Effects of Confession.

-- Effects of Confession.

 

We brush our teeth daily to keep them clean.

We take bath daily to wash away all the dust that gather up on our body during the day.

We wash our legs every time we return home after a walk.

We wash our clothes after a few days’ use so that they may be clean when we take them again to wear.

We sweep our house at least once in a day to remove the unwanted things scattered on the floor.

We take so much trouble to keep our body, which is to return to earth at the end, and the things related to it in one way or other, neat and tidy.

But how much trouble do we take to keep our immortal soul, which is in reality ‘we’, clean and free from sin?

It is contrition and confession that keep our soul clean and free from sin.

Do we give them any importance in our life?

Some may return to the sacrament of Penance after a few weeks, others after many years.

Most of us approach Confession seeking forgiveness of sin and the alleviation of a guilty conscience.

Besides forgiveness to our sins, the sacrament has even more to offer.

Let us see the spiritual effects of the sacrament of penance.

 

  By reconciliation with God we recover the sanctifying grace, lost due to mortal sin

When we prepare ourselves for confession we realize the real horror of sin.

 By mortal sin, we separate ourselves from God and refuse His grace.

By Confession, all our mortal sins are forgiven.

All our venial sins too are wiped away. 

We are reunited with God.

God dwells in us through His grace, and by that grace, our souls begin to enjoy the real spiritual happiness which this world cannot give.  

  

  We are reconciled with our Holy Mother, the Church

Sin separates us from the Church spiritually.

With mortal sin we cannot take part in the Communion feast.

During Holy Mass we may be physically present in the church but we cannot get any spiritual benefit, if we are in the state of mortal sin.

Confession reunites us with the Church community and enables us to enjoy all the spiritual benefits along with our brethren.

 We are restored to the Church by Confession.

 We return to our families and friends with more love to give.

 

Eternal punishment incurred by mortal sins is remitted by confession.

By mortal sin, we condemn ourselves to hell.

Thankfully, through Confession, God freely pardons this punishment.

  God is not stingy with pardon for our sins.

 As our loving, merciful Father, He is always  ready to pardon us.

He even gives us the very grace to draw us to Confession.

At the words of absolution (“I absolve you…”), all the angels and saints rejoice at our being forgiven.

They await our entrance to the heavenly banquet.

  

 

Temporal punishments resulting from sin is also remitted, at least in part.

By our sins, whether venial or mortal, we suffer in this present life. Every sin contains some disorder, and this disorder is the sin’s own punishment.

If we overindulge our desire for cheese, we will soon feel quite uncomfortable.  

When we are unrepentant we continue in the habit.

When we humble ourselves and confess, God remits this punishment, at least in part.

The remaining punishment is to be remitted by our acts of penance.

If such acts are insufficient, we will have to get purified in purgatory after death and before entering Heaven.

 

  We will be blessed with peace and serenity of conscience and spiritual consolation by confession.

 This sacrament truly brings peace.    

It is the repeated experience of the faithful who leave Confessional.

They are light-hearted, joyful, and renewed in God’s love after confession.

  

Confession gives us an increase of spiritual strength for the Christian battle with evil,

Whether we recognize it or not, the Christian life is a battle.

We have to fight with the tendencies that are within us obstructing our forward march in our spiritual life.

  Everyday, we are tempted to forget God and to seek our selfish pleasure.

In this daily battle, even the saints stumble and fall, even if only in small ways.

Confession forgives these failures, and it also strengthens us to overcome vices with virtue.

Ultimately, Christ is the true victor.

He is our strength.

He is our salvation.

Lourdu Selvam.