04/11/2026
WHY I HAVEN'T GONE TO CONFESSION IN YEARS?
Let me guess.
You receive Communion every Sunday. But you haven't been to Confession in years. Maybe decades.
You're not alone. Most Catholics in America are exactly where you are.
And most of them have one of five reasons.
"I can go directly to God."
You can. God hears you. That is absolutely true.
But here is the question: how do you know?
When you pray privately and ask God to forgive you, you leave that prayer still wondering. Did he hear me? Did it work? Am I really forgiven? The doubt stays because nothing happened outside of you. It was all interior. All in your head.
The sacrament does something different.
A human being — someone you can see, someone with a voice — speaks words over you that are not his words. I absolve you. He is not forgiving you. God is forgiving you. But God chose to deliver that forgiveness through a human voice, a human presence, a real moment in time you can point to and say: that is when it happened.
Tangible. Real. Done.
God keeps choosing the tangible. Water at Baptism. Vows spoken out loud at Marriage. Bread and wine at the Eucharist. Things you can see, hear, touch, taste. Because we are not angels. We are human beings. And human beings need to hear that they are forgiven. Out loud. From another human being standing in the place of Jesus.
You are not left guessing. You heard it. It is done.
"I'm embarrassed."
Good. That feeling is the beginning of honesty.
But here is what you need to know: the priest has heard everything. Every sin you are carrying, he has heard before. Many times. From people sitting exactly where you are sitting. He is not waiting to be shocked. He is not going to gasp. He has probably carried versions of the same things himself.
Walk in. Say it. You will not surprise him.
"I keep confessing the same sins."
So does everyone. So does every human being who has ever lived. The point is not to be perfect before you go. The point is to go. Again. Mercy is not a reward for people who finally got it right. It is oxygen for people who keep trying. You don't stop going to the doctor because you keep getting sick. You go because you need help. Go.
"It's been too long. I don't remember what to do."
Just tell the priest that. Walk in and say: Father, I don't know how to do this. It's been a long time. That's it. He will walk you through every step. You cannot do it wrong if you show up. Showing up is the whole thing.
"The priest will judge me. Or lecture me.”
After the resurrection, Jesus doesn't send Peter a message. Doesn't accept a private apology. He walks up to him, looks him in the eye, and asks one question. Three times. Do you love me?
Three denials. Three chances to say yes.
Jesus looked at Peter with kindness. Not anger. Not disappointment. Kindness.
That is the approach. That is what the priest is trained to be in that moment. Not your judge. Not your lecturer. The face of the one who already knows what you did and is asking you back anyway.
This Sunday. April 12, St. Anthony of Padua.
Fr. Goode and Fr. Erick will be in the church at 1:30 PM. English and Spanish. For as long as needed.
Remember the promise Jesus made to Faustina. On Divine Mercy Sunday, anyone who goes to Confession and receives Holy Communion receives complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. Not just the guilt. The debt too. The broken window replaced. As if it never happened.
Once a year. This Sunday.
Walk in. Say it out loud.
He is already waiting.
Jesus, I trust in you.
