Call this an alphabetic lesson of sorts.

Let’s look as “C,” as in Confession.

A parish bulletin pointed out that four “Cs” make for a good or bad one.

A good Confession is:

Concise. Confession with few words, just the words needed to say humbly what we have done or have failed to do, without any unnecessary elaboration or adornment. Before Confession, be in a real mood of humility. No need to go on and on. Be honest but not loquacious.

Concrete. Confession without digression, without generalities. The penitent should humbly indicate his/her situation and also the time elapsed since the last Confession and the difficulties he/she finds in leading a Christian life. He/she declares his/her sins and the surrounding circumstances that have a bearing on the sins so that the confessor may judge in the Person of Christ; absolve in the Person of Christ; and heal in the Person of Christ.

Contrite. Truly sorry. This means prayer from the heart. The truth sets us free. The truth cleanses. Feel it. Free yourself. Pray that you not become obsessed with what you’ve done, after confessing it.

Clear. A Confession where we make ourselves understood declaring the precise nature of the sin, manifesting our sinfulness with the necessary modesty and delicacy. Ask the Holy Spirit to clear your mind. Be with Saint Joseph this month. But most of all, Jesus.

Complete. Confession should be integral, without leaving anything out through a false sense of shame so as not to appear bad in the eyes of the priest hearing the confession. All mortal sins must be confessed by number and kind. But again: don’t use too many words. The priest is not a psychiatrist. The Holy Spirit should flow through you (and the confessor).

A big “C”: crucify the flesh. Vow to self-control.

Another lesson is with the letter “F.”

Over and over, whether in Catholic writing or in supernatural reports, we find the tremendous importance of the first “F”:

FORGIVENESS.

Very crucial in our journey to Heaven.

It’s one of the keys Peter uses. Its importance is hard to overstate.

That means to:

FORGET.

It doesn’t work when we say, “I can forgive but not forget,” if you still feel anger recalling it. You are not meek (enough). If you think that, your heart has not always purged. You do not adequately love. You have not “turned the other cheek.” (Remember always His words from the Cross: “Father,  forgive them…” Bless them and you will be blessed.)

Another “F”:

FAITH:

Be in God’s Power. A wise woman from Ireland tied this with another negative “F” word:

FEAR

If we have one hundred percent faith, we have no fear.

If we have just eighty percent faith, we have twenty percent fear.

If we have just twenty percent faith, we have eighty percent fear.

Fear—except for the holy fear of God—makes us incomplete. (Fear of God, on the other hand—respect, acknowledgment—is “the beginning of wisdom,” Proverbs 9:10).

Think of these “hidden” virtues and “hidden” sins as you examine your conscience this critical season spelled LENT.

[See also: An examination of conscience]

[resources: Michael Brown online retreat]