Holy Confession
Introduction
Sin is disobedience against God's will, i.e.: not doing what we ought to do and doing what we ought not to do. Sin separates us from God and our brethren and it results in our loss of power, joy, peace, and hope. It degrades us in every way and ends in our spiritual death.
"The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23).
Holy Confession is a sacrament in which the penitent confesses his or her sins to God before the priest who is the representative of our Lord Jesus Christ and acts on behalf of Him. The priest forgives the sins and the penitent receives the grace of the forgiveness of sins from God through the priest.
I. The Purpose of Holy Confession
Holy Confession is for the deliverance of sinners from the bondage to sin, in order that they may lead a better, higher and Godly life, following the footsteps of our Lord.
It is also a necessary preparation for Holy Qurbana.
"Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill and some have died." (1 Corinthians 11:27-30).
The words of our Lord on the occasion of the feet-washing also imply the imperative need of receiving the forgiveness of sins for one who has already received Holy Baptism.
"Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part in me." Simon Peter said unto him, "Lord not my feet only, but also my hands and my head." Jesus said to him, "He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet." (Saint John 13:8-10).
Thus only after receiving the forgiveness of sins through Holy Confession can we receive Holy Qurbana.
II. Why should we confess our sins?
It is true that God knows our needs even before we pray. But our Lord has asked us to pray.
"Ask and it will be given to you." (Saint Matthew 7:7).
So also though God is willing to forgive us, we have to confess our sins with a contrite heart, before He should forgive them.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from our unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9).
In the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Saint Luke 18:9-14), it was only the publican who confessed his sinfulness that was justified by God. So also in the parable of the prodigal son, we find that he confessed that he had sinned against heaven and before his father (Saint Luke 15:21). Besides the instances of confession in the Old Testament, two instances are recorded in the New Testament. They are:
1. Before John the Baptist in Saint Mark 1:5 and
2. Before Saint Paul in Acts 19:18.
III. How to take confession?
a. Self-Examination
First of all, we must have a thorough self examination. We must begin our self examination by humble prayer for the Holy Spirit to remove from our eyes the veil of pride, to shed the piercing search-light into our inner heart and motives, and to convict us of sin. It is food to write down the sins as they come to mind. This not only helps to make them concrete and definite, but also prevents any one of them from slipping our memory, when we confess them.
We are asked to be perfect (Saint Matthew 5:48) and this perfection we find in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we meditate on the perfect pattern that we find in the life of our Lord (His humility, purity, prayer-life, etc .), we find how sinful we are and this makes us all the more humble and contrite.
b. Repentance, Renunciation of sin, and Restitution
It is when we find the depth of God's love for us, that we become all the more sorry. We may think of the heavenly experiences which we forfeit and deny them to other people through our sins, thus causing untold agony to our Lord, who loves us and others, to the utmost.
True repentance must have the following characteristics.
i. There must be sorrow in the bottom of our heart as sins have their root in our hearts.
ii. There should be sorrow for all sins without expectation. One disease is enough to kill a man, one chain is enough to keep a man in bondage and one unguarded door in a fortress may be enough to let in the enemies.
iii. True repentance will automatically result in some definite acts of restitution (ie: restoration of stolen property, offering an apology, removal of the mistrust if we had spread scandals).
iv. True repentance will result in the avoidance of all circumstances which lead to sin and in the thirst for opportunities to do good. It may also result in more time given to prayer, cutting down idle hours, etc.
v. True repentance is God centered and is always hopeful. Peter, first among the twelve disciples, was hopeful in is repentance while Judas Iscariot, another disciple, was not hopeful. Thus Peter received the forgiveness of sins while Judas hung himself.
"Him who comes to me, I will not cast out." (Saint John 6:37)
c. Reconciliation with our Brethren
The righting of wrong relationships by forgiving others is the natural outcome of sincere and true repentance. Unless our hearts are freed from the poison of resentment and hatred we cannot think of the peace and power which God's forgiveness brings.
"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." (Saint Matthew 6:14).
d. Confession and Absolution
The time of confession is a time of renunciation of sins and complete self-surrender to God's will. The penitent should be able to say,
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me." (Galatians 2:20).
It is, in a sense, a renewal of our experience of rebirth in baptism and a time of the renewal of our baptismal covenant.
The priest then pronounces the absolution in the name of the Holy Trinity, making the sign of the cross on the forehead of the penitent, whereby the penitent is made a sharer in the death of our Lord, which was the death of sin and the resurrection of a glorious life.
The penance given by the priest is to be carried out fully and without delay. Penance reminds us that it was for our sins that our Lord suffered. Generally penance is given as a help to lead a better life.
The spiritual counsel given by the priest is to be received carefully and practiced in future lif. The time up to the reception of the Holy Qurbana is to be observed carefully with meditation, prayer and Bible reading, as much as possible.
Conclusion
The purpose of taking Holy Confession and receiving Holy Qurbana, is to lead a godly life. Like the patient who after recovery goes to the hospital for an occasional check-up, the penitent should take confession and receive Holy Qurbana regularly.
References:
Seminary Publications Udayagiri
