Dissatisfying Family Fun: Could  Monthly Confession Be The Answer?

There are many reasons for families to go to monthly confession. You will quickly find that your family is more peaceful and harmonious. Every member will be receiving more graces and growing more holy.

More Peace And Harmony

Monthly confession produces a family that gets along with one another in peace and harmony. That equals family fun!

Before confession each member of the family promises never to sin again which results in whole families trying never to offend God. By cutting out sin in a home harmony and peace are achieved.  

Monthly Confession = Holier Lives

The graces received through monthly confession forges families that lead holier lives. By trying never to sin again each individual family member is leading a holy life.

Growth In Virtue

Moreover, by making a monthly confession, one realizes the sins he commits repeatedly. Seeing this, he can change his  ways and practice virtues.

So let's say you went to confession and your sins were circling the deadly sin of Pride. Your take home for that month is to practice humility.  By intimating monthly confession your family will have family fun in family activities.

How To Make A Good Confession

Find Out Your Sins: Examination of Conscience

"I Am the Lord thy God. The God that brought thee out of the Land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage...

"Thou shalt not have any strange gods before Me. "

Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of anything that is in heaven  above or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not adore them."

• Did I join secret societies?
• Have I disrespected priests?
• Have I played on a Ouija board?
• Have I been to a fortuneteller?
• Have I ever had my palms read?
• Did I deny that I was Catholic?
• Did I neglect prayer through laziness?
• Did I willingly attend non-catholic services or non-catholic Sunday School?
• Have I yielded to doubts against  the Faith?
• Have I allowed myself to listen to those who have spoken with contempt to our holy Faith?

"Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain."

• Did I take a false oath?
• Did I curse?
• Did I anger others to make then curse?
• Have I used God’s name in an improper manner?
• Have I called God to witness without sufficient reason?
• Have I broken an oath or failed to fulfill a vow?

"Remember the Sabbath day; keep it holy."

• Did I miss mass on Sundays or holy days through my own fault?
• Have I come late to Mass through my own fault?
• Did I misbehave in church?
• Did I work on Sundays for a long time without necessity?
• Did I willingly get distracted during Mass?

"Honor thy Father and thy Mother."

• Have I disobeyed my parents?
• Did I disobey my teachers?
• Was I mean to my parents?
• Did I make fun of old people?
• Was I rude to my teachers?  
• Have I neglected to pray for my parents and pastor?

"Thou shalt not kill."

• Did I consider killing myself or another?
• Did I get helplessly drunk?
• Was I angry or stubborn?
• Was I mean or unkind to others?
• Did I wish evil to others?
• Was I prideful?
• Did I hate others?
• Did I try to “get-even” with others?
• Did I fight or quarrel?
• Did I make others fight?
• Did I lead others into sin by my bad example?

"Thou shalt not commit adultery." "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife."

• Did I not get married before a priest?
• Did I get a divorce?
• Did I marry a divorced person?
• Did I want impure thoughts and took pleasure in them?
• Did I teach others to commit impure sins?
• Did I take pleasure in touching myself or others?
• Did I look at impure pictures?
• Did I go to bad places?
• Did I watch bad movies?
• Did I go with bad companions?

"Thou shalt not steal." "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods."

• Did I not pay laborers for work well done?
• Did I ever rob a church?
• Was I jealous or envious?
• Did I wish to get in a wrongful way what belonged to others.
• Did I cheat?
• Did I steal anything?
• Did I help to steal?
• Did I keep stolen goods?
  Did I respect others’ property?
• When found, did I fail to return valuable items?

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."

Be Sorry For Your Sins

• Did I say mean things about others in their absence?
• Did I tell lies?
• Did these lies harm others?
• Did I talk about the sins of another?

After the elderly lady leaves to confessional you go in next. You enter and close the door. You are in a dark room - alone with your sins.

The dark room represents your soul in the state of sin. You feel for the kneeler and kneel down. Suddenly blinding light streams into the black room.

It takes a minute for your eyes to get accustomed to the light. The light represents the light of grace coming into the soul.

The priest makes the sign of the cross. You stagger out:

“Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It has been ______ since my last confession.  I am a ______(adult, child, husband, wife, ext.) I accuse myself of the following sins.”

Then begin to list your sins telling mortal sins first and the number of times you committed them.

If you ever have a doubt if anything is a sin, ask the priest. He is your best friend on earth. For it is he who gives you Our Lord in Holy Communion. It is he who absolves you of your sins. And without the help of the priest who would give you last rights?

The man behind that curtain has spent seven years in a seminary to help you. Feel free to ask him any questions. Remember, the priest would rather die than tell others what he has heard in the confessional.  

When You Have Finished Telling Your Sins Say:

“For these sins and for all the sins of my past life, already forgiven or forgotten, I ask pardon of God for them.”

The priest will tell you to say the Act of Contrition while he absolves you. After the Act of Contrition you are done with your confession.

Remember this whole process will become easier as you continue the practice of monthly confession.

Do The Penance The Priest Gives You

For offending the Almighty, All Powerful God, all He asks of you is to do penance for your sins by saying a few prayers.

In the confessional the priest will tell you to say a certain amount of prayers. Remember to thank the priest as you leave the confessional.

Go into a pew and say your penance and a few other prayers at least to thank God for the great mercy He has shown you.

That wasn’t so bad. In fact the more often you go to monthly confession the easier it will become.

Monthly confession make your family grow in holiness paving the way for more satisfying family fun thus creating a more peaceful and harmonious home atmosphere.

Thank you for your time in reading this. I hope it helped and answered any questions you had about the practice of monthly confessions.