Ask a Marian: How to make a Good Confession & Why Does God Allow Evil?

The Marian Fathers answer questions from club members:

Patricia C. asked, "Why does God make bad things happen?"

This is an excellent question, but a proper answer would require an entire book. A short answer, however, is provided by the Catechism of the Catholic Church (306-314). The Father is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible. This means that, at every moment, He sustains everything in being. He is called the "primary cause." By giving man and woman free will, the Father has enabled humans to be secondary causes and produce real effects in the world, including "bad things." Much of the evil in the world is caused by humans. Why does God allow humans to abuse their free will? Precisely for free will to be free, God as Father must allow His children to choose - without force. Think of an earthly father: If a father never allowed his children to make choices on their own (and possibly make mistakes) and grow in responsibility, we would say that the child is spoiled. That child will never grow to mature. The same is true for us: To enable us to become true sons and daughters who live in the freedom of Christ, the Father gives us the Holy Spirit to guide us to use our freedom for excellence, beauty, goodness, and truth. Sin chooses the opposite and destroys freedom.

Another matter concerns the natural evils in the world: storms, hurricanes, etc. Death, we know, is the result of original sin. Man was to reign over creation, but by original sin, creation is no longer under his power and rebels against him because of his sin. But as to individual circumstances and instances of evil or disaster, we cannot give definitive answers as to why they happen. What we know is that the Father does not rejoice over suffering. In Christ, He has shown us that He is willing to suffer with us to redeem our suffering. We will only know the reasons behind evil at the Last Judgment, when all will be made clear - and why the Father allowed particular evils and how He brought good even out of them.

Anna S. asked, "Would you please explain to us how to make a good Confession. For many of us, we go to Mass on Sunday and on holy days. We are making our Easter duty. What are some things we may not know as sin, and how often should we go to Confession?"

First, Jesus states that the Holy Spirit is the One who convicts us of our sin. Pope St. John Paul II, in Dominum et Vivificantem (On the Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church and the World), wrote beautifully about this role of the Holy Spirit, who points out our sin to open us to the infinite mercy of God. The first recommendation I offer in regard to Confession is to tell people to implore the Holy Spirit for the grace to better understand their sins. For the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth, and He does this by also helping us to attain a better self-knowledge. No amount of written examinations of conscience replace self-knowledge. For instance, impatience is a vice; yet how impatience manifests itself depends often upon one's personality, habits, idiosyncrasies, etc. Hence, what may not be impatience for one person may be so for me. Knowing oneself is important, and for that reason, daily examinations of conscience with petitions to the Holy Spirit help one see one's sins.

Texts that can aid such daily examinations include Biblical texts: 1 Corinthians 13 (for a thorough explanation of this that is helpful for examination of conscience, see chapter 4 of Amoris Laetita [The Joy of Love]); Matthew 5-7 (Sermon on the Mount); Colossians 3; 1 Thessalonians 4-5; Romans 6, 12-15; Galatians 5-6; and 1 Corinthians 6-7. Also, 1 Peter and the Letter of James are very helpful. In light of these, one can see the ideal of following Christ - and in this light, one can better see those areas of one's life where one does not yet fully follow Christ nor imitate Him.

How often should people go to Confession? At least once a month, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recommends. Saint Padre Pio didn't like his spiritual children to spend more than eight days without Confession. The more one meets Christ in the Sacraments, the closer the relationship.

To learn more, order our pamphlet "How to Make a Good Confession" or call 1-800-462-7426.

Got questions? Email us at FriendsOfMercy@marian.org or write to Friends of Mercy, Marian Helpers Center, Stockbridge, MA 01263.