Confession as Intercession

Divine Appeal Reflection - 272

Today, consider in Divine Appeal 272:  "Do confession not only for yourself alone."

Our Adorable Jesus, in His infinite mercy, has given to His Church the Sacrament of Penance as a well of grace that flows eternally from His Precious Blood for the purification of souls and the regeneration of the world. When we enter the confessional, the priest hears only our own sins—spoken with humility and truth before God. We never bring the faults of others, for confession is always personal. The grace of confession, however, is never confined to that moment. Each sin we commit cracks more than the relationship we cherish with God-it breaks the fellowship within the Church. Each individual slip resonates across the whole Body of Christ (cf. CCC 1469). Similarly, each absolution is an embrace back to God, but it is also a stitch to what was shattered and a fortification for the entire Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:26). For this reason, our Adorable Jesus does not beckon for a rare and distant confession but for frequent, even weekly, reconciliation: grace is limitless and overflowingly generous, while sin is daily, sneaky, and unrelenting (cf. Rom 5:20). The saints, clear exemplars of this reality, rushed to the confessional, fully aware that unattended wounds rot, whereas wounds submitted to Christ's mercy are not only healed but glorified. Their zeal turned them into living tabernacles of light, bearing the glow of forgiveness to the world and fortifying countless souls with the power of grace.

In today’s world, confession is too often reduced to a last resort in crisis, spirituality is mistaken for self-improvement, and religion is dismissed as a private sentiment. Yet the Church proclaims confession as a sacrament of communion, spirituality as union with God, and religion as the public worship owed to Him (cf. CCC 2096–2100).. But the Catholic faith unmasks this illusion. Confession is not private therapy but the renewal of communion with God and His Church. Our Adorable Jesus desires that we come often, not because He wants to humiliate us, but because He longs to heal us. The confessional is the throne of mercy where He waits like the Father of the prodigal son, eager to embrace us weekly, to clothe us again in grace, and to restore us to our mission (Lk 15:20–24). When we confess, we do not tell the priest about others’ faults; rather, we name only our own sins. Yet we kneel with the whole Church in our hearts, offering our repentance so that mercy may flow to families, parishes, and nations. This is the mystery of biblical intercession: Daniel bowed with contrite lips for the sins of his nation, Moses stood in the breach to shield Israel, and Christ Himself bore the guilt of all upon the Cross (Ex 32:30–32; Dan 9:4–19; Is 53:5). Thus, when we confess, we do not kneel alone; our act becomes a hidden priesthood, drawing down streams of grace for the healing of the whole Body.

Weekly confession, lived in this way, transforms how we examine our conscience. We no longer see sin as only “private mistakes” but as cracks in the walls of communion. Our selfish words fracture households, our indifference weakens communities, our pride poisons the witness of the Church. To bring these sins weekly into the confessional is to allow Our Adorable Jesus to repair not only us but the bonds we have broken. Parents who confess impatience draw grace into their homes. Priests who confess weakness obtain renewal for their flock. Workers who confess dishonesty invite mercy into their workplaces. Students who confess pride strengthen their schools with hidden light. None of this means confessing others’ faults; it means confessing our own with the awareness that absolution is not confined to us alone. In the same way, a weekly confession is a charitable deed, a concealed intercession. Our faults are erased, our spirit is refreshed, and the world is covertly blessed as a result of our turning back to God. The Sacrament is, therefore, both medicine and mandate, a deeply personal absolution and a mysterious renewal of the whole Church, where frail human repentance meets the inexhaustible mercy of God, and from this encounter streams forth healing for souls and strength for the world.

In this age of polarization, wounds, and spiritual fatigue, weekly confession is more urgent than ever. Our Adorable Jesus longs that we rediscover this sacrament not as shame but as fire, not as humiliation but as strength. Imagine households transformed by weekly reconciliation, each member confessing only their own sins, yet together carrying the family’s burdens before God. Imagine parishes where confession is not a forgotten corner but the radiant furnace of renewal. Imagine a world quietly healed by hidden intercessors who confess weekly, letting mercy flow into their nations through their own absolution. This is no fantasy but the very reason and logic of grace: God’s reconciling act of grace saves all creation, not just us (cf. Romans 8:22). To speak words of penitence not simply for one’s self but together with the entire Church and all of creation in one’s heart is to practice one’s baptismal priesthood, to share in Christ’s ministry of reconciliation (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:18–20). To approach the confessional on a weekly basis is to receive a sacramental rhythm that draws one ever deeper into the Eucharist, into sanctity, into mission. In this sacrament, Christ is not merely forgiving us: through our modest repentance He is elevating His Church, healing His Body, and renewing the world.

Prayer

O Adorable Jesus, draw us to weekly confession, where Your mercy cleanses and renews. May our contrition heal the Church, our absolution strengthen families, and our penance bless the world. Teach us to confess only our sins, yet with hearts interceding for all, until Your love reconciles all creation. Amen.

Sr. Anna Ali of the Most Holy Eucharist, intercede for us.