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Going to confession is good for your soul
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Question: What's up with Confession?
Answer: Confession, as the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation is most frequently known, is perhaps one of the most peculiar aspects of Catholicism. As a convert, it remains one of the toughest parts of my own development as a Catholic. Before being received into the Church, I was only familiar with the practice of confession through movies and though I knew many Catholics, I wasn't ever aware of anyone going to confession.
The first hurdle for me was getting over the notion that you were confessing your sins to and asking forgiveness from another man. In fact, when I go to confession, I'm asking forgiveness from God, and the priest, is functioning as God's agent. The absolution, that is, the forgiveness, comes from God alone. While allowing our various misdeeds and vanities to be aired in public seems de rigeur (see Facebook, Twitter, et. al.), the notion of seeking forgiveness is a tough pill to swallow in a culture where everything is tolerated.
Is going to confession embarrassing and uncomfortable? Of course it is, but it's necessary and it's a tremendous gift. When it's all over, I always feel relieved and it helps me to be a better person. The idea that the first step in correcting a problem is acknowledging that it exists is quite powerful. It's one thing for you to be ashamed of and sorry for something you've done, but saying it out loud is another thing entirely.
The number of Catholics taking part in the sacrament of penance declined rapidly in the 20th Century -- according to a 1995 poll, only 8% of Catholics went to confession once a month or more. Many within the Church are working hard to bring confession back as an important part of Catholic identity.
Archbishop Donald Wuerl, of Washington, D.C., for instance, began a campaign to invite the faithful back to the confessional with the slogan of "The Light is On For You." The concept is catching on in other dioceses around the country, like the Archdiocese of Baltimore , which credits Archbishop Wuerl's initiative and borrows the tagline and advertising blitz, and the Archdiocese of New York, where a group of young people organized a 24 hour confession initiative.
I can't more fervently recommend confession to you if it's something you've been away from for a while. My friend, Monsignor Charles Pope, has written a concise summary of what you need to do to prepare for a good confession.
Perhaps the best advice I might be able to give to you is this: Relax. There's nothing new under the sun and the priest has probably long lost any sense of shock. He's heard it all a thousand times. You're not going to tell him anything he hasn't already heard.
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