Preparing Oneself 
             While one may come to the sacrament with very little preparation, it is almost certain that one who takes the time to prepare for the sacrament will find him or herself more aware of God’s grace working through the priest.  It is not that God is not working but rather we become more aware of it. 
             Many of the great saints encourage people to make a daily examination of conscience before they go to sleep each night.  This great act allows us to see the patterns of sin that we may be more prone to fall into.  It is important though that right before one goes to confession that he or she takes time to perform a more detailed examination of conscience.  For an examination of conscience click on the link below
 
 Celebrating the Sacrament
             As a priest, I normally invite the penitent to begin with the Sign of the Cross.  Some people prefer to start with the words: “Bless me father for I have sinned…”  Either way is acceptable.
 
             The priest will then invite you to state how long it has been since your last confession (if you cannot remember just admit that) and what sins that you wish God would forgive.  At this time it is important to admit any sins that you can remember.  Do not worry if all of sudden you forget some of the sins because of nervousness.  The important thing is to show your trust in God’s mercy by not being afraid to tell God (through the priest) your sins.  It is not important to remember every sin since your last confession.  The priest may offer some advice on how you may prevent the sins you mention from becoming a habit or how to put an end to this bad habit of sin.  He will then ask you to perform a penance.  It is important to note that through the sacrament your sins are forgiven whether or not you do your penance.  We cannot earn God’s mercy but rather He freely gives it to us.  The penance is an attempt on our part to make up even if it is a small way for the sins of the past and to demonstrate to ourselves that we really do want to change our lives for the better.
 
             The priest will then act you to pray the Act of Contrition (contrition means sorrow). You may make one up telling God how sorry you are and that you will try to do better with His grace, or you can use one of the formal Acts of Contrition like the one below.
 

ACT OF CONTRITION
 O my God,
 I am heartily sorry for having offended You
 , and I detest all my sins
 because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell,
  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 confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.
 Amen.

             The priest will then say the prayer of absolution.  As a priest, I think this is truly an awesome prayer because it goes beyond forgiveness.  We believe that our sins our so overwhelmed by God’s mercy that they cease to exist.  Like a spoonful of sugar in a swimming pool.  The sins are absorbed into God’s mercy.  The priest will then say something like: “Your sins are forgiven, Go in the peace of Christ,” and it is appropriate to answer “Thanks be to God.”