Confession Is Cheaper than Therapy

October 12, 2023

Instead of Catholics turning to non-Christian practices such as yoga and mindfulness in attempts to feel better emotionally, decrease their stress, and improve their lives, an even stronger action to take that will achieve supernatural benefits is to partake in the Sacrament of Confession. 

Going to Confession might never be depicted as fun and enjoyable, but it should always be described as rewarding and refreshing. When you think about the specialness of this sacrament, it is truly wonderful that one can have his or her sins resolved, can feel a weight lifted off his or her shoulders, and can often pick up insights on how to improve relationships and live a more fruitful life – all for free! There’s nothing wrong with making an appointment with a therapist if a person is struggling emotionally, but it’s nice to be able to acquire spiritual-therapy at no charge.

It is indeed a good idea to pay for therapy with a professional mental health counselor or psychiatrist in severe circumstances, but this can take place concurrently with the cost-free acts of daily praying and regularly receiving the Sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion, not instead of. The confessional booth was never meant to cure one’s mental illness, just as the psychiatrist’s couch will never absolve one’s sins. Pope John Paul II said in an address to members of the World Psychiatric Association:

“The confessional is not and cannot be an alternative to the psychoanalyst or psychotherapist’s office, nor can one expect the Sacrament of Penance to heal truly pathological conditions. The confessor is not a physician or a healer in the technical sense of the term; in fact, if the condition of the penitent seems to require medical care, the confessor should not deal with the matter himself, but should send the penitent to competent and honest professionals.”

Starting with the Baby Boomers as they aged into adulthood in the 1970s and continuing into the 21^st century, most Catholics no longer practice going to Confession as they did from the beginning of Christianity through the latter part of the 20^th Century. This huge drop in individual Confessions over just the past 50 years could be because too many Catholics today think they can write their own version of Catholicism. 

There are a shamefully large portion of Catholics who, by erroneously believing they can choose what they want from the list of Catholic doctrine and traditions, are imitating the natural version of Catholicism. Catholics cannot forego the Sacrament of Confession – also called Penance or Reconciliation – and instead simply tell Jesus in a private prayer that they feel repentant. Authentic Catholics will certainly tell Jesus in private prayer that they feel repentant – having this private conversation both during and after an examination of conscience – but in addition they will go ahead and receive the actual sacrament by stating their sins to a priest in the confessional room/booth, praying an Act of Contrition, and performing the penance the priest assigns. Confession allows us to experience the mercy and forgiveness of God’s love at a much higher level than merely having a silent talk with Him.

There are many other reasons why Catholics are instructed to go to Confession. First of all, we confess our sins to the priest knowing he forgives sins in Christ’s name, just as Christ intended it to be. Our Lord wants us to know there is mercy when we have sinned, but that we need to repent of our sins. Repentance is one of the most frequently used words in all of Sacred Scripture, which makes sense since there wasn’t a more important lesson Christ gave the Apostles than to preach the need for repentance. Later in His ministry, Jesus would give His Apostles a power that could be passed on to their successors (the future bishops and priests) – the power to forgive sins in His name. Jesus told the Apostles:

 “As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:21–23)

We confess our sins to the priest because it helps us grow in humility, which is conveniently avoided if we only talk to God in private. It’s not mortifying in the privacy of our bedroom with the door closed to have a talk with Our Lord and tell Him how sorry we are for having sex outside of marriage, for having an abortion, or for masturbating to pornography. Now, have that same talk with the priest who is forgiving sins in Christ’s name and for most people it will be awkward and feel humiliating. It is important to grow in humility, and confessing our sins out loud in the confessional booth forces us to humble ourselves.   

Another reason we confess our sins to the priest is so that we can be assured that our sins are indeed forgiven. Instead of relying on a subjective feeling, we definitively hear the priest say the Prayer of Absolution:

“God, the Father of Mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son, has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins. Through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sin in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

A bonus reason for going to Confession is we might also receive sound and objective advice in analyzing why we are sinning and how to avoid this same sin(s) in the future. Just note that this doesn’t happen in all Confessions, as the priest doesn’t always have time to counsel us. But many times, a priest in the confessional booth will ask you a few questions to understand your situation and offer some pastoral advice.

Catholics start the season of Lent receiving ashes on their foreheads, with a common command the priest says when imposing ashes being, “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” Additionally, for the first Sunday of Lent each year, the Gospel reading includes these initial words from Jesus as he began his public ministry, “Repent and believe in the Gospel!”

To help us repent and to assure us our sins are forgiven, God has given us the great gift of His mercy in the Sacrament of Confession. Whether we’ve committed a minor (venial) or a major (mortal) sin, we made the choice to break God’s law. As a result, depending on the severity of or number of sins, we’ve either put a strain on or completely severed our relationship with God. But God, in His infinite mercy, is always ready to welcome us back. We merely need to repent by expressing remorse for choosing to do something we knew was wrong, we need to promise to do our best to not commit that sin again, and we need to be absolved from our sins in the Sacrament of Confession. 

If a Catholic is conscious of a mortal sin, he or she must receive the Sacrament of Confession before receiving Communion. To consume the Body of Christ while knowing he or she has committed a mortal sin but has not been absolved of this sin by a priest, a Catholic is receiving Communion unworthily – which, ironically, is adding another mortal sin to the list. So, knowing this reality, you would think that the number of Catholics going to Confession would be somewhat close to the number who receive Communion – but it isn’t. 

“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 11:27)

Shame and/or pride might deter many Catholics from going to Confession, but another reason for a lack of confessional lines forming in most churches can be chalked up simply to ignorance because it is not preached from the pulpit. Too many priests these days don’t remind Catholics that the Church has a minimum requirement to go to Confession once a year, and that more frequent trips to the confessional than once a year are very beneficial. You don’t hear homilies these days about the need to go to Confession as often as earlier generations did. Back in the day of your grandparents and great grandparents, not only were there long confessional lines, but the lines to receive Communion were shorter than today because authentic Catholics back then would not dare to receive the Body of Christ if they knew they had a mortal sin unconfessed. 

A good suggestion for true Catholics is to set your calendar for going to Confession at least every four to eight weeks to confess the venial sins that have piled up in the past month or two. Of course, don’t wait a month of two if a mortal sin was committed; go as soon as possible in that case. (For a refresher on how to determine if a sin is considered venial or mortal, here’s a brief explanation.) But regardless of if you committed a severe sin or just a lot of minor ones, definitely don’t let more than two months go by without receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Penance. If you receive the sacrament every eight weeks, you will have gone six times annually – which, woefully, is probably six times more than any of your Catholic neighbors have gone. 

You will find with frequent Confession that you will be filled with spiritual strength and a strong resolve to amend your life the minute you leave the confessional. These positive feelings are very powerful antidotes to combat sinning, and due to God’s grace, you will find with each confessional visit that more time passes between committing any repetitive sin, as you gain the strength to better refrain from repeating the sin.

Here are some other benefits people give for why they frequently go to Confession:

• Self-knowledge is increased so one’s virtues can advance;

• Humility grows;

• Bad habits can eventually be overcome and one’s vices can be tempered;

• One’s spiritual fervor grows stronger;

• The will is strengthened to help one more frequently choose good over evil;

• One is more likely to want to do better in all aspects of daily life.

Confession of one’s sins brings with it a purification and, importantly, peace of conscience. This is tied to the healing aspect of Confession. There are only two “healing” sacraments – Confession and the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick (previously called “The Last Rites”). In the Anointing of the Sick, the priest asks our Redeemer to heal sickness, and if the recipient is terminally ill or in advanced age, asks for Christ’s support, comfort, and protection. In both Sacraments, the Lord forgives sins (in the person of the priest) and the priest asks Christ to “expel all afflictions of the mind.” 

By participating in the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Penance, we are provided with so many graces. It’s a wonderful opportunity to experience God’s love in this amazing sacrament, so don’t pass up the chance! Let our Almighty, Ever-Loving God welcome you back into His loving arms.