All of the above.
At the beginning, I usually kneel, and ask for the grace to be present, focused, attentive. Sometimes are better than others. I acknowledge His greatness. I thank Him for the things He has given me, has done for me. I express my sorrow for the ways in which I have failed.
I will sometimes read prayers (Liturgy of the Hours) or reflections. Sometimes I will hear God speaking to me there.
Sometimes I will just sit and try to be quiet. Sometimes I hear a still, quiet voiceā¦sometimes not.
Often I will take my journal, for it seems that is where it is easiest for me to hear God. I write, I ask, I listen, I write.
Sometimes I go with the purpose of doing an examination of conscience prior to going to confession. I ask Jesus to help me see, I may go through a list of questions, and I write.
Before I leave, I will kneel again for prayer. An Act of Contrition usually makes itās way in there somewhere.
Sometimes I hear God, sometimes I donāt feel like I do. But always it is good. I think the most important thing is to be open.
A personal story??
Last summer I was taking someoneās place at the Adoration Chapel. I wasnāt really going for any purpose, except to fill in the hour. Nothing was pressing in my life, had been to confession a couple of weeks earlier. Life was pretty good.
I had prayed the 7 Sorrows Rosary earlier in the week, and one of the blessings promised was the grace of ācomplete repentanceā or some such thing. I thought to myself at the time, āYeah, thatās what I want.ā
I sat down at Adoration with no real direction and pulled out a book I had recently picked up about Our Lady of Kibeho. In it, Mary speaks to her children about how to pray. So I followed along, writing in my journal as I prayed. I got to the part about acknowledging my sins. That was where the Lord decided to speak. I have often struggled with
what to say in the confessional. Let me tell you, when I left that day, I had quite a list.
It wasnāt what I went there seekingā¦I didnāt really go seeking anythingā¦but it was if my prayer from earlier in the week was answered right there. Used to the timelines of the world, I had figured it would take longer to process.
End of the storyā¦I went to confession the next weekend - even though it was a little sooner than *my *once-a-month preference. (Perhaps the Lord was inviting me there sooner.) Bless me Father, for I have sinned. Itās been 2 weeks since my last confession, and it wasnāt my idea to be back here again so soon. I went to the ālittle chapelā. The Lord spoke, and I took notes. And I brought them with meā¦
