A query for my fellow converts ... What freedoms did you gain as a Catholic?

A few months back I posted something outlining what I gaiend in Catholicism (The freedom of Catholicism). This was specifically to deny the charge that I traded in a great freedom for a religion of bondage when I became Catholic. The fact is, there is nothing I had as a Protestant that I do not have today. Rather, today I have it in completeness. What that post focuses on what what I GAINED in Truth rather than things that improved upon what I had. Today I wanted to point out something practical that results in greater freedom than I ever had before I became Catholic. It is often considered a burden by our Protestant brethren but I have only come more and more to see how wrong that is.

Confession is a gift, as are all sacraments.

First off, I want to point out that what Protestants do in "going directly to God" with their confession is not in and of itself a bad thing. Catholics, in fact, believe that this is a valid way to obtain sanctifying grace even apart from confession PROVIDED that "perfect contrition" is present.

Perfect contrition bestows the grace of justification on the mortal sinner even before the actual reception of the Sacrament of Penance (Sent. fidei proxima) -- Dr. Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Dogma -- p. 428 TAN publishers

Now, perfect contrition is that motivated by perfect love of God (charity). A motivation to love God for ones own benefits, for example, is really self-love and not a sufficient motive to be considered perfect contrition.

Practically speaking it is difficult for us to attain perfect contrition. Almost every Catholic convert knows this when comparing his first examination of conscience to his prior confessions in life. When you have to tell it to someone, it all of the sudden becomes startlingly more real that you did something wrong. What the Church gives us in Confession is the ability to confess those sins from our fallen nature and be ASSURED that even in a state of imperfect contrition those sins are loosed in heaven. It is a function of the authority of the Church as handed to Peter and then to his successors. There is never doubt with my reconciliation with the Church. How can I not feel a great freedom from that?

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Now, without getting into it, I would also consider the doctrine of purgatory a great mercy. I'll deal with this later.

What about you converts? Are you more free today or do you feel a burden of your Catholic faith just as you were told you would?