As seminary came to and end and the date of my ordination to the priesthood approached, the one thing that I was most nervous about was hearing confessions. What would I say to people? What kind of advice would I give? What kind of penance? When I actually started to hear confessions, all of that nervousness went away, due entirely, I’m sure, to the grace of God. It would be hard for me to explain the blessing that hearing confessions is, as I get to absolve people’s sins and help them to restore their relationship with God. People often get nervous about telling the priest their sins. What will he think of me? Remember, we go to confession, too. We know how hard it is. We have the utmost respect for people who go to confession, place their sins before God, ask for forgiveness, and try to amend their lives. You also have to remember that we’re not allowed to tell anyone your sins. Breaking the seal of confession is a grave sin for a priest and an automatic excommunication, which is reserved to the Holy Father. Even if someone confesses murder, we can’t say anything. We can, and do, encourage them to come speak to us outside of confession, to turn themselves in, etc., but we can’t break the seal. Think about it. If we did, then no one would confess those sins, and we wouldn’t have the chance to speak to them at all, to at least try to get them to change, to repent, to turn themselves in. The priest is basically a stand in. It’s not the priest who forgives the sins; it’s God. The priest stands in the place of Jesus. We don’t hold on to your sins, we give them to God. Another priest put it this way. We’re like spiritual garbage men. You bring your sins to us, and we dispose of them.