How to Make a Good Confession

91 Q. How do you present yourself to the confessor?

A. I kneel at the feet of the confessor and I say: "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned."

92 Q. What do you do while the confessor blesses you?

A. I humbly bow my head to receive the blessing and I make the Sign of the Cross.

93 Q. Having made the sign of the Cross what should you say?

A. Having made the sign of the Cross, I say: "I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to all the Saints, and to you, my spiritual Father, that I have sinned."

94 Q. And then what must you say?

A. Then I must say: "I was at confession such a time; by the grace of God I received absolution, performed my penance, and went to Holy Communion." Then I accuse myself of my sins.

95 Q. When you have finished the accusation of your sins what do you do?

A. When I have finished the accusation of my sins I say: "I accuse myself also of all the sins of my past life, especially of those against such or such a virtue" -- for example, against purity or against the Fourth Commandment, etc.

96 Q. After this accusation what should you say?

A. I should say: "For all these sins and for those I do not remember, I ask pardon of God with my whole heart, and penance and absolution of you, my spiritual Father."

97 Q. Having thus finished the accusation of your sins what remains to be done?

A. Having finished the accusation of my sins I should listen respectfully to what the confessor says, accept the penance with a sincere intention of performing it; and, from my heart, renew my act of contrition while he gives me absolution.

98 Q. Having received absolution what remains to be done?

A. Having received absolution I should thank the Lord, perform my penance as soon as possible, and put in practice the advice of the confessor.

Absolution

99 Q. Must confessors always give absolution to those who go to confession to them?

A. Confessors should give absolution to those only whom they judge properly disposed to receive it.

100 Q. May confessors sometimes defer or refuse absolution?

A. Confessors not only may, but must defer or refuse absolution in certain cases so as not to profane the sacrament.

101 Q. Who are those penitents who are to be accounted badly disposed and to whom absolution must as a rule be refused or deferred?

A. Penitents who are to be accounted badly disposed are chiefly the following: (1) Those who do not know the principal mysteries of their faith, or who neglect to learn those other truths of Christian Doctrine which they are bound to know According to their state; (2) Those who are gravely negligent in examining their conscience, who show no signs of sorrow or repentance; (3) Those who are able but not willing to restore the goods of others, or the reputations they have injured; (4) Those who do not from their heart forgive their enemies; (5) Those who will not practise the means necessary to correct their bad habits; (6) Those who will not abandon the proximate occasions of sin.

102 Q. Is not a confessor too severe, who defers absolution because he does not believe the penitent is well enough disposed?

A. A confessor who defers absolution because he does not believe the penitent well enough disposed, is not too severe; on the contrary, he is very charitable and acts as a good physician who tries all remedies, even those that are disagreeable and painful, to save the life of his patient.

103 Q. Should the sinner to whom absolution is deferred or refused, despair or leave off going to confession altogether?

A. A sinner to whom absolution is deferred or refused, should not despair or leave off going to confession altogether; he should, on the contrary, humble himself, acknowledge his deplorable state, profit by the good advice his confessor gives him, and thus put himself as soon as possible in a state deserving of absolution.

104 Q. What should a penitent do with regard to selecting a confessor?

A. A genuine penitent should earnestly recommend himself to God for help to enable him to select a pious, learned, and prudent confessor, into whose hands he should put himself, obeying him as his judge and physician.