A newly ordained Catholic priest was nervous about hearing confessions, so he asked an older, more experienced priest to observe one of his sessions and give him some advice. After a few minutes of watching and listening, the older priest pulled the younger one aside to give him a few suggestions.

“Try folding your arms over your chest and rubbing your chin with one hand. This gives the impression that you are listening thoughtfully. Then try saying things like: “I see.”, “I understand.” and “Yes, go on.”

The younger priest practiced these things for a minute. Then the older one asked, “Don’t you think that’s better than slapping your knee and saying, “No way! What happened next?”

We must never give the impression that we are taking sin lightly. God never takes sin lightly. He takes it so seriously that he sent his Son Jesus to the cross to die in order to pay for our sins.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”—Romans 5:8.