Confession: Saturdays from 4pm-5pm in Chapel or by appointment with Father William. Call the office at 403-381-8891 or email Father at pastor@stmarthasparish.ca to book a confession.
Why should I go to confession? When we sin, we become complacent in it. Satan will present sins as things that aren't a big deal, then after we commit them, he will make them seem as they are too big to be forgiven. He will turn the guilt we feel from doing something wrong into shame. He will twist the idea that "sins are bad" into "you are bad." Confession is us walking towards the acknowledgement that we are sons and daughters of God, that we are not defined by our sins. Its us seeing sins as they are and asking for Gods grace and mercy to be led by Him, to be guided by His words and Spirit. Ultimately you should go to confession because by Christs death and resurrection He has deemed you worthy of forgiveness, of mercy and His love.
Answer The Catechism of the Catholic Church says in 1849 Sin is an offence against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbour caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law."121
Are there different types of sins?
Answer:We commit varying types of sins as humans, the two types are venial and mortal. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says in 1853 Sins can be distinguished according to their objects, as can every human act; or according to the virtues they oppose, by excess or defect; or according to the commandments they violate. They can also be classed according to whether they concern God, neighbour, or oneself; they can be divided into spiritual and carnal sins, or again as sins in thought, word, deed, or omission.
What makes something a mortal sin?
Answer:CC 1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God's law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart133 do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.
What Makes something a Venial sin?
Answer: CC 1862 One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.
Why do i confess to a priest?
Answer: Jesus has given priests the ability to be in persona Christi. To act in the person of Christ. CC 1443 During his public life Jesus not only forgave sins, but also made plain the effect of this forgiveness: he reintegrated forgiven sinners into the community of the People of God from which sin had alienated or even excluded them. A remarkable sign of this is the fact that Jesus receives sinners at his table, a gesture that expresses in an astonishing way both God's forgiveness and the return to the bosom of the People of God.44 Just as Jesus received sinners at His table, so does the Church receive sinners. We embrace and welcome sinners to come into our faith, our community, and our parishes. If we didn't, we would have no church. We are all sinners being welcomed by Christ into His Church. Confession allows us to remove our sins and to no longer let them define us, but to have us be defined by Christ.
What sins do i need to confess?
Answer: All of them. Even if our sins are venial we still have distanced ourself from God. Even the smallest pebble in a shoe can cause great damage over time. A good practice to have with confession is if you feel as though you are done confessing but unsure if you forgot to say something end with "Thats all I can remember". It can bring a peace of mind knowing that if you forgot something that sin is not withheld from God by your humanity.
What gives the priest authority to forgive my sins?
Answer: CC1444 In imparting to his apostles his own power to forgive sins the Lord also gives them the authority to reconcile sinners with the Church. This ecclesial dimension of their task is expressed most notably in Christ's solemn words to Simon Peter(Our First Pope): "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."45 "The office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of the apostles united to its head."46 To conclude 1445 The words bind and loose mean: whomever you exclude from your communion, will be excluded from communion with God; whomever you receive anew into your communion, God will welcome back into his. Reconciliation with the Church is inseparable from reconciliation with God.
How do my sins affect others?
Answer: One of the reasons we go to a priest and confess our sins, is because the priest also represents the community that we have hurt through our sins. What happens to us in our lives affect our moods, our thoughts and our actions. In the same way so does our sins. Even our sins committed behind closed doors affect others, because they affect us.
Doesnt got get tired of hearing my sins?
Answer: No, Never. God never tires of us coming to Him. We tire of confessing the same sins, we tire of being sinful but God never tires of forgiving us. No matter how long we have avoided confession, or how recently we just went God meets us with the same mercy and love. The story of the prodigal son shows the heart of God, and the way we are seen by Him.
