more profitable for your spiritual advancement, and to obtain powerful graces you
need to fight temptation AND WIN.
First are some suggestion on how to
begin, followed by some examples of how and what to confess, some essentials,
and thoughts on how to conclude. Remember,
you are speaking to your Creator, so you want to approach Him reverently and
make your confession an expression of your love for one another. At the
end, some other helpful information is presented to help you recognize the devil's attempts to get you to not go to Confession.
"He [the confessor] knows how
much greater than your sins is the Mercy of God, this Mercy which grants you
pardon through his ministry. He applies to you the infinite merits of the
Precious Blood of Jesus Christ with which he can wash away all stains from your
soul."
~ Saint John Bosco
You may find yourself loving the
Sacrament of Confession so much more as your appreciation for this astonishing
Sacrament increases along with your tremendous spiritual progress. Consider the examinations of consciences you
make as your love letters, perhaps written out in advance following prayer to
the Holy Spirit for enlightenment.
The key to making confessions that
ABSOLUTELY ROCK the gates of hell is to pray beforehand to the Holy Spirit for
guidance and enlightenment. Keep a small
notebook handy, because His revelations can come anywhere, at any time. Keep a running list of your faults as they
become evident, and use your list to write out your examination of conscience.
Soon, you will get very, very good at identifying your faults, and your soul
will benefit so much more from the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Beginning
Begin your confession with “Bless
me, Father, for I have sinned. My last
confession was (time) ago.”
Address the Lord
Next, address the One to whom you
are confessing. Remember, you are talking directly to God and are asking to be
reconciled with Him. Resist the temptation to vindicate yourself, or to condemn
anyone else. God knows that you have a fallen human nature, and gave us this
sacrament where we obtain pardon for having offended Him. You are there to
apologize and to ask for the grace to overcome your weaknesses. God knows what they are, and He longs to be
reconciled with you and to forgive you.
Focus your confession on Him, and your relationship with Him.
Here are some suggestions for what
to say to begin:
“Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the
Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world
without end!”
“My Almighty Triune God, Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit…”
“My Dearly Beloved King…”
“My
Lord and Almighty Father, most loving Sacred Heart of my sweet and gentle
Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, source of all wisdom, ruler of all, model of peace
and joy of every soul…”
“My Almighty God, most loving Father, compassionate Jesus,
and Holy Spirit, my Guide…”
“My Lord and Almighty Father, most loving Sacred
Heart of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, my God, ruler of all,
model of peace and joy of every soul…”
“My Kind, Loving, and Generous God…”
Statement of Intent and Gratitude
Statement of Intent and Gratitude
“I am here today in obedience to
Your will, because I love You.”
“My patient and merciful Father, I have come to love
and honor You, to thank you for loving me, to beg Your forgiveness for my many
faults and sins, to ask You to be my constant guide, and to lead me on this new offensive against
the forces of evil”.
“My sweet Lord and my
God, I am here because I love you in return and am here to do Your will, and to
seek your mercy and pardon.”
“You have said, “Ask and you shall
receive; seek and you shall find; knock
and it shall be opened unto you,” behold me prostrate at Thy feet. Animated with a lively faith and confidence
in these promises dictated by Your Sacred Heart and pronounced by Your adorable
lips, I come to ask for Your forgiveness and pardon for every sin I have ever
committed against Your love and goodness over the course of my entire life.”
“I am so happy to be here, so
grateful for this precious opportunity to reconcile my poor self with You, to
thank You for everything, to apologize for my sins, and to ask for pardon for
myself, and for all my brothers and sisters in need of Your saving grace.”
“You never fail to respond to the
soul that asks to be enlightened by Your Divine Majesty, and I thank You for
showing me how much work remains to be done in my soul. Thank You
for Your persistence in working with me, for without You, I am nothing.”
“I have come today to confess my sins, beg your
pardon, and ask for your grace to do better, to know and love you more, to
become your servant, surrender to your most perfect will, and to be a cheerful
and generous giver.”
“I thank you for creating me, for every moment of my
life, for all you have generously given me,
for every person you have set in my path, and for loving, guiding,
consoling, refining, and forgiving me.”
Ask for God’s Mercy and Grace on Behalf of Others
Ask for God’s Mercy and Grace on Behalf of Others
“I am here to also plead for my
brothers and sisters in need of your mercy, healing, and forgiveness
(including…).”
“Pour forth your grace upon...”
“Please convert…”
“Please strengthen the faithful who
dedicate their lives to Your service, and encourage them with abundant graces.”
“Cast upon us all a look of pity,
and may Your compassionate Heart find in our miseries and weaknesses a pressing
motive for granting these petitions. May
every human heart honor and love You as we should.”
Confession of sins
“I apologize for my stubborn nature,
my lack of charity, for the unkind things that I have said, for the many times
I have been impatient, mean, bitter, angry, uncharitable, oblivious to the needs of my neighbor,
self-absorbed, prideful, egotistical, self-indulgent, imprudent, judgmental,
unmerciful, vengeful, slow to forgive, spiteful...”
“The worst of my faults are sure
indications of my lack of self mastery, and I ask you to please help me to be
more prudent when I speak, more tolerant when I think, more moderate in my
emotions…”
“Your Mouth, which speaks words that
are so kind, loving and merciful, the same beautiful mouth that received so
many vicious blows to satisfy Divine Justice for the many sins I have committed
through my speech, bleeds still for the sins I continue to commit through my
choice of words. May Your mouth, torn open and bleeding because of me, be a
constant reminder to imitate You in all that I say.”
“My lack of self mastery makes me
vulnerable to the attacks from the devil.
Please continue helping me, most patient and persistent Lord, so that
with Your grace, I may grow in self-mastery and always choose behavior that is most
pleasing to you and accomplishes Your most perfect will.”
“Please forgive me for the times
that I set a bad example for others (including…), and/or has led others to sin
in any way.”
“I apologize for my selfish and
self-serving nature, for the times I have been impatient, prideful, arrogant,
stubborn, so uncharitable, for seeking comfort in (name), for the times that I
have not reverenced You as I should have, for the time I spoke cavalierly with
someone about You, for the many unkind things I have said, for the times that I
have been judgmental, unforgiving, and resentful...”
“I am sorry for being self centered, and for my pride, worldliness, vanity, self indulgent and pleasure seeking nature, for the
times that I have focused on my own suffering and ignored the suffering of my
neighbor, for the unkind things I have said about others, for the many times I
have not suffered patiently, for my great impatience, the many times I have
become angry or impatient with others while suffering, for not honoring and
loving You as I should, the times I have set a bad example for my children,
family, friends, colleagues, or others, for every time that I did not treat
others kindly but instead was harsh, for the times I have insisted on doing my
own will and resisted Yours, for not trusting enough in your mercy, for the
times I have expected more from others than I expect from myself, and for the
times I have been judgmental and hardhearted...”
“My greatest weaknesses
and obstacles to doing your will are my pride, love of self, self indulgent
nature, vanity, and selfishness, which lead me at times to be impatient,
and lead to so many other crimes against love…”
“I am sorry my Lord and Ruler of my
life for the time I swore the other day in reference to a difficult, hateful
person in front of my children and set a very bad example, and offended You
with that language and lack of respect for her great dignity as Your
daughter. I apologize for speaking the other day in a way to someone who
is very mean in front of my children that was ironic but also at least a little
spiteful while I enjoyed the moment. Please give me the grace to never
lower myself in response to other's bad behavior, and to never be the reason
for anyone else's sin. I understand You are allowing me many
opportunities to practice self mastery because I still have such a long way to
go to acquire it; please keep working with me and together, let’s get
there...”
“Please forgive me for my pleasure seeking nature,
love of comfort, worldliness, pride, for the times I have overlooked the needs
and suffering of others when you wanted them experience Your compassion through
me, for the times I have been impatient, talked more than listened, been angry,
judgmental, mean, for feeling bitterness in my heart. Please remove my love of self, any bitterness
in my heart and cleanse me by the power of Your Precious Blood from the stain
of all my sins.”
“I apologize for the time three weeks ago when
I made something a bigger deal than it was in a public place, and even though
my argument was justified because we had been cheated, I failed to remain
humble and for that I was wrong and I am sorry. As You said afterwards,
You will make it up to me, and I know You always do, and thank You for allowing
that whole chain of events to occur so that You could show me many important
things that will bring me into closer union with You...”
“My soul has been defiled by my many sins, and so
often is caught up in its own preferences.
I am sorry for having been impatient, self-centered, intolerant,
self-serving, self-indulgent, vain and prideful, hardhearted, distracted by
things of the world, blinded by the errors of my ways, for the times I have
been a poor example to others. I
apologize for having sworn twice, for the times I have spoken harshly to my
family, and spoken unkindly about others.... please help me, Lord; may Your Precious Blood be my antidote and
wash away all dislike, bitterness, hatred, animosity, and anger and replace
them with a love so great, it would surrender its very life."
"I am so sorry for resisting your will... I still resist because of my pride, worldliness, my fallen human
nature that finds comfort in predictability and routines, my short-sightedness,
and my lack of faith. I apologize for the
times I have been impatient, which is still quite often, for the times I lacked compassion, haven't loved you as much
as I should, for my vanity, for the times I have not
minded my own business, been judgmental, too harsh, for the times I have been frustrated and have only myself to blame because I
did not cooperate with you and instead obstructed your most perfect plans..."
"I apologize for the things that I
said, did, or didn’t do that set a bad example for my children, my friends, for
strangers, and pray for those who dislike me because they have neglected their
friendship with You. Keep me close to You, dear Lord, and please allow me to
receive the Sacraments often."
Being enlightened by the Holy Spirit will help you discern
what to confess each time. The Lord will
at times want you to be specific. Once, my confession was rather general, and
the visiting priest asked me if I was aware of my individual sins/weaknesses. The following statement just flowed from my
mouth, and made us both smile: “Father,
if I had to list all of my sins, we would be here all day!” Use common sense, rely
on Divine assistance, and be obedient to your confessor.
Here is a PHENOMENAL suggestion which will break the devil’s grip on you, and obtain the graces you need to overcome
persistent weaknesses: Be totally
HONEST and be sincerely SORRY. Do not refrain from confessing any sins you have committed.
For example: "My sweet Lord and my God, I am
here because I love you in return, to accomplish Your will, and to seek
your mercy and pardon. I profoundly apologize for having offended you by (name),
most Holy and Blessed Trinity. I thank you for allowing me to be
defeated in battle for my greater good, so I could learn that to despair
is to not believe in and trust in Your great mercy, and also so I would
launch this major counter-strike against the forces of evil. And so
now I apologize for every sin that I have never before mentioned by name
(list), because of my lack of trust in Your mercy, my shame, and my
pride."
Confessing sins that we have kept hidden is a major COUNTERSTRIKE against the forces of evil and releases us from the devil's grip.
Concluding
Just as you would conclude your interaction with anyone
else, consider saying some final words that include thanking the Lord, asking
for His advice or help if need be, and then be sure to ask what it is that you
can do for Him! The Holy Spirit may encourage you to quote from the saints or
recite a short prayer, or consider composing your own personal and intimate prayer.
“To You, O Heart of Jesus, humanity
has recourse. In You we find consolation
when afflicted, protection when persecuted, strength when overwhelmed with
trials, and light in doubt and darkness…”
“I firmly believe that You will
grant to us the graces You have promised and for which we stand in such great
need, and in such large measure, even if it requires great miracles. You have just to will it, and although I am
most unworthy to even ask You for Your favors, You are the God of Mercy, and my
petition to beg for these graces comes at Your request because of Your
unfathomable love for each one of us. Do
not refuse the response of Your unworthy but very grateful servant who loves
You!”
“Please accept this act of perfect
submission to the decrees of Your adorable Heart, which I sincerely desire may
be fulfilled in me and by me and by all Your people forever and ever...“
“Let there
be no distance between us, my sweet and gentle Jesus!”
“My beloved Jesus, Thy Kingdom
come. Eucharistic heart of Jesus,
increase in us faith, hope, and charity.
Heart of Jesus, burning with love for all of humanity, inflame our
hearts with love of You. O Divine Heart
of Jesus, convert sinners, save the dying, free the holy souls in
Purgatory. Thank You for Your great love
and mercy; I give myself entirely to
you, and promise to love and honor You, all the days of my life.”
“Please give me the grace to suffer joyfully, live
courageously, remain pure, and serve others with great compassion, and to love
everyone, especially the most difficult people, including myself, as you love
us.”
“Once again I promise to give myself entirely to
you, and to love and honor you all the days of my life. Sweet and gentle Jesus,
meek and humble of heart, transform my heart like unto thine.”
“What is it that you would like from your
servant? Let me know, and I will do what
you ask. And what does your servant ask
of you, my sweet and gentle Jesus? I ask you to please defend my time alone
with you, and thank You, my sweet Jesus, for everything.”
“I ask this of You, sweet and gentle
Jesus, for Your most Sacred Heart is an inexhaustible source of all graces and
merits. Pour forth your graces from this
Treasury of mercy, for I am here as you have requested, knocking at the door of
the Heart through which God comes to us and through which we go to God.”
“Help me to know clearly each day what it is you
want me to accomplish, and grant me the ability to know how and who You wish me
to serve, moment by moment.”
“In thanksgiving for your unfathomable mercy, my
Almighty Father, I ask what it is that your servant can do for you. Be it done to me according to Your word.”
“My Jesus, I need You.”
“And so I ask you, Jesus,
who has shown me how to present myself to the Father with love and humility,
and how to submit my will to His, to show me how to live my life in conformity
to God's will as you did, selflessly, charitably, and heroically. I ask you to guard my time alone with you,
and help me grow in the virtue of purity...”
“I thank you for strengthening me for the battle,
and for the progress that is being made in my soul as I grow closer to you…”
End with an Act of Contrition
The Devil Does Not Want You to Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation
NEVER give in to the many ways the
devil tries to stop each one of us from going to Confession. He knows the
tremendous, immeasurable value it has for our souls! He knows that when we avail ourselves of the
graces, he will be easily defeated.
Some things the devil may say, or
suggest, to stop you from going may vary, and can even be divided into categories. He has many strategies for defeating us in
battle, and studies each one of us very carefully to establish his battle plan.
That is why you must ask the Holy Spirit to help you know yourself better than your enemy knows you, so you will emerge the winner when temptation comes.
Here is just a sample, to give you some
idea of what the opposition may be like:
False Compassion: "You're so busy. Don't go.
God will understand...You try so hard to be good. You don't have to go
today. Go later... You don't feel too well right now. You better
stay home… God knows how many challenges you face. You don't need another
one. Stay home and rest."
Inaccurate Information: “It’s not true that you have to confess to a
priest... You are forgiven when you apologize to God in prayer... Having a
priest hear your confession isn’t necessary. God knows you are sorry; He knows
everything!…You haven’t done anything wrong. Those weren't even sins!…You do so much good for others, you don't need to go...You have no sins to confess.”
Crazymaking/Pressure to Conform: "People
think you are crazy…Don't go; see what people think of you?..You’re a
religious fanatic…You go too much…Are you going AGAIN?...You shouldn’t care
about this so much. God already forgave
you!”
Oppression: “Don’t go!
DON’T GO!...Don’t go…Don’t go…Leave that parish!...The priest doesn’t
care about you! Don’t show up; that will show him!...DON'T DO WHAT HE SAYS!...Get up and walk out of the
confessional; don’t listen to the
priest!...He could care less!...God keeps him prisoner here; see how God treats all of you?”
Oppression can also include thoughts
before, during, and after your confession that encourage you to dislike,
disregard, even hate your confessor, encourage you to not heed his advice, not complete your penance, argue with him, doubt whether you were actually
forgiven, and here’s a popular one, to be dissatisfied with your
confession. Be assured that your
confession will go according to God’s plan for you.
Sometimes you may leave feeling like you want
to remain in church forever, sometimes you may feel very dissatisfied because
you didn’t experience anything extraordinary or because the devil tempted you to feel discouraged.
Remember, every time you make a valid confession,
extraordinary good comes of it and you receive many graces for yourself and for
others, and you grow closer to God!
Something to carefully consider: If the Lord appeared and told you that the next time you received
the Sacrament of Reconciliation He would unleash a massive flood of
graces, how would you prepare for such an event? What would you say?
This CAN happen, and it DOES: "I Will Unleash a Massive Flood of Graces."
God is at work in you!
ST.
MICHAEL PRAYER IN LATIN
"Sancte Michael Archangele, defende
nos in proelio, contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium, imperet
illi Deus, supplices deprecamur, tuque, Princeps militae caelestis, Satanam
aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum per vagantur in mundo
divina virtute, in infernum detrude. AMEN"