“Forgiven: A Guide to Confession & the Examen Prayer”
Orianne Pietra Rene Dyck, FSP and Allison Regina Gliot, FSP
Pauline Books & Media (2024)
133 pages, $10.95
Over the course of the National Eucharistic Revival, I had seen several proposals that we need a “Confession Revival,” too. It’s hard not to agree. We’re all sinners in need of God’s grace. We all need the experience of God’s mercy in order to be people of mercy. We need all the help we can get as we press on to live Christ and give Christ.
I’ve personally noticed Confession lines growing again in many nearby parishes. I hear priests preaching about the sacrament of reconciliation again. I see more resources for the faithful made available. The sacrament is vital, truly – for in it we encounter the life of the world, by whose dying we have been set free.
And they’re needed. It often seems like there’s an insurmountable gap in catechesis and praxis when it comes to Confession. People hear about it. They had their training in first grade or OCIA, but there is not further consideration of the beauty, power and efficacy of the sacrament and its necessity for fruitful discipleship and growth in holiness.
And so I was very pleased to find in my hands the newly released “Forgiven: A Guide to Confession & the Examen Prayer” this summer. What a treasure-trove of material packed in just 133 concise pages. It features a thorough primer on everything related to Confession: catechesis, FAQ, practical material for preparing to receive the sacrament and themed scriptural and prayer resources.
The book is very accessible and geared toward anyone who might be hoping to engage the sacrament more fully. Readers will find no stone unturned when it comes to all things Confession. It accomplishes a great deal despite its small size in helping clarify confusion about the sacrament, dispel myths and lead the reader into a deeper experience and ease the anxiety that can often prohibit celebrating the sacrament.
One minor suggestion I would’ve proposed to the authors is an additional section connecting Confession and the Eucharist more concretely, as I’ve often found that we have much more to realize when it comes to the reciprocal tie between those two sacraments and it could contribute uniquely to the overall efforts to revive Eucharistic faith today.
“Forgiven” would make a great gift for any Catholic, or anyone considering becoming Catholic – best for those of high school age or over – because it is a book I’d like to think each Catholic would find useful. Such a handy, portable and practical resource like this can boost the confidence many Catholics need just to feel comfortable entering the Confessional. It gives what’s needed to be fully prepared, and it can be brought into the Confessional, too. The detailed outline of the rite itself is indispensable. But so, too, is the examination of conscience proposed so that one can be spiritually ready for Confession. And the FAQ clarifies many lingering questions Catholics and non-Catholics alike might have about the sacrament who don’t have the benefit of sitting down for a chat with a priest or theologian to find out the answers.
Our faith is shaped by community, which is impacted by our sin. I think readers will greatly appreciate the quotes from saints and other holy people at the start of its various sections. It is a reminder that this sacrament is a gift to all God’s people and was a sure, steady, grace-filled means to holiness for the holiest among us. And for those of us who wish to follow their way, this book gives us the tools we need for overcoming sin and vice, but, more importantly, to becoming more conformed to Christ. Which makes its concluding section on prayer and Scripture quite valuable. Concise and carefully chosen, the biblical passages included, along with related prompts for reflection, reiterate the themes of the sacrament. And they compel us to more readily embrace those themes in our own discipleship and quest for sanctity.
All that makes “Forgiven” an important book for our time. I hope that dioceses, parishes and schools can find ways to make it available in bulk. We can all benefit from such a rich, convenient and useful resource to better prepare us for and deepen our experience of God’s forgiveness and mercy in the sacrament of penance and reconciliation.
