When I kept it secret, my bones wasted away, I groaned all day long…Indeed, my strength was dried up as by the summer’s heat. But now I have acknowledged my sins; my guilt I did not hide. I said I will confess my offence to the Lord. And you, Lord, have forgiven the guilt of my sin (Psalm 32: 3-5).

The scripture is right: the guilt of sin brings sickness to the body, and confession is the elixir for good health—health of mind, body, and soul. The Liturgical Ordo’s instructions for Lent remind us that Lent has two-fold themes of repentance and baptism. Many of us have weak health because of sin. Repentance brings total restoration and healing. We achieve repentance mainly through confessions. This period of Lent offers us the opportunity to reflect on the need to return to Confessions if we have abandoned it, or increase the regularity if we are waning. We are also reminded of the communal responsibility we owe towards each other’s health by inspiring them to go to Confessions.

God, who cannot be outwitted, knows the destructive power of sin. To protect us from getting lost in sin, He implants guilt in the heart of the sinner. Guilt is not just a feeling. It is a moral and relational reality before God. Guilt helps us to come out of sin quickly, but when we allow guilt to fester and let it remain unresolved, it has the power to destroy our health—mental, biological, and spiritual.

Spiritually, unresolved guilt brings a burden to the soul. Cain suffered the punishment of guilt when he killed Abel, as well as Judas when he betrayed Jesus. Unfortunately, they could not resolve their guilt before God. It was the reason why David prayed in the Psalm that his hidden guilt was the cause of his body being wasted (Psalm 32:3). He needed to confess.

Psychologically and biologically, unresolved guilt affects the brain functions by triggering a process of different forms of stress-related illnesses like high blood pressure, weakened immune functions, digestive issues, fatigue, headaches, and other heart-related issues. Unresolved guilt extends to the entire human behaviour through depression, anxiety disorders, low self-esteem and obsessive rumination. One who remains in guilt has a total health breakdown. Often, the cause of the breakdown of order in our communities can be traced to guilty consciences

Unfortunately, Satan wants us to be trapped in guilt and go the way of Judas and Cain. However, God in Jesus Christ offers us freedom and healing by providing constant forgiveness of sins. Even if we come to him seventy times seven times, he is willing to forgive us. This is why God is summoning us through the church to continue to come back to him in repentance. The soul of repentance is confession. Because sin produces toxic guilt that harms our health, confession is good for our health.

Confession brings spiritual healing known in the power of forgiveness. David said, “I will confess my offense to the Lord, and the Lord has given me forgiveness” (Psalm 32:4). St. James exhorts us to confess so that we receive healing (Jas. 5:16). Peter confessed and wept, and he was forgiven. He rose to strengthen the rest of his brethren when they were weakened by the sorrow of the crucifixion. Jesus breathed on the Apostles and forgave them. This is the breath of the Holy Spirit that brings freedom to all who confess. Confession brings inner peace and reconciliation with God. That is why the church teaches that the whole power of the sacrament of Penance consists in restoring us to God’s grace and joining us with him in an intimate friendship (CCC. 1468). All who have known the secret of regular confessions are always healthy and happy.

Confession also restores bodily and mental health. When we confess, we activate the sympathetic nervous system. When this happens, it triggers the reduction of stress hormones, the heart rate stabilises, blood pressure lowers, and we break the obsessive thought cycle and reduce anxiety. The attendant effects extend to improvement in immune markers, better sleep, and a happy life. The body breathes again, and health is restored. We need to take our Confessions seriously to be happy.

‘Confess to be healthy in mind and body’

But some cannot help themselves because their consciences have been injured to such an extent that guilt is reduced. This is where Lent is also a communal journey. For the many of our brothers and sisters who are trapped in guilt, whose consciences are hardened, we must rise to become our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.

As a call to charity, we are invited to step out of our comfort zones to minister to all who cannot help themselves in sin. Parents are to ‘compel’ their children to go to confessions. Groups are to organise retreats and support their members towards making good confessions. The ministers are to encourage their members to confess, give more opportunities for confessions, and also endeavour to be patient with penitents. God wants to restore not just the individual’s health but our collective health. Let us all encourage a healthier society by going to confession.

May God inspire in us the spirit of compunction and true repentance for the confession of sin. May God restore our health.