Confession: Taking Grace for Granted?

[Augustine]

The sacrament of Confession is truly a precious gift from Jesus to His Church. The grace received through this sacrament is like being risen from the dead.

Yet, I must confess that sometimes I leave the confessional as though nothing special had happened, not even hours or days later.

I wonder if I’m then taking the grace of the Merciful for granted. Is grace imparted nevertheless? Is it possible to abuse such sacrament? Or is it a sign that no real repentance was present?

 

[Lux_et_veritas]

Augustine:

The sacrament of Confession is truly a precious gift from Jesus to His Church. The grace received through this sacrament is like being risen from the dead.

Yet, I must confess that sometimes I leave the confessional as though nothing special had happened, not even hours or days later.

I wonder if I’m then taking the grace of the Merciful for granted. Is grace imparted nevertheless? Is it possible to abuse such sacrament? Or is it a sign that no real repentance was present?

The grace received through a valid sacramental confession is not something we can feel. We receive a second grace, when God chooses to allow us to feel good about the grace received. It’s much like any moment of sweetness we revieve in prayer. God controls that switch and can turn it on and off by will.

I go frequently from ever 1-2 weeks. I mainly discuss venial matters. However, I can say that I “felt” the grace moreso, following the lifting of some grave sin, moreso than with the venial matters and imperfections. However, this is not always the case.

I mentioned the word “valid” in my opening statement because there are things which can invalidate the confession. Withholding sins out of embarassment, for example. Or, because you disagree with the Church on an issue, but are cognizant of it (like a refusal to acknowledge known sin).