It's been awhile . . . How do I go to Confession?
How do I go to Confession? | How does somebody know when to stand and sit and kneel at Mass?
Like the Jewish religion, the Catholic Church is a faith community of ritual. Some of the practices and traditions of the Church can be a little confusing. The purpose of this section is to help people to understand some of the practices in the Church.
It is good to remember that the celebration of the sacrament is important. If a person has been away from the sacrament for a long time, and has forgotten how to go to confession, they should simply ask a priest for guidance.
Also, people should remember that a priest is bound by what is known as the seal of confession. namely, a priest may not reveal, either directly or indirectly what is revealed in confession, for the sacrament involves such serious purpose: to facilitate the reconciliaton of the penitent to God and the Church.
Still, it might be helpful to know a general form for the private reception of the sacrament. The sacrament is usually celebrated in this way. First, the person seeking forgiveness (the penitent) enters the confessional or reconciliation room. This is usually a small room where the penitent (the one seeking God's forgiveness) sits (or kneels) either face to face in the presence of a priest, or, behind a screen, where the priest can hear the penitent but not see them. The penitent beings by saying, "Bless me Father, for I have sinned." Then, the penitent tells the pirest how long it has been since their last confession. For example, "It has been one month since my last confession." This helps the priest take into account the individual circumstances of the penitent. Then the penitent shares with the priest those areas of sin in his or her life. "And these are my sins . . ." After the penitent has recounted all of the sins he or she can remember, they conclude, "These are all the sins I can remember. I ask penance of you, Father and absolution." Then the priet offers words of encouragement and guidance. The priest may ask questions of the penitent for understanding, and may read or quote Scripture to help guide the penitent. After, the priest offers a penance for the penitent, which is an action which helps the penitent get back on the right track. The penitent may then say an "Act of Contrition" which can be as simple as the Scriptural, "Have mercy on me, O God, a sinner", or a formal prayer learned as a child. The penitent may also express sorrow and a desire to change in an informal way, simply talking to God. The priest then prays the prayer of absolution, "loosing" the sins as Jesus indicated in the Gospel of Matthew when Jesus told the apostles "What you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven". The priest then usually ends the celebration by wishing the penitent the peace that comes from God's forgiveness.
Catholics are to celebrate this sacrament whenever they are conscious of serious or grave sin, called mortal sin. Since mortal sin serious separates us from God, Catholics see an intimate connection between the sacraments of Confession and Eucharist. Catholics conscious of serious sin are not to receive communion until they have confessed these sins.
How do I know when to stand and sit and kneel at Mass?
The easiest answer to this question is to quite simply watch the others at church. While this may sound simple, it isn't a bad way to know what to do. Many churches have misalettes (prayer books) that contain readings and prayers used at Mass. They oftentimes indicate when one should sit, stand or kneel.
Perhaps it might also be helpful to know the rationale of these actions. Generally, we stand to pray or praise, we sit to listen, and we kneel to worship. While there are some exceptions, this simple explanation can be helpful to understand the actions of the Mass as they occur.