Our Lady of the Valley

PREPARING FOR RECONCILIATION

  In the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession), we encounter Jesus Christ, who after rising from the dead breathed the Holy Spirit on his Apostles - his first priests - and gave them the power to forgive sins in his name (Jn 20:23).  This Sacrament gives us the consolation of God's pardon and strengthens our relationship with Christ and his Church.  It is the ordinary way to have our sins forgiven.  The source or many graces, reconciliation should be celebrated regularly and whenever the need is felt.  Monthly confession is a healthy and effective means of growing closer to God and leading a balanced, Christ-entered lifestyle. 

PRAYER TO OUR LADY BEFORE CONFESSION
   Mary, Mother of Jesus and my Mother; your Son died on a cross for me.  Help me to confess my sins humbly and with trust in the mercy of God, that I may receive his pardon and peace. 

CONTRITION

We need contrition (or sorrow for our sins) to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and contrition must include a firm purpose to amend our life and avoice the near occasions of sins...the situations, persons, places and things that lead us to sin. 

HOW TO GO TO CONFESSION

• Pray to the Holy Spirit for self-knowledge and trust in the mercy of God.  Examine your conscience (see below; write them down it if helps), be truly sorry for your sins and resolve to change your life. 
• Go to the priest and begin with the Sign of the Cross.  The priest will welcome you.  You answer with "Amen."  Then say, "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.  It has been _____ weeks/months/years since my last confession." 
• Confess your sins openly and candidly.  Tell the priest all of the mortal sins and the number of times each was committed, then you may confess venial sins.  If you do not know whether the sin is mortal or venial, ask the priest. 
• Listen to the priest for whatever counsel he may judge appropriate.  If you have any questions about the faith, how to grow in holiness or whether something is a sin, feel free to ask him.  Then the priest will assign you a penance.
• Pray the Act of Contrition when the priest tells you.
• Listen as the priest absolves you of your sins and enjoy the fact that God has truly freed you from all your sins.
• Do the penance the priest assigns you.

Examination of Conscience

These questions may help you to examine how faithfully you have lived according to the Ten Commandments: 
 

1. "I am the Lord, your God.  You shall have no other gods besides me."  Have I denied or seriously doubted God's existence?  Have I been ungrateful to God?  Do I rely solely on myself and not on God?  Am I ashamed of or have I denied my faith in front of others?  Have I ridiculed the teachings or practices of the Church?
2. "You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain."  Do I speak negatively about God, Jesus Christ, Mary, the angels or saints?  Do I use God's name carelessly, in anger or in surprise?
3. "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy."  Have I, through my own fault, failed to come to Mass each Sunday and every Holy Day of Obligation?  Do I arrive to Mass late or leave early without good reason?  Do I allow myself to be distracted at Mass?
4. "Honor your father and mother."  Have I despised or even hated my parents?  Have I disobeyed my parents or treated them with disrespect such as insulting, mocking, ridiculing or cursing them?  Have I been ashamed of them on account of their poverty?  Have I neglected my work or studies?  Have I been helpful in my home? Am I disrespectful toward the elderly? Am I disobedient to civil law or those in authority such as the police?
5. "You Shall Not Kill."  Have I murdered anyone or killed anyone through negligence or carelessness?  Did I have an abortion or help another to have an abortion?  Have I mutilated my body or another's body?  Did I attempt suicide or seriously consider thoughts of suicide?  Do I act violently by fighting or hitting others?  Have I taken illegal drugs (including alcohol or tobacco) or abused prescription drugs?  Do I eat or sleep too much?  Am I too concerned about my health or appearance?  Do I deliberately harbor unkind and revengeful thoughts about others?  Have I used harsh or abusive language toward another?  Do I act rudely or impolitely?  Do I ridicule others?
6. "You shall not commit adultery."
7. "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife."  Have I desired to do impure things?  Have I read impure material, listened to music with impure lyrics or looked at impure images?  Have I looked at pornagraphy?  Have I aroused sexual desire in myself or another by impure kissing, embracing or touching?  Have I committed impure actions alone or with others? Do I use artificial contraception or other birth-prevention methods forbidden by the Church? Do I dress immodestly or have I been too concerned with the way I look?  Do I use vulgar language; tell or listen to impure jokes or stories?
8. "You shall not steal."  Have I taken anything that was not my own?  Have I damaged private or public property or defaced it by vandalism?  Have I bribed someone? Have I borrowed something without the owner's permission? Have I failed to return something I borrowed?  Do I waste money or spend it extravagantly?  Do I waste goods or food? Have I cheated on tests or schoolwork?  Have I cheated in games or sports?
9. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."  Have I sworn to do something sinful or illegal?  Have I slandered others by attributing to them sins they did not commit or of which I had no evidence?  Do I gossip about others or listen to gossip?  Have I told a secret I was asked to keep? Do I make rash judgments and habor false suspicions about others? Have I refused to forgive or held a grudge against him or her? Have I failed to apologize or make amends to someone I offended?
10. "You shall not covet anything that is your neighbors."  Am I proud or vain or do I show off? Am I superficial and worldly? Do I desire to be praised by exaggerating by success? Have I been boastful or arrogant with others?  Have I spent useless time before the TV when I could be doing more constructive things? Have I avoided the confession of my sins out of pride? Do I take delight in the misfortunes of others?