CHAPTER 11. — PENANCE AND CONFESSION.
1. Q. What does the Sacrament of Penance (or Reconciliation) do for us?
A. The Sacrament of Penance takes away the Sins we commit after Baptism.
2. Q. Who takes away our sins in the Sacrament of Penance?
A. The Priest by the power of God, takes away our sins.
3. Q. When did Christ give Priests the power to take away our sins?
A. Christ gave Priests the power to take away our sins when He said
“Receive ye the Holy Ghost; Whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain they are retained.” (John 20:22-23).
4. Q. What must we do at Confession in order to have our sins taken away?
A. We must tell our sins to the Priest in Confession.
5. Q. What else is necessary by Confession?
A. We must be sorry for our sins.
6. Q. Why should we be sorry for our sins?
A. We should be sorry for our sins because they offend God, Who is so good and Who loves us so much.
7. Q. What should we think of to help us to be sorry?
A. We should think of how good God is, and how He died for us on the Cross.
8. Q. Can we be forgiven if we are not sorry for our sins?
A. We cannot be forgiven if we are not sorry for our sins.
9. Q. What promise must we make in Confession?
A. We must sincerely promise to try to avoid sin for the future.
10. Q. Would an Act of Perfect Contrition obtain forgiveness of our sins?
A. Yes. But we are also bound to go to Confession if we can.
11. Q. Say a short Act of Perfect Contrition.
A. O my God, I am very sorry that I have sinned against Thee,
because Thou art so good, and I will not sin again.
Historical language and viewpoints in the original collection are preserved. For current official teaching, consult the Catechism and the Holy See.
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