Confession
To many people the thought of confessing their sins out loud and in honest detail is quite unthinkable, certainly uncomfortable.
The Anglican Church has quite explicit references to the availability of Sacramental Confession in the Prayer Book and in the Canons of the Church.
When the time of the visible life of Jesus on earth was nearing its end, he passed on the authority to forgive sins to the men he had chosen to carry on his work. In St John's Gospel he says "As the Father sent me, so I am sending you. Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained".
This sacrament is for everyone, especially for those who do not think they need it! For it gives us a chance to examine our conscience, to admit we need to know forgiveness and to be lifted out of self-righteousness.
What is said in the confessional is kept in total confidence, so much so that the priest is not even allowed to refer in private to what you have said without your permission.
Confession is not easy, and it does not get any easier, it takes courage to go, but it is worth the cost. Just as the pain of the Cross to the disciples was followed by the joy of the Resurrection, so the effort, the pain of Confession is followed by the joy of hearing the words of forgiveness spoken. But it is a joy which can only be experienced, not described.
If you have never made a Confession before, let the priest know before hand and he will guide you through what to expect and what to do.
Click here to see the rite of the Confession as used on the Pilgrimage. (You will need Adobe Reader to view this file).