On Easter Sunday evening, Jesus told his apostles that just as God the Father had sent him-and God the Father sent him to save us from our sins-so he was sending them. He breathed on them the power of the Holy Spirit, giving them God's power to forgive sins, since no one can forgive sins but God alone. He told them whatever sins they forgive are forgiven and whatever sins they retain are retained. The only way the apostles could know which sins to forgive is by people telling them their sins. Through the sacrament, he gives us His mercy in penance. 

The names emphasize different aspects of the sacrament. Penance refers to our repentance, sorrow and resolution to amend our life with God's help. Confession refers to the act by which we tell our sins to the priest. Reconciliation refers to the goal of the celebration by which the sinner is reconciled to God and the Church. The ritual for the sacrament is called the Rite of Penance but it is fitting to refer to it with any of these titles. The Catechism refers to it as the Sacrament of Conversion and the Sacrament of Forgiveness. 

The sacrament consists of four actions on the part of penitent: contrition, which is sorrow for one's sins; confession, that is examining one's conscience and telling one's sins to a priest; receiving and accepting forgiveness (absolution) and penance, namely, a desire to make up for one's sins and amend one's life. 

One does so by asking for God's help and prayerfully examining one's actions in light of Christ's teaching and example. Some review their behavior by the Ten Commandments, others by their correspondence to the beatitudes, others by comparing their beahvior to important Christian virtues, others by the seven deadly sins. Check our PDF above of an example of an examination of conscience with the 10 Commandments. 

A mortal sin involves an action whose object is grave matter that is committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent. Grave matter is generally understood to be something that violates the 10 Commandments. Full knowledge means that one is aware that God or the Church He founded considers the act sinful (even if the person doesn't totally understand why it is sinful) 

Yes. We should not stay away from confession even if we have committed only venial sins since the sacrament not only forgives our sins but gives us God's grace to fight against temptation. 

The Church recommends that Catholics receive the Sacrament of Penance frequently. Strictly speaking, once they have reached the age of reason, Catholics are obliged to confess their serious sins at least once a year. 

No. A priest can never reveal the sins a person has confessed. This is known as the "Seal of Confession" which admits of no exceptions. If a priest were to violate the seal of confession, he would be automatically excommunicated. Over the centuries, many priests have been threatened to break this seal to which they have refused. 

Remember, you are talking to God through the priest. God loves you, wishes to forgive you, and desires to embrace you with the joy with which the prodigal son was embraced. If you are nervous, tell the priest and they will help you. If you have not been for many years, the priest will most likely be happy you have returned. If you do not know the Act of Contrition, you can express that to the priest who will help you or you can say, "Jesus, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner, who loves you." Get the largest sins off your chest first and again do not be afraid to ask the priest help you through an examination of conscience. Finally, don't wait! Share your Father's joy that you are reconciled to a loving Father! 

If you prefer to go to Confession anonymously, that is fine. Most churches have traditional confessionals with the option to confess face-to-face or kneeling behind an opaque screen. 

Through penance, the faithful receive pardon through God's mercy for the sins they have committed. At the same time, they are reconciled with the Church community. The confession, or disclosure, of sins frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others.

The Spiritual effects of the Sacraments of Reconciliation include:

• reconciliation with God by which the penitent recovers grace
• reconciliation with the Church
• remission of the eternal punishment incurred by mortal sins
• remission, at least in part, of temporal punishments resulting from sin
• peace and serenity of conscience, and spiritual consolation
• an increase of spiritual strength for the Christian battle (CCC 1496)

Individual confession with a priest is the principal means of absolution and reconciliation of grave sins within the Church. The Sacrament of Reconciliation frees us from sinful patterns of behavior and calls us to complete conversion to Christ. Reconciliation heals our sins and repairs our relationships.