What If I Can’t Go To Confession?
As Catholic Christians, one of the great gifts we have is turning our sins over to God through the ministry of our priests, who carry on the work of mercy and forgiveness founded in Christ Jesus. This sacramental encounter with our loving Lord is vitally important to both growing in holiness and being freed for salvation, so that we come to fully reconciled communion with the Trinity and one another in the undying splendor of the new creation.
Though it is still possible to go to Confession to one of our priests, for some the present conditions may truly prevent them from celebrating this healing sacrament. What if this happens? Both our Bishop and the Pope have spoken to this situation, echoing the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “Where the individual faithful find themselves in the painful impossibility of receiving sacramental absolution, it should be remembered that perfect contrition, coming from the love God . . . expressed by a sincere request for forgiveness and accompanied by the firm resolution to have recourse, as soon as possible, to sacramental confession, obtains forgiveness of sins, even mortal ones.”
Thus, although we should seek sacramental confession whenever it becomes possible for us, it is good in the interim to express our sins and failures to our Heavenly Father, who hears in mercy and offers us pardon and peace.
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Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.
Only God forgives sins. Since he is the Son of God, Jesus says of himself, "The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" and exercises this divine power: "Your sins are forgiven." Further, by virtue of his divine authority he gives this power to his representatives to exercise in his name.