Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16)

[Mark Dohle]

Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16)
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Confession is an act of honesty and courage
- an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God.
--Pope John Paul 2​

Confession is a powerful sacrament for inner healing, as well as for healing our relationships with others. Confession can be difficult because in the Sacrament it is the virtue of humility that we draw upon. Humility gives us the courage to put aside our masks that hide what is going on within us from others. This is perhaps necessary in a communal setting, but when using the Sacrament of Reconciliation such masks get in the way of our being honest with the Priest.

The more we use the sacrament, the deeper our understanding of our need for healing, and how our failures wound our souls deeply, as well as often hurting others. If we do not have some sort of outlet to express our ‘sins’, our ‘unloving’ and ‘selfish’ acts, they will stay locked up within us, doing harm. Jesus is the “Word”, being made in the image and likeness of God, we also need to speak the “word’ of our need for mercy and healing. In speaking, we show ourselves to others, and if we speak the truth, we create ourselves anew for those who listen to us. Before a priest, who represents Jesus Christ, we speak the truth, which is already known to the Lord, it is just that we do not often know ourselves very well.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a vehicle for healing, it is not a punishment. Yes, of course, it is a difficult sacrament if used in a manner that is sincere.

In the AA program, the 5th Step is based on this Sacrament.-Br.MD