““Against You, You only have I sinned and done this evil in Your sight” (Psalm 51:4).

The son did not return or draw near to his father until he was aware of his need. This in turn motivates us to seek God and draw near to him This sense of need is a gift of God’s grace working on a person’s mind and is initially given when God summons the individual to approach him.

Step One: Test yourself Remember your sins and your times of weakness. St. John Chrysostom said, “Test yourself. If you remember your sin God will not remember it and if you forget it, God will not forget it”. What about the Prodigal Son?

Step two: Repent We cannot repent unless our hearts become sorry for what we did. We should be confident of God’s love and be sure that He will accept us. Today God is here to offer us salvation and forgiveness, not to judge us. Judgment day has its own time and place. What about the Prodigal Son?

Step three: Attitude against sin Repentance is not just “I’m sorry for committing this sin”. It is an active, positive movement towards our Father. What about the Prodigal Son? Like the Prodigal Son, we must rise and pray and seek God’s help to grant us the power so that we may not sin again.

Step Four: Confession Is it necessary to confess to a priest? Yes, because he receives his authority from God who forgives our sins. Which Sacrament? When did Jesus confirm this sacrament? The priest makes me ashamed of myself when I repeat my confession of the same sin in my confession. Pride may lead man to refuse to confess his sins to the Priest.

Remember, if you are not ashamed of yourself when you sinned before God, you have to be ashamed before the priest during confession. This actually reminds you of the lowliness of sin. This feeling should motivate you to not sin and become closer to Christ

Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4) The wage of sin is death. Sin may be in the form of ______, ______ or _______. action, saying or thinking Apparent sins such as insulting people, calling them names, swearing, stealing and telling lies. Selfishness, pride, laziness, grudge, hatred, etc. (John 3:14- 20). We must examine ourselves well before confession to discover our sins. The real death is when we think that we are saints and are not in need of the Savior or when we are desperate of the mercies of God.

O righteous Lord… I know my weakness and the silliness of my mind but I give myself to your grace to save me. With complete trust and confidence I leave myself between your hands to keep me safe till the Day of Judgment. Bless me and grant me Your grace till Your Son comes. Glory and Honor be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit forever and ever, Amen.

Pride Selfishness Grudge Hatred Laziness Disobedience Dishonesty

1. What is sin? To what extent is it dangerous? 2. What are the steps of true repentance? 3. Why should we confess to our priest?

We must examine ourselves well before confession to discover our sins, as this is one of the signs of our spiritual progress. The real death is when we think that we are saints and are not in need of the Savior or when we are desperate of the mercies of God. There is no joy in heaven and on earth greater than the joy of the Father with the true repentance of His children. There is no comfort greater than the comfort of the sinners when they rid themselves from the burdens of sin