The Sacrament of Reconciliation and How going to Confession Heals.

I've seen non-Catholics make comments in reference to going to confession and how it's one of those "works" things and how this proves that Catholicism is a "works-based" religion. From the outside looking in, I suppose it looks like we Catholics can sin to our hearts content and then just go to confession and get clean and then sin again. My Atheist sister made that sort of snide remark and I had to correct her and explain that if a Catholic goes to confession without intending on changing their behavior then they would be lying and not getting any benefit from it.

My answer to other Christians who scoff at the idea of Catholics going to confession is, don't knock it until you've tried it. Confession is not some license to sin again.  As a matter of fact, not nearly enough Catholics take advantage of this wonderful Sacrament. It's a terrible shame because the graces you receive from going to confession are indescribable. Yes, it's hard to admit you've done wrong to a virtual stranger and sometimes, the priest isn't a virtual stranger. In a smaller parish they may even know your name. It doesn't matter either way. They are standing in for Jesus and acting in His name and that's who we're really confessing our sins to. The priest acts as a conduit of His graces. Receiving these graces is very healing and it has to be experienced to understand the magnitude of it's power.

Here's just one example of what I mean by this Sacraments power to heal. Several months ago, as I came to realize that my toddler son was on the Autism spectrum, I was in deep turmoil and not at all at peace. I was angry and in despair and to say I wasn't handling it with grace would be an understatement. I dragged myself to confession, talked to the priest, confessed my sins and then left and had an overwhelming supernatural kind of peace wash over me. Nothing changed. The priest didn't say anything enlightening. My son's condition didn't change. The circumstances were exactly the same after going to confession as they were before. But my attitude was completely different. I suddenly was handling it. I wasn't steeped in darkness. I felt peace and joy. There's no other reason other than the fact that I went to confession. My problems suddenly don't seem so overwhelming and insurmountable. I know of others who experience the same thing. So I take advantage of this Sacrament because I know it's doing something for me. Something that is supernatural and beyond my human comprehension. It's healing me. It's healing my wounded heart. All the puss and gunk gets washed off and disinfected and wrapped in fresh bandages. The wounds get redressed and overtime are completely healed. This is what going to confession does for me. Little by little, my soul is being healed and I'm better able to handle the crosses I have to carry. I have strength for the journey. This is how the Sacrament of Reconciliation heals and I'd be insane not to take advantage of this free healthcare. 

Things I've learned as a Catholic: Suffering deepens relationship with Christ.

I really don't get the whole "prosperity gospel" stuff. I don't understand the "name it and claim it" bunch. I wonder how on earth anyone would think that following Christ would somehow bring health and wealth in worldly things. I know people cling to it because it's a feel good kind of thing and it is human nature to want to avoid suffering and to want worldly things. But where they can reconcile this view as a Christian, I don't know. That stuff is better suited for New Age gurus.
Jesus is pretty clear that following Him means we must deny ourselves, pick up our cross daily and follow Him. (Luke 9:23.) So how anyone can interpret that as "name that BMW and claim it," is beyond me.
Honestly, I feel real sorry for people that buy into that. It isn't going to ever be the source of real joy and peace. As a Catholic we are told to embrace our suffering and unite it with Christ's suffering. We must embrace our cross. And embrace I do.  My son is having some developmental delays and sensory processing issues and it has broken me.It has broken me to the point where I am willing and open to let God reshape me. At first, I begged God to make it all better and "fix" my boy. I pleaded with Him even though in the back of my mind I knew this was for my own good. Jesus said He could not fix this right now. I needed to look at the cross. If I wanted to experience real peace I had to surrender to the cross. If we allow God, He uses our suffering to purify us. It is through my suffering that I have been open and willing enough to let God do what He does best and that is to love. I have felt His love in the most tangible ways. Those that are following the prosperity gospel are misled to believe that God shows His love with worldly blessings. No, He gives us worldly blessings so that we'll see it's not enough and that what we really need is HIM. Only He can fill that hunger.
There can be a sweetness to suffering and it is only as a Catholic that I have seen that and experienced it. It is such an odd thing. There can be a strange kind of joy in carrying one's cross. It has brought me closer to Jesus. Another wall of my own making gets knocked down with each trial that I experience and let myself surrender completely to God. Letting God love me freely so I can love freely. It has only been through redemptive suffering that I've been able to grow closer to God. As a Catholic I've learned what that is. It's so much richer and fulfilling than I could have ever imagined.