Secret of Confession Including the Wonders of Confession is an excellent short (93 pages) booklet by a Catholic Priest. The book was written in 1936 by Father Paul O’Sullivan. He should know what happens in the confessional, he had been there thousands of times. This book is probably the most intriguing book ever written about confession, as it includes several stories from inside the box, and it also tells the readers what a Priest thinks about the sacrament of Penance. Do you think a book written by a priest on a sacrament would be interesting to you?
Summary of The Secret of Confession
Fr. O’Sullivan, in this book, combines scripture and series from the confessional, these elements to prove that Confession comes from Our Lord Himself. Confession gives renewed courage and youthfulness of spirit to the heart and soul, and by employing weekly reconciliation, any sin can be conquered. Catholics are required to receive this sacrament at least once a year.
The chapters in this book are:
Letter from Apostolic Nuncio, Lisbon
Part One
1. Was Confession Introduced by a Bishop?
2. Confession Was Instituted by Christ
3. What a Storm Would Have Arisen!
4. What Protestants Think of Confession
5. Facts Are Stubborn Arguments
6. Why Does God Oblige Us to Confess Our Sins to a Man?
7. “Come to Me, All You Who Labor and Are Heavily Burdened”
8. All Men Need a Friend
9. The Choice of a Confessor
Part II
10. Cardinal Mermillod and the Actress
11. The Two Tribunals
12. Jesus and Sinners
A guide to Penance
This book, like others by Fr. O’Sullivan, is powerful in that it is written in a clear, clean fashion. It is easy to read, though it will only really be of interest to those who receive penance. It is written from personal experience. And Fr. O’Sullivan includes enough stories to drive home his points. It is not just a collection of his stories, rather stories are meant to illustrate certain points. One story Fr. O’Sullivan tells is about a young man who comes to him wanting to convert so he can marry a Catholic girl. Fr. O’Sullivan tells him that it is not a good reason to become Catholic.
What Happens in Penanace?
The Sacrament of Penance (also commonly called the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession) is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, in which all are absolved from sins. The other six sacraments, by the way, are Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Matrimony, and the Anointing of the Sick.
During the sacrament of confession, both types of sins, mortal and venial, are forgiven. Mortal sins must be confessed (they are serious offenses against God), and venial sins (less serious sins) should be confessed because they pile up and make a person more likely to commit mortal sins. According to the dogma and unchanging practice of the church, only those ordained as priests may grant absolution. So, The Secret of Confession Including the Wonders of Confession is useful because Fr, O’Sullivan is an expert.
Jesus instituted the sacrament of confession. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says to the Apostles, after being raised from the dead, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.”This was understood from the beginning, the power of forgiving and retaining sins was communicated to the Apostles and their lawful successors, the bishops and priests, for the reconciling of the faithful who have fallen after baptism,
Conclusion
This is an interesting book, though it will likely be of interest to only regular recipients of the sacrament of penance. The book is made more colorful by the inclusion of stories from the first-hand experience of the author, a Catholic Priest in the first half of the 20th century. This classic is a little gem.
