God does not need us to confess our sins out loud, since God already knows what they are. But in the Sacrament of Penance, perhaps more than anywhere else at any time, we are completely honest. Perhaps it’s the only time min our lives, but we are completely honest. Admitting who and what we are. Admitting things to God we would never dream of repeating to anyone else. It’s that utter honesty that delights the heart of God. It’s not our sins that God needs to listen to, but our honesty. Again, perhaps in this Sacrament we find the only space where we see ourselves us we really are, see ourselves just for a moment as God sees us. And the real grace is walking out of the confessional knowing that God has given me a clean slate, that I can begin my life all over again, that I can start being the person he always wanted me to be