As a priest with decades of experience, having heard many thousands of confessions, I can attest to the importance of this sacrament for a healthy society. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, to the eyes of faith no evil is graver than sin and nothing has worse consequences for sinners themselves, for the Church, and for the whole world. Therefore, we have been given this sacrament as a means to return to the grace of God, who is rich in mercy and solicitous of our salvation. In addition, the graces received in the sacrament help us combat temptations to sin again.
One must ask for this precious gift for oneself and for others. In my experience in bringing into the Church through Godâ??s grace a goodly number converts, when I ask them why they wanted to become Catholic, a common reply is, â??Father, I want to be cleansed of my sins.â? Oftentimes they will follow this by saying, â??and then I will be able to receive our Lord and Savior in the Eucharist.â?
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