As a rule, a confessor must listen to the sins of a penitent and absolve the sins. Some essential criteria required for a good confession are:
1) sincere repentance,
2) a good resolved to avoid sins and the circumstances of falling into sins especially the grave ones,
3) the confession of sins to a priest and
4) reparation for sins through penance that includes restitution for the loss cause to others.The confessor before absolving the penitent also gives the necessary advice and recommends a penance to be done by the penitent.In this process some grave sins (e.g. desecration of the Bl. Sacrament, solicitation during the confession etc...) may not be forgiven just as Jesus said, " Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven and whose sins you retain they are retained" (Jn . 20:23). The words of assurance, "go in peace" quite fittingly conclude the confession and will prove effective by the grace of God and the faith of the penitent and the minister.
Basically, it is a good and repentant disposition that invites the forgiveness of sins from God. That is a grace from the Father because the Father without the Father granting it, there is no possibility of making good confession, " No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,and I will raise him on the last day " (Jn. 6: 44; 6: 65). So one needs to beg from the Father this grace of coming to Jesus; that happens through a good and repentant disposition. Before Jesus said, " Your sins are forgiven", there was, therefore a grace that the Heavenly Father sent down to draw the sinner to Jesus. Jesus knew it well and he also took control of all the essential requirements for a good confession.By analysing some examples when Jesus forgave the sins of people, we will notice how Jesus was very flexible about the way he dealt wiyh sinners and at the same time sent them away in peace after forgiving them.
1. The paralytic is forgiven from sins before he is healed as soon he is laid before the eyes of Jesus, (Mt. 9: 2-8; Mk.Jn. 20: 23) 2: 1-12; Lk. 5: 17-26).It was their faith that moved Jesus to say those words, "Son, your sins are forgiven". But at the same time the disposition of the paralyzed man must have been ready for such a grace of forgiveness because he did not get offended being considered a sinner, rather he was moved to repentance when loved by Jesus and called 'son' (Mt.9:2; Mk.2:5) or 'friend' (Lk. 5:20). He wanted mercy and he received it in abundance when he also was healed. On the other hand the Pharisees and leaders of the people reacted to the words of forgiveness and only went back home more hostile to God. The way the grace of forgiveness operated in the case of the paralytic is a mystery; but one thing we must believe is that 'Jesus presence there had its own power when someone had faith and had wanted to be relieved of every problem. It is possible that the paralytic was looking for the day of forgiveness and had received the grace of repentance, just as Jesus welcomed him with love.
2. A woman with an alabastar jar with precious ointment is forgiven by Jesus, " He said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven' (Lk. 7:48). All we know is that, "she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment" (Lk. 7: 38). It was her love that brought her forgiveness for all her sins, although she was unable to confess them. So love matters very much, or rather it is the main requisite,to receive pardon from God.
3.The woman caught in adultery is released by Jesus, "Then Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go, from now on, do not sin any more" (Jn. 8:11). It is not said that Jesus forgave her the sin of adultery as he only said, 'neither do I condemn you, go in peace and do not sin any more'. But this part does not imply that she was considered innocent but definitely forgiven and told not to sin any more. Her sorrow for being caught turned into repentance for her sins as she found herself in front of her Saviour. There was a confession that was unexpressed that Jesus could read and so his forgiveness was instant.
4. The Samaritan woman also was forgiven, "Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, 'He told me everything I have done'" (Jn. (4:39). In this case Jesus announced the Gospel of living water to her and made her do an examination of conscience, by telling her, 'Go and call your husband'. That was something important for a good confession and he gave her peace as a free gift just as she came to realize that he was the Messiah. So she became a missionary to preach the good news.
5. Zaccheus is forgiven though it is not explicitly mentioned. But Zacchaeus does promise to set things right, "But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ' Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor; and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over'. And Jesus said to him. "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost" (Lk.19:8-10). In the case of Zaccheus there is real conversion and will to do restitution for defrauding, as well as, to do charity, something important after a good confession. His confession is a real example of doing reparation for sins by making amends for the mistakes of the past.
6. The sick man lying at the pool of Bethesda was forgiven as he was healed because Jesus told him later, ' ' Look, you are well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse may happen to you' ( Jn. 5: 14). Jesus had forgiven him just by speaking to him at the pool and the physical healing was preceded also by the spiritual healing , that of forgiveness of sins.
7. Matthew (Levi) when he was called received pardon. The Fact that he made amends by hosting a banquet with the money he had and then left everything to follow Jesus, indicates conversion. This is understood because Jesus told the Pharisees, "Go and learn the meaning of the words, ' I desire mercy, not sacrifice'. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners' " (Mt. 9: 13). Matthew's call involved a conversion on his part, as he decided to give up the past and offer a thanksgiving dinner. Jesus by his very presence loved him and made him feel loved, that at the same time included the forgiveness of sins.
8. The good thief on the Cross is forgiven just for the one sentence he said, "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom". Was there any confession of sins done on his part? No, he only acknowledge that he was being punished justly and proclaimed that Jesus is innocent, in other words, Jesus was the sinless one and savior. It was by the grace of God that he was able to make that prayer just as Jesus said, " No one can come to me unless, my Father draws him to me" ( Jn. 6: 44) That mighty absolution given by Jesus from the Cross was the last act of pardon Jesus gave before his death. The Cross itself was the confessional from which went forth salvation.
9. After his Resurrection Jesus meets Peter and some of the Apostles on the Shore of the Sea of Galilee. There Peter is forgiven for his denial three times when Jesus ask a this question, 'Simon, son of John do you love me?' and Peter responds, 'Yes, Lord, I love you'. This happened three times and Peter is overwhelmed by Jesus' forgiving love. Jesus then commissions Peter as the head of the Church. That was forgiveness through love.Peters triple act of love was hat Jesus wanted from him.
10. Thomas is forgiven and reconfirmed of his faith. He committed a grave sin of doubting the resurrection of Jesus although the others had told him all the facts that were convincing enough if he wanted to believe. His problem was the facts that he had missed what they had got. But doubt was a serious sin, next only to denial.So it was necessary for him to repent and profess his faith which he did after seven days of agonizing wait when the Lord came down again to reconfirm Thomas as an apostle in front of others. So Thomas confessed," My Lord and My God" . With that single sentence the courageous apostle proclaimed his faith not only in the resurrection of Jesus but also formulated for us the doctrine of Jesus' Lordship and divinity: Jesus is Lord and God. Jesus forgave him but not without letting him know that his faith would have been more acceptable to God if he had believed, without seeing. Thomas took to heart that mild reprimand and amends for going to the farthest corner of the then known world when he came to South India and preached the faith and died a martyr.
The criteria followed by Jesus for the forgiveness of sins may appear strange or vague to us; but one thing that strikes out is his love that meets the sinner and melts the heart and then follows total forgiveness, It is God embracing the sinner as Paul says, " In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us " ( 2Cor. 5: 19).
The instances of forgiveness given by Jesus to individuals were not many according to the Gospels, but the program announced by Jesus for the forgiveness of sins was a vast campaign of inner calling people to repentance, as we know from the Gospels. He made it the purpose of his mission on earth to net in sinners and on various occasions he said it, " I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners " (Lk. 5:32 ). He was gentle when he spoke thus to the simple and ignorant but to the self - proclaimed righteous he was quite stern , " But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as likewise!" (Lk. 13:5) ; and again in John we read, " He said to them again, ' I am going away and you will look for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come ' " (Jn. 8:21 ). Severals of his parables are stories of God's mercy towards the sinner who repents whatever the sin is.
The power given to the apostles included also the power to forgive or retains sins ( Mt. 16:19 and Jn. 20:23). That at the Last Supper even his words had power to cleanse those who believed in him we make out from his words at the Last Supper, " You have already been cleanesed by the words I have spoken to you" (Jn. 15: 3 NRSV). but he was going to do more than that. At solemn moment he let the apostles know for sure that his blood would be shed for the forgiveness of sins , " Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ' Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiiveness of sins" (Mt. 26: 27- 28) .The author of the letter to the Hebrews tells us that Christ accomplished that sacrifice once and for all for our redemption, " He entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption" ( Heb. 9:12 ). The same letter tells us more specifically, " But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice " (Heb. 9: 26b). This has been therefore the confessional programme of Jesus for us. That was the final mandate given to the apostles to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins ( Lk. 24: 47 ). In the present times Jesus returns to us as a confessor through the devotion to the Divine Mercy so that all may enter the channel of grace by having recourse to the forgiveness of sins, for which many are the ministers deputed by Jesus. May Jesus the good confessor help us to realize this!
