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Rite of Reconciliation
(also called Confession)

What is Confession?

Confession, or the sacrament of reconciliation, is God’s gift to us for forgiving sins. All Christians are taught to pray ‘forgive us our sins' (or our trespasses), and all of us will be conscious of things we have thought, or said, or done that we shouldn’t have done, or of things that we ought to have done but have failed to do.

 

Sin has the power to destroy our communion with God, as well as causing damage to our relationships with others, with the created order, and with ourselves. In his death and resurrection, Jesus overcame sin’s power: ‘For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin’ writes St Paul (2 Corinthians 5.21). In other words, Jesus goes to the place sin puts us, death itself, in order that he might rescue us from its power and make of us new creations (2 Corinthians5.17-20). The grace received in confession restores what sin destroys: the sins that mar or distort Christ’s image in us are confessed, absolved, and put away, and we are given strength to turn away from sin and live in newness of life.

 

Why go to Confession?

Jesus’ ministry begins with his call to people to ‘repent, and believe the good news’ (Mark 1.15). This call is for us all, and the good news is that we are given grace to respond: to turn away from sin and to accept the forgiveness God offers. After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20.21-23).

 

He has entrusted to his Church the ministry of reconciliation, and one important aspect of this is the sacrament of confession. Confession of sins was widely practised in the early Church, often requiring public confession and public penance, overseen by a bishop, as successor to the apostles to whom Jesus entrusted this ministry. In time, the practice developed of bishops and priests hearing private confessions, and even after the Reformation, the Book of Common Prayer retained this, recognising its power and pastoral help for those who find themselves burdened with a sense of sin, and who cannot quieten their conscience. And this is an important reason for going to confession: it is a place where sins can be recognized, confessed and forgiven, advice sought and received, and where God’s mercy can be applied directly to our own personal circumstances and struggles.

 

The Church of England has never taught that all must go to confession, but it offers this sacrament recognising it as a powerful means of grace. The standard Anglican teaching in relation to confession is expressed as "All may, none must, some should." Some will be content with the general confession in the Eucharist week by week; most of us, however, know that our sins are not general but particular, and sometimes it helps to examine our consciences, say our sins out loud to someone else, and to hear out loud the assurance, given by Christ through his apostolic ministers, that we are forgivable and forgiven.

 

Is confession confidential?

Yes. Nothing you say during the course of the sacrament of reconciliation can be repeated outside it, even to you (unless you bring the issue up again with the priest). The priest may never disclose what you say, even after your death.

 

What happens in confession?

Some churches advertise set times for confession, and you can turn up at the appointed time. At St George's, the parish priest  will be happy to see you by appointment. You may be offered the choice of sitting or kneeling, and there is a short rite during which you ask God’s help to confess your sins, have space to say them out loud, and ask for forgiveness. The priest will offer some advice relating to what you have confessed, and will give you a penance to complete (this is a short act, such as saying a particular prayer or reading a passage of Scripture, to be completed straight after you’ve made your confession as an act of thanksgiving and sign of your desire for amendment of life.). The priest may then ask you to say a short act of contrition, and s/he will then absolve you. You can then leave, knowing that you have received the forgiveness Christ offers through this sacrament, and the freedom to live in him.

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The rite used at St George's can be found here.

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Preparing for Confession

The desire to go to confession is already a sign of the grace of God at work in us. God’s work of reconciliation begins long before we ask for his forgiveness: as in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke15) God in his love reaches out to us while we are still far off.

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Before making a confession, it is good to spend some time in self-examination. Ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to show you what you need to bring to God for forgiveness: the Spirit works in us to comfort and strengthen, and bring us into truth and freedom. You may also find it help to pray one of the set litanies (please see below).

 

Self-examination is a means by which we can start to open our lives to God so that he can heal and reconcile those parts of us that are broken or sinful. Start by meditating or reflecting on God’s goodness. True penitence arises not from fearing God’s wrath but from responding to the love he shows us.

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It is love that makes truth bearable, so as you begin your examination of conscience remind yourself God created you in love and redeems you so you can share in his love. Usually, people will have some sins they know they need to confess. In time, and with prayer, others will come to light. Note them all down. Depending on how long it is since you last made your confession (if ever), you may find it helpful to set aside several periods for self-examination, perhaps corresponding with different periods in your life.

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

Some people find it helpful to be guided by a form of examination of conscience, and one based on the 10 Commandments is provided here as an example. For further advice, speak to a priest.

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I am the Lord your God: you shall have no other gods before me:
Have I treated people, events, or things as more important than God?

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You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain:
Have my words or my silence demeaned God, the Church, or other people?

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Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy:
Do I attend the Eucharist on Sundays? Do I pray regularly and read the Scriptures regularly? Do I take time for rest? Do I spend time with friends and family?

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Honour your father and your mother:
Do I show my parents/other relatives/those in authority proper respect?

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You shall not kill:
Have I harmed another through physical, verbal or emotional means, including gossip or manipulation of any kind?

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You shall not commit adultery:
Have I respected the physical and sexual dignity of others and of myself?

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You shall not steal:
Have I taken or wasted time or resources that belonged to another? Have I used wisely the time and resources that are given to me? Have I cared for the earth?

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You shall not bear false witness:
Have I gossiped, told lies, or exaggerated stories at the expense of another, or otherwise harmed their reputation?

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You shall not covet your neighbour’s spouse:
Have I honoured my spouse/partner with my full affection and exclusive love?

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You shall not covet your neighbour’s goods:
Am I content with what I have (including reputation and achievements), or do I compare myself to others unnecessarily?

A deeper look:


Canon Law of the Church of England

B 29  Of the ministry of absolution
1. It is the duty of baptized persons at all times to the best of their understanding to examine their lives and conversations by the rule of God's commandments, and whereinsoever they perceive themselves to have offended by will, act, or omission, there to bewail their own sinfulness and to confess themselves to Almighty God with full purpose of amendment of life, that they may receive of him the forgiveness of their sins which he has promised to all who turn to him with hearty repentance and true faith; acknowledging their sins and seeking forgiveness, especially in the general Confessions of the congregation and in the Absolution pronounced by the priest in the services of the Church.
2. If there be any who by these means cannot quiet his own conscience, but requires further comfort or counsel, let him come to some discreet and learned minister of God's Word; that by the ministry of God's holy Word he may receive the benefit of absolution, together with ghostly counsel and advice, to the quieting of his conscience and avoiding of all scruple and doubtfulness.
3. In particular a sick person, if he feels his conscience troubled in any weighty matter, should make a special confession of his sins, that the priest may absolve him if he humbly and heartily desire it.
4. No priest shall exercise the ministry of absolution in any place without the permission of the minister having the cure of souls thereof, unless he is by law authorized to exercise his ministry in that place without being subject to the control of the minister having the general cure of souls of the parish or district in which it is situated: Provided always that, notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of the Canon, a priest may exercise the ministry of absolution anywhere in respect of any person who is in danger of death or if there is some urgent or weighty cause.

 

Proviso to Canon 113 of the Code of 1603
Provided always, that if any man confess his secret and hidden sins to the minister, for the unburdening of his conscience, and to receive spiritual consolation and ease of mind from him; we do not in any way bind the said minister by this our Constitution, but do straitly charge and admonish him, that he do not at any time reveal and make known to any person whatsoever any crime or offence so committed to his trust and secrecy (except they be such crimes as by the laws of this realm his own life may be called into question for concealing the same), under pain of irregularity.

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