The Sacrament of Confession: What It Is and How to Receive It Well

The seven sacraments are the principal channels of God’s grace to His Mystical Body, the Church. Among these is one that washes us of sin and restores us to friendship with God. All this is accomplished by this one sacrament, this excellent channel of God’s grace: Confession.

Here is the single volume you need to guide you through making a good Confession and fruitful reparation thereafter. You’ll learn the numerous monumental advantages that frequent Confession brings to your soul as well as the steps to obtaining plenary indulgences for the remission of punishment due to sin.

But first, you’ll learn how to perform an effective examination of conscience based on the Ten Commandments and the traditional teaching of the Church. You will then discover not only common pitfalls in the spiritual life but also techniques for developing your spiritual life and aligning your will with God’s will.

Specifically, in this short volume, Fr. Pérez’s wisdom will lead you to understand:
• Why the sacrament of Confession is not only useful but necessary for you and for all Christians
• How Confession cleanses you from sin and refreshes your soul
• Why a good Confession is more meritorious than therapy
• What is meant by perfect contrition and the means by which it is attained
• How Confession is invalidated by withholding a mortal sin or omitting the penance
• Tips for making your Confession prudent, honest, and brief

Also featured are prayers to help you prepare for Confession and to meditate upon after Confession. The handy manual includes accessible lists of the precepts of the Church, the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, the beatitudes, and the theological and cardinal virtues.

Due to Original Sin and concupiscence, we are born with a tendency to sin. Thankfully, God does not abandon us in this battle but provides us with this necessary means of salvation and healing. Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen often decries the massive resources people spent on psychologists when a good, thorough confession would have been much more efficacious―and free!

Your fidelity in receiving the sacrament of Confession will fortify your soul, open your heart to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and help repair our Church and our world.

Very Rev. Héctor R. G. Pérez, S.T.D., C.S.L.J., is a canon of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem. He is rector of the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, located at St. Stephen's Church in Pensacola, Florida. His talk "Three Days That Changed the World" is available through Lighthouse Media.

Very Rev. HÃ(c)ctor R. G. PÃ(c)rez, S.T.D., C.S.L.J., is a canon of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem. He is rector of the Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, located at St. Stephenâ (TM)s Church in Pensacola, Florida. His talk â oeThree Days That Changed the World⠝ is available through Lighthouse Media.