If you want all your sins forgiven, then, Yes, you really do need to confess all your motral sins. And it’s worth it too.

Here’s why:

When it comes to forgiveness there is nothing like confession. Through it God washes away our sins and strengthens us.

Now is a great time to go to confession as Lent draws to and end and Easter approaches!

How do I know if I’ve committed a moral sin?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the three conditions for a sin to be mortal:

1. When the sin is seriously wrong
2. When the person who commits the sin knows that it is wrong
3. When the person commits the sin with full willful consent

When you are not sure, then your conscience is probably giving you a hint and it’s a good idea to confess that sin to a priest.

What about venial sins?

If you don’t have any mortal sins to confess, it is still a good idea to confess your venial sins (sins that aren’t mortal) periodically, because confession gives us the grace to resist sin, helps us to alter our sinful habits, and makes us less prone to fall into mortal sin.

As the video above illustrates, when we make a good confession, all our sins get washed away.

Think of it like washing your clothes regularly. Just because you don’t have visible stains on your shirt doesn’t mean that it’s clean, especially after wearing it for weeks without washing it. Of course, most people have the habit of doing their laundry pretty regularly. Similarly, going to confession regularly is a very good habit for keeping your soul clean. And your soul is worth a lot more than the shirt on your back.

The good news: Jesus forgives!

Take advantage of this time of grace to cleanse your soul of sin by going to confession. You’ll be glad you did.

Behind the scenes… The making of the video (more on confession)