For I have sinned...

Another Catholic distinctive, of course, is sacramental confession.

Unlike some others, we believe that Our Lord meant it when he gave his apostles the power to forgive or retain sins in his name - and we believe that power is handed on to their successors, the bishops, and delegated by them to our priests.

And like other Catholic distinctives, it has been drastically downplayed recently. We are now told we only need go once a year, and then only if we are conscious of mortal sin.

That's a bit like saying we need only go to communion once a year: a completely minimalist approach. But communion is popular and confession is not, so we are encouraged to go to communion far more frequently - whilst confession is made to feel optional.

But if we believe confession to be a source of grace, an encounter with Christ who is dying to forgive us, why should we not go very frequently? As was the practice of so many saints...

Unless of course we are without sin of any kind, and without any lingering attachment to sin...