JESUS APPEARS TO THE DISCIPLES BEHIND LOCKED DOORS (John 20,19) -  THE BASIS OF CONFESSION.

On the evening of that first day of the week... Jesus breathed on his disciples  and said: "Received  the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven". Christ gave His disciples  the authority to proclaim God's forgiveness on the one who has truly repented and confessed openly.

In the early Church, confession was made before the whole congregation, but over the centuries, the priest remained the sole witness of the Church before whom we make our confession to Christ. The sacrament itself is the final act in a process of self-examination and repentance before God. It cannot be done mechanically and without any spiritual preparation. Before we go to the confession, we need to spend time alone in prayer and reflexion. Our confession has to be clear, without excuses and without discussion of the sins of others.