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Podcast Monday -Confessing to Grow Closer to God

Each of us does wrong every day. It’s a part of our nature.

Thankfully, ours is a merciful and loving God that forgives us for what we have done. But how do we seek His forgiveness? In the words of the Evangelist John, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). We confess our sins to each other, to God in prayer, and through a beautiful tool that Christ has given His Church: the sacrament of Holy Confession.

Some are, understandably, nervous about the concept. “What do I confess? How do I confess? How do I know if it’s right?” Some of this is natural, as confession should be a humbling process where we expose ourselves to God in the presence of a confessor. Many of these questions can be worked out through the relationship between the confessor and penitent—especially in the context of regular, repeated confessions—but outside advice can still prove helpful.

In these two short podcasts, Fr. Seraphim Aldea of Mull Monastery gives some advice on how to give a meaningful, grace-filled confession.

http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/monkseyes/confessing_to_grow_closer_to_god

http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/monkseyes/continuing_in_confessional_growth

 

As you listen, consider:

1.  What have my confessions been like in the past? Have they been a simple listing of sins, or have they been a repentant, changing experience?

2.  When I confess, do I bring up others and lose focus of my own sin? How might I concentrate on taking responsibility for my failings?

3.  Have I treated confession like the sacrament that it is? When I confess, am I conversing with God in prayer?

4.  What practices might I employ before, during, and after my next confession in order to maximize its effect on my spiritual life?

 

- Anthony

Anthony Ladas is a student at Fordham University and currently an intern for Y2AM.

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