Q. Why do we have confession? If God knows everything, why can’t we just tell him that we’re sorry when we do something wrong?

A. Confession may be one of the most difficult parts of our faith for some. But for others, Confession is something they deeply look forward to. Your question is a good one. Let me offer some thoughts.

First of all, it’s very true that “God knows everything.” We call that omniscience. So, yes, He knows everything you’ve done and He knows whether you are sorry for that or not. But there is a big difference between God “knowing” what you did and His act of forgiveness.

For example, if you sinned against a friend with whom you were very close and then you felt sorry for that it’s possible that your friend would realize, just by knowing you, that you were truly sorry. But that doesn’t mean that you can just presume on your friend’s goodness and forgiveness. The best thing to do, in this situation, is to actually sit down and tell your friend you are sorry and to have your friend tell you that you are forgiven. This very human exchange brings about reconciliation.

So it is with God. God is all merciful and wants to forgive use all our sins. But for true reconciliation to take place God wants you to actually say those words and then to hear the words, spoken by the priest, that you are forgiven. So Confessions is not only about God forgiving us, it is also about reconciliation with God on a human level. To be continued…