How often should I go to Confession?

CONFESSING OUR SINS

Lk. 3:16

On Christmas Day the Lord Jesus wants to come to each one of us in a very special way.  But there is only one obstacle that prevents Him and that is our sins.  In His kindness Jesus has given us the remedy of removing that obstacle.  Sadly, there are many who do not use the means He has provided.  The simple means is the Sacrament of Penance.  We have to examine our conscience, be truly sorry for our sins and assure Our Lord that with His help we shall try not to commit them again.  Then we must confess them in the confessional.  We are given a penance for our sins and then we are absolved of them. 

We know that we cannot do this all on our own.  We need the help of the Holy Spirit.  There are Catholics who think that by saying sorry to God at Mass is enough to receive forgiveness.  For serious sins it is not enough, we need to confess them to God through the priest in the confessional.  We realise that on our own we are helpless, we need the help of the Holy Spirit.  We can also ask our blessed Lady, our mother, our Guardian Angel and patron saint to help us.

On the Second Sunday of every Advent the Church presents us John the Baptist who helped the people of his day prepare for the coming of Jesus.  He told them that if they wished to receive the Messiah they were to repent and confess their sins.  Their crooked and deceitful ways must be straightened, their mountains of pride must be flattened and their valleys of corruption, fear and despair were to be filled with goodness, honesty and love.

With the help of the Holy Spirit every one of us, if we want Jesus to come to us this Christmas, has to approach Him in the Sacrament of Penance.  How sad it would be if this great feast of Christmas comes, when Jesus knocks at the door of our heart and we will not allow Him to enter because we have failed to confess our sins.

These are not my words, I am nobody, but the words of someone who was very important in the Church and who knew what he was talking about.  He said, "If you do not go to Confession once a month you are not taking your spiritual life seriously".  These are the words of St. Pope John Paul II.

I can think of three reasons why he said these words.  First, whenever we come to Confession, we meet Jesus.  Surely, that is a very good reason for going?  Second, we go to Confession once a month so that we can build up banks and banks of grace, so that no matter what hits us, no matter what tragedy we have to face, we will never turn away from Jesus.  Third, it is our ticket to heaven.  I can't imagine if you make a sincere monthly Confession you not getting to heaven.  I can imagine Jesus meeting you at the pearly gates, rolling out the red carpet and warmly inviting you into heaven.

I pray that you will seize this opportunity of getting to Confession this Advent.

Heavenly Father, we eagerly look forward to the coming of Your Son into our hearts this Christmas.  May each one of us use the remedy of Confession Your Son has provided to remove all obstacles in Your Son's way from entering our hearts.

I am a Catholic priest and my website is at: https://fatherfrancismaple.co.uk