s not forgive sins by his own power as man, but by
the authority he receives as the minister of God.

Q. 738. {190} How do the priests of the Church exercise the power of
forgiving sins?
A. The priests of the Church exercise the power of forgiving sins by
hearing the confession of sins, and granting pardon for them as
ministers of God and in His name.

Q. 739. How does the power to forgive sins imply the obligation of going
to confession?
A. The power to forgive sins implies the obligation of going to
confession because as sins are usually committed secretly, the priest
could never know what sins to forgive and what not to forgive, unless
the sins committed were made known to him by the persons guilty of them.

Q. 740. Could God not forgive our sins if we confessed them to Himself
in secret?
A. Certainly, God could forgive our sins if we confessed them to Himself
in secret, but He has not promised to do so; whereas He has promised to
pardon them if we confess them to His priests. Since He is free to
pardon or not to pardon, He has the right to establish a Sacrament
through which alone He will pardon.

Q. 741. {191} What must we do to receive the Sacrament of Penance
worthily?
A. To receive the Sacrament of Penance worthily we must do five things:

1. We must examine our conscience.
2. We must have sorrow for our sins.
3. We must make a firm resolution never more to offend God.
4. We must confess our sins to the priest.
5. We must accept the penance which the priest gives us.

Q. 742. What should we pray for in preparing for confession?
A. In preparing for confession we should pray to the Holy Ghost to give
us light to know our sins and to understand their guilt; for grace to
detest them; for courage to confess them and for strength to keep our
resolutions.

Q. 743. What faults do many commit in preparing for confession?
A. In preparing for confession many commit the faults: (1) of giving too
much time to the examination of conscience and little or none in
exciting themselves to true sorrow for the sins discovered; (2) of
trying to recall every trifling circumstance, instead of thinking of the
means by which they will avoid their sins for the future.

Q. 744. What, then, is the most important part of the preparation for
confession?
A. The most important part of the preparation for confession is sincere
sorrow for the sins committed and the firm determination to avoid them
for the future.

Q. 745. What is