December's Spiritual Discipline is the Outward Discipline of Confession. In The Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, Richard Foster discusses the Discipline of Confession.
Confession is more than therapeutic. It is a means for us to clear the air between us and God, as well as a way for God to heal and transform our spirits.
Salvation is not just a one-time event; it is also a life-long process. Confession is a Discipline that stems from the grace of God. Confession is doable through God's grace, but it also involves action on our part. We must consciously choose to to approach God and confess.
Confession is both private and public. It is between an individual and God, but it can also be through our trusted brothers and sisters in the faith. It is possible to practice both instead of exclusively focusing on one.
Confession is difficult because oftentimes, we choose to struggle alone in our secret sins, believing the others in our churches are above the sins that plague us. We value our image more than transparency, so we try to conceal instead of freely confessing and allowing others to help and heal us.
Confessing with a Christian brother or sister allows them to serve as a tangible source of Christ's presence and forgiveness in our lives.
We can use liturgical confessions. One benefit of these, is that we don't get the luxury of explaining and defending our actions. We merely confess. At the end, forgiveness is offered typically through a relevant Scripture. There is also the benefit of penance in formalized confessional. Penance isn't a way to earn forgiveness, but it gives us the chance to consider the weight of our sin. It allows us to feel part of the sinfulness of sin.
When utilizing the Discipline of Confession, St. Alphonsus Liguori told believers that in Confession, they need to examine their conscience, feel sorrow, and determine to avoid sin in the future.
Foster continues to encourage Christians to get specific with their sins. This isn't the time to ask God in general terms to forgive any and all sins we committed in thought, word, and deed. This is the time to specifically ask God to forgive our tendency to worry, gossip, and ignore the poor & the refugee. Ask God to reveal the sins of the heart (pride, greed, rage, fear, etc.) and the sins of the flesh (laziness, gluttony, adultery, murder, etc) in our lives. Examine ourselves slowly in light of the Ten Commandments, like Martin Luther.
Sorrow in Confession goes deeper than a mere feeling. It is hating having committed the sin. It is regret at offending God. Therefore sorrow is more a matter of will than emotion.
As we determine to avoid future sin, we seek to strive after holy living, even as we spurn unholy thoughts, words, and deeds. We seek the will and motivation (to delivered from sin) from our heavenly Father.
Foster points out the necessity of an endpoint in Confession. We do not want to constantly be condemning ourselves and our action. Confession should begin with sorrow at our sins, but it should end in joy over our forgiveness and our lives are changed.
Foster concludes with instructions and advice on receiving confession from others.
What do we need to confess today?
