There are two things that might keep you from Confession (and maybe there are more). One is the fear of Confessing. Because no one wants to admit their shortcomings. It's hard to admit them to yourself, let alone to someone else.
But even if you get over that hurdle, there's something else to stop you. When you go to Confession and confess your sins, you are expected to say the Act of Contrition.
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you, and I detest
all my sins, because of Your just
punishments, but most of all because
they offend You, my God, who are
all-good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of
Your grace, to sin no more and to
avoid the near occasion of sin.
"I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin."
Yes, Confession sets you free from sin. But the expectation, your own prayer, is that you will change who you are and battle off sin like a ninja. But can you really do that?
And if you can't, should you even go to Confession? Wouldn't your contrition be a lie? If you go to Confession and confess the same sins every time, what's the point?
The beauty of God's forgiveness is that he loves you enough to always give you another chance. When you are absolved of your sins during the Sacrament, no matter how many times you are absolved of the same sin, God forgets them. He wipes them completely off of you. And you are blameless.
But there is a catch here. If you do go to Confession and every time confess the same sins, you're not taking your prayer seriously. The truth is, you can change. Maybe it will be really difficult. Maybe your friends will be confused. You could even lose a friend. But you can do it. And if you really are sorry for your sins, you really can change. It takes a lot of Grace. It won't happen overnight. It won't be about you. But it will come from your relationship with God. You're human. You can't go to Confession and then live the rest of your life void of sin. But you can accept God's Grace and help in avoiding sin.
Of course, you have to trust him to help you and change you. But he can. And if you're willing, you can too. So don't avoid Confession because you're afraid of messing up again. God already knows you will. And he wants to forgive you anyways. And he'll want to forgive you again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again.
Why? Because he wants you. Desperately. Take him seriously.
Have a change-ful day
*From the mouth of a recovering drug addict, one of God's wonderful sons:
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