the sacrament of reconciliation or penance
Only an ordained priest or bishop can hear a confession.
There are three essential parts to the sacrament of confession in the Catholic Church: contrition (sincere sorrow for sin), confession (telling one's sins to a priest), and satisfaction (performing the penance prescribed by the priest).
In the sacrament of reconciliation or confession, you receive sanctifying grace if you make a worthy confession. The priest will hear your confession and absolve you of your sins, if he is able (which means that you are genuinely contrite and intend to not sin again), and give you a penance, which is usually a token punishment for you to show your repentance to God. The sacrament of penance restores you to baptismal purity.
Of course you can confess your sins when you pray at night, as a matter of fact, you are urged to do this every night before going to bed. However, do not confuse this with the sacrament of Penance (popularly known as Confession). The Sacrament of Penance (aka Confession) requires a priest.
Roman Catholic AnswerAnyone can talk to a priest if he has time, but he can only give absolution to a validly baptized Catholic. Confession (Penance) is one of the seven sacraments. In the normal course of events only Baptism may be received by a non-baptized non-Christian (who would then be a baptized Christian). In an extraordinary case, there is a way that a non-Catholic, for instance, an Eastern Orthodox Christian, who believed in the sacrament of Penance and was in danger of death, AND HAD NO WAY TO GET TO HIS PRIEST could apply to a Catholic priest for Penance. In the normal course of events, if you believe in the sacrament of Confession, then you should talk to a priest about instructions with the intention of converting.
The first step is contrition, that is saying sorry to the people you have sinned to and getting their apology...Feel sorry for your sins too... this has cleansed you 50 % The second step is self examination. Recall all the sins you have commited. The third step is to confess it in the confessional box. The last step is penance.......to say the penance which you have been told by the priest. This has cleansed your soul 100 % God Bless!!!!
Roman Catholic AnswerThe sacrament in which one confesses one's sins is called Penance. The common name used by the laity is Confession, but technically it is the Sacrament of Penance.
* Examine your conscience thoroughly * Be sincerely sorry for your sins * Confess your sins to the best of your ability * Resolve to amend your life * After your confession, do the penance the priest gives you
Have you got leave to go to shrift today? used as a noun. the imposition of penance by a priest on a penitent after confession.
The priest's role in confession does include giving each penitent a particular penance as a part of their contrition for their sins. The particular penance given depends on a host of factors including the sins committed, the culture, and most importantly, the priest. In the United States, most priests for regular penitents have them offer a number of prayers (i.e. 3 Our Fathers, 5 Hail Marys, etc.) as penance. For instance, if a child is making his first confession, it is not likely that his penance will be extremely cumbersome. Similarly, most adults who go to confession regular are given short, simple penances. However, if the person has confessed a serious sin such as murder, rape, etc., the penance may be something more than a private prayer. In such a situation, the priest may tell the person that their penance is to turn themselves in or seek professional help.
A priest in the Roman Catholic Church or the Eastern Orthodox Church is usually the one who hears a confession and prays the prayer of absolution for the penitent (assuming the person is willing to repent). The priest may also give the penitent a "penance" which is an obedience and discipline, typically a set of prayers to be prayed regularly or an admonition to return to a more regular prayer life already prescribed. Note that the word "penitentiary" is related to the words penitent and penance.