A.
Confession is the telling of our sins to a duly authorized priest, for the purpose
of obtaining forgiveness.
A.
We are bound to confess all our mortal sins. but it is well also to confess our
venial sins.
A.
The chief qualities of a good Confession are three: it must be humble, sincere,
and entire.
A.
Our Confession is humble, when we accuse our selves of our sins, with a deep
sense of shame and sorrow for having offended God.
A.
Our Confession is sincere, when we tell our sins honestly and truthfully,
neither exaggerating nor excusing them.
A.
Our Confession is entire, when we tell the number and kinds of our sins and the
circumstances which change their nature.
214. Q. What should we do if we
cannot remember the number of our sins?
A.
If we cannot remember the number of our sins, we should tell the number as
nearly as possible, and say how often we may have sinned in a day, a week, or a
month, and how long the habit or practice has lasted.
A.
If without our fault we forget to confess a mortal sin, Tour Confession is
worthy, and the sin is forgiven; but it must be told in Confession if it again
comes to our mind.
A.
It is a grievous offense willfully to conceal a mortal sin in Confession,
because we thereby tell a lie to the Holy Ghost, and make our Confession
worthless.
A.
He who has willfully concealed a mortal sin in Confession must not only confess
it, but must also repeat all the sins he has committed since his last worthy
Confession.
A.
The priest gives us a penance after Confession, that we may satisfy God for the
temporal punishment due to our sins.
A.
The Sacrament of Penance remits the eternal punishment due to sin, but it does
not always remit the temporal punishment which God requires as satisfaction for
our sins.
A.
God requires a temporal punishment as a satisfaction for sin, to teach us the
great evil of sin and to prevent us from falling again.
A.
The chief means by which we satisfy God for the temporal punishment due to sin
are: Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving, all spiritual and corporal works of mercy,
and the patient suffering of the ills of life.
A.
The chief spiritual works of mercy are seven: To admonish the sinner, to
instruct the ignorant, to counsel the doubtful, to comfort the sorrowful, to
bear wrongs patiently, to forgive all injuries, and to pray for the living and
the dead.
A.
The chief corporal works of mercy are seven: To feed the hungry, to give drink
to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to ransom the captive, to harbor the
harborless, to visit the sick, and to bury the dead.
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