Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Confession - Prologue

When I was in a Christian charismatic group, the household heads asked if I would do a talk on Confession. I was ecstatic! This is one of the Sacraments that I have come to love in our Church. The healing, the vulnerability before our Lord is such a great blessing!



Since that time, I left the group, reasons not important. Many friends have asked if I would still talk about what I learned - I decided to write about it. I have only read those articles approved by the Church, including Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Exortation Reconciliation and Penance; Lord, Have Mercy, by Scott Hahn; Misericordia Dei, Apostolic Letter in the form of Motu Proprio by Pope John Paul II; Catechism of the Catholic Church; and many of the Apostolic Letters, homilies, and articles found on Zenit.com from Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and others leading our Church. I also conferred with several Priests in the Cleveland Diocese for further clarification and have asked the Parochial Vicar at my parish to read and comment on the writings before I post them.

This is my research and is in no way an exhaustive description of the Sacrament.

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Outline:
What is Confession (Principle aspects of the Sacrament)

What's in a name? Confession? Penance? Reconciliation?

Signs & Symbols

Sin
What is a sin?
Types of sin
Loss of the sense of sin
Scruples

Why confess sins?

Forgiveness of sins
Cain, Abel, and Original Sin
The Prodigal Son
Judas - was he forgiven?
Divine Mercy & the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Pastoral Ministry of Penance & Reconciliation
Forms of Celebration of Confession
What is Bound on Earth shall be Bound in Heaven
Why confess to a Priest?
Priestly Involvement

Fundamental Convictions of the Sacrament

Sacraments & Confession

How to Make a Good Confession
10 Commandments
Beatitudes
Steps of going to Confession
Act of Contrition

"What to do when..." (What to do in certain situations)




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I hope you learn to enjoy this Sacrament as much as I have...if not more!




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