Book Review
By Chris Gentile
“Confession: Five Sentences That Will Heal Your Life” by Tom Curran with Tracey Rockwell is 233 pages, and it is published by MCF Press.
Curran’s book stresses the five sentences that will help us make a good confession as well as lead a confessional life. They are: “I did it. I am sorry. Forgive me. I will make up for it. And I will never do it again.” He devotes a chapter to each and explains in detail why they are necessary and what benefits we reap when we can say and mean each of them.
Throughout the book Curran uses personal stories, Scripture readings, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the writings of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas to stress that confession is a sacrament of healing.
Curran admits in the introduction of the book that there was a period in his life that he avoided confession like the plague, but now he wouldn’t miss it for the world.
This book has something for everyone at any stage of their confessional life. Whether you never go, go infrequently or go regularly, he opens minds and hearts to fully grasp the wonder and beauty of this healing sacrament. {{more}}
He tells us it is in confession that we encounter our friend, Jesus, who reaches out to us with a healing touch. It is here we find mercy, grace and a restoration of our friendship with Jesus, too. Curran tells us that what sin weakens or destroys in us, Jesus’ grace restores.
The author discusses in detail the effects of sin and the effects of the grace received in the sacrament of reconciliation. Curran stresses Christ’s love for us and His mercy, referring to Him frequently as the spanine Physician healing our spiritual ailments.
If you have questions about confession, this book has the answers. Curran talks about what to do when we know we shouldn’t have done something and we don’t feel truly sorry for it. And he discusses that most difficult of all challenges: forgiving someone who has done us harm and we really don’t want to forgive that person.
Curran writes on page six: “My goal in this book is to restore to you the treasure you may have lost.” He succeeds in providing plenty of reasons why we should all come to love and appreciate this sacrament, where Jesus so patiently waits to lovingly embrace us.
This book is well written and well formatted so it is very easy to read. It can be ordered online at www.MyCatholicFaith.org or by calling 1-888-765-9269.
If you go on the My Catholic Faith web site and click on Blogs and News and select The Daily Scripture from the dropdown menu, Curran has a short video giving his reflections on the Scripture of the day.
Chris Gentile is a member of St. Bernadette Parish in Drexel Hill.
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