Take the counsel of St. Albert the Great on how to make a true, sincere confession! Continue reading in The Paradise of the Soul.
What Is a True Confession
A true confession is a sincere and unconcealed manifestation of one’s sins made in the presence of a legitimately ordained priest. The Lord Himself indicated this when He instructed the leper who had been healed to “go and show yourself to the priests.” Similarly, we find a commendation of the practice of confession in the epistle of James, in which he writes, “Confess your sins to each other.”
For a confession to be really true and meritorious, it should be complete, pure, deeply considered, and faithful. It should be made without reservation, according to what is written in the book of Lamentations: “Pour out your heart like water before the Lord.” In this “pouring out,” the aspect of completeness is represented. Confession should not be made like giving forth water just drop by drop, but whatever the penitent can bring to mind, he should reveal completely and fully to the priest, in a free outpouring.
The quoted text also specifies that confession should be poured out like water. Here it is indicated that confession ought to be pure and made with the simplicity and clarity of water. Confession should never be made out of servile fear or external compulsion, but purely and simply for the love of God.
Next, the verse says, “Pour out your heart.” Here, the necessity of deep consideration is indicated. For effective confession does not pertain only to words said, or actions performed or omitted. Rather, it ought to include all impure thoughts and unwholesome emotions, wayward intentions, harmful desires, perverse judgments, and presumptuous suspicions. For, as Origen states, on the Day of Judgment, our secret thoughts will either accuse us or defend us. For our thoughts and feelings, even if they are accompanied by no words or actions, leave a lasting impression on our soul, like a seal which has been pressed into wax.
Finally, the line of Scripture being considered says, “Pour out your heart like water before the Lord.” The words “before the Lord” indicate that our confession should be made with complete faith. All our sins are to be considered in the context of mindfulness of God. And whenever we, in our limited capacities and limited self-awareness, are able to recognize one single sin or fault within ourselves, God, in His all-seeing omniscience and infinite wisdom, is certainly aware of a thousand others!
We should be encouraged to cultivate the virtue of honest confession by a consideration of the certain remission of sins and purification of the soul that it brings about. As Saint John testifies, “If we confess our sins, there is One who is faithful and just, who shall forgive our sins and cleanse us from all iniquity.” Indeed, honest confession has such power that the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—all hear it and respond to it. It is wisely said that even if God already knows all our sins, He still awaits our confession of them.
Signs of an Honest Confession
A sign of the virtue of true and honest confession is when a person does indeed “pour out his sins like water.” After this “pouring out,” there should remain nothing of the color of sin, as if it were milk being poured out. Nor should there remain anything of the flavor or texture of sin, as if it were oil that were being poured out. Nor should there remain anything of the odor of sin, as if it were wine or vinegar being poured out. Rather, like water being poured out, no trace at all should remain evident in the vessel.
Another indication of an honest confession is when a person is able to specify his sins with precision and accuracy in regard to number, seriousness, and degree. An indication of insincere or improperly motivated confession is when a person confesses only for the sake of appearing to be faithful to the practice, or when he wishes to seem holy to others, or because of fear of the shame of being obliged to exclude himself from the reception of Holy Communion.
A Prayer for Honest Confession
O Lord, by true confession
We’re freed from all our sin,
From every taint of evil,
The guilt that lies within.
My hidden thoughts and secrets
I’ll pour like water clear,
Revealing all my failings
To Your forgiving ear.
ooo
This article is taken from a chapter in The Paradise of the Soul by St. Albert the Great which is available from TAN Books.
