What is the Sacrament Called?

When speaking about the Sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation) there are additional names which convey what the sacrament is about. The other names as terms, help with the understanding of how God’s grace works within your soul for the benefit of your salvation. Sometimes you will hear the sacrament referred to as Confession, Penance or Reconciliation.

Penance: This name (as well as term) reflects the designated steps you have been called to for conversion. You as a sinner, by doing penance, allow god’s grace to consecrate the act to seek forgiveness. It also marks your action to listen to God’s call to repent. Repent means to turn around and go back to God. Penance affords the opportunity to seek out the grace of the Holy Spirit to walk in humility. The true walk of the penitent is humility, that is to be humble.

Conversion: The sacrament makes Jesus call to lifelong conversion available to you. As such, it is He who initiates the return of the sinner to the father.[1] The idea of constant conversion has to do with God’s grace transforming you. Transformation is just another term for conversion. In your journey you need a reminder that God always wants to be with you and each moment with God is a moment for conversion (transformation).

Confession: This is a necessary disclosure of what you have done. You are given the opportunity to declare you are sorry for what you have done. It is an essential element of the Sacrament. The weakness you confess sometimes is the action of sin, other times it is a propensity or attitude which threatens your relationship with God and your fellow man, still other times it is moments of doubt or weakness.

Confessing is the action for the humble of heart. It is the humble soul which is dear to the heart of God. It is the humble who seeks God’s help in all things. By confessing you acknowledge that you do not have all the wisdom and answers to all of your problems. You acknowledge your trust in God.

Forgiveness: You are forgiven your sins. Forgiveness is also healing. You are given a new lease. You journey forward and no longer dwell on the sins of the past. You are healed in the sense that your soul is made whole again. When you are prompted to seek forgiveness, it is the sacrament of Penance where you achieve this.

Reconciliation: When you are reconciled you are returned to a full relationship with God. The separation from God is removed[2]. The damaged relationship or schism with God is repaired and bridged by God Himself. There is no longer a dread of reprieve or fear of hell.

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[1] CCC 1423

[2] CCC 1424

Why a Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation/Confession after Baptism?

The scriptures indicate that the Christian is “washed, sanctified and justified” in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. As such you are given a great gift from God. This is the gift you must always hold on to as being the most precious.

That is what some of you used to be; but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.            1 Cor 6:11

It is true, in Baptism you have been “washed, sanctified and justified.” However, your salvation which was given to you freely, is something you must hold on to. You should always avoid deceiving yourself with a myth of perpetual sanctity while still being here on earth (remember you are not in heaven yet). The apostle John says:

If we say, “We are without sin,” we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.                                            1 John 1:8

And

If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.                                          1 John 1:9

The context of these two passages from St. John’s first epistle (Letter), is such that he is speaking to those who are already walking in “The light of Christ.” Here is what he says in the passage leading up to 1 John 1:8-9:

But, if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.                                                                                                        1 John 1:7

In his epistle, St. John the Apostle conveys the likeliness to sin exists. The need for the sacrament of Penance does not suggest the justification won by Jesus Christ by His Death and resurrection is not enough. It is by His Sanctifying grace you are justified. It is by this same grace where you draw from for continued transformation. This includes removing the stain of sins you commit after baptism.

Remember Jesus does not force anyone into heaven or hell. In the end you choose it. Your perfection(sanctification) is a process of yielding more and more to Christ. By His grace you allow yourself to be transformed into the person you were meant to be. The need for the sacrament exists only because you have free will and as a human here on Earth you are not perfected.

Your continued walk towards God, cooperating with His sanctifying grace is the constant pace of the Christian walk. This is much of what conversion (transformation) is all about. You do it with faith, hope and love. So, forgiveness is as much part of your journey as is seeking God’s way.

Besides when Jesus Christ gave us the Our Father, He taught us to pray: “Forgive us our trespasses.” Therefore, in praying this way and believing this it links our forgiveness of one another’s sins, to the forgiveness of our sin, that God will grant us.[1]

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[1] CCC 1425

Brief Explanation of Penance

Penance is a sacrament instituted by Christ in which forgiveness of sins committed after baptism is granted through absolution provided by the priest. Absolution is for those who with true sorrow confess their sins and promise to better follow God’s will. The priest acts in the place of Christ.

After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to the Apostles (minus Thomas). In so doing he breathes life into the church giving authority to do as He did which was to forgive sins.

19  On the evening of that first day of the week,  when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

20  When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.  The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

21  [Jesus] said to them again,  “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

22  And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,  “Receive the holy Spirit.

23  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

John 20:19-23

This is a very clear passage indicating Jesus’ intention for the Apostleship to have authority through the power of the Holy Spirit to absolve sins. This is God’s action through the hands of the priest.

You find in the following scriptures what the early church did. This was to offer as part of its ministry, the reconciliation of sins.

18 And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation,[1]

19 namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.                        2 Cor 5:18-20

As a "sacrament" it is an outward sign instituted by Christ to impart grace to the soul. The outward sign comprises the actions of the penitent in presenting him/herself to the priest and accusing him/herself of his/her sins by confessing. The outward sign continues with the actions of the priest in pronouncing absolution and imposing a penance (something on your part to demonstrate your intent to accept forgiveness and repent).

This whole procedure is usually called, from one of its parts, "confession", and it is said to take place on the "tribunal of penance", because it is a judicial process in which the penitent is at once the accuser, the person accused, and the witness, while the priest pronounces judgment and sentence.

The grace given to the penitent is deliverance from the guilt of sin and, in the case of mortal sin, from its eternal punishment; hence also reconciliation with God, and appealing to His justification.

1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God.    

                                                                                                            2 Cor 7:1

Finally, the confession is made not in the secrecy of the penitent's heart nor to a layman as friend and advocate, nor to a representative of human authority, but to a duly ordained priest with requisite jurisdiction and with the "power of the keys", i.e., the power to forgive sins which Christ granted to His Church.

To re-iterate the above passage from Saint Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians:

20 So we are ambassadors for Christ,                                     2 Cor 5: 20a

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[1] Paul attempts to explain the meaning of God’s action by a variety of different categories; his attention keeps moving rapidly back and forth from God’s act to his own ministry as well. Who has reconciled us to himself: i.e., he has brought all into oneness. Not counting their trespasses: the reconciliation is described as an act of justification (cf. “righteousness,” 2 Cor 5:21); this contrasts with the covenant that condemned (2 Cor 3:8) The ministry of reconciliation: Paul’s role in the wider picture is described: entrusted with the message of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:19),he is Christ’s ambassador, through whom God appeals (2 Cor 5:20a). In v. 20b.Paul acts in the capacity just described.

The Sacrament of Penance/ Reconciliation includes the following steps:

1. The priest greets you, and you make the Sign of the Cross. He invites you to trust in God. He may read God's Word with you.

2. You confess your sins. The priest may help and counsel you.

3. The priest gives you a penance to perform. Penance is an act of kindness or prayers to pray, or both.

4. The priest asks you to express your sorrow, usually by reciting the Act of Contrition.

5. You receive absolution. The priest says, “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” You respond, “Amen.”

6. The priest dismisses you by saying, “Go in peace.” You go forth to perform the act of penance he has given you.

The Rite of the Sacrament of Reconciliation

Reconciliation may be face-to-face or anonymous, with a screen between you and the priest. Choose the option that is the most comfortable for you.

The priest gives you a blessing or greeting. He may share a brief Scripture passage.

1.)   You make the Sign of the Cross saying: “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

2.)   * “Bless me father, for I have sinned. My last confession was…” (give the number of weeks, months or years).

3.)   “These are my sins:” Confess all of your sins to the priest.

The priest will help you to make a good confession. If you are unsure about how to confess or you feel uneasy, just ask him to help you. Answer his questions without hiding anything out of fear or shame. Place your trust in God, a merciful Father who wants to forgive you.

4.)   After confessing your sins, say:  “For these and all of my sins I am truly sorry”

5.)   The priest assigns you a penance and offers advice to help you be a better Catholic.

6.)   Say an Act of Contrition, expressing your sorrow for your sins.

Words of the Act of Contrition:

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.

7.)   The priest, acting in the person of Christ, then absolves you from your sins.

a.        The priest says, “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” You respond, “Amen.”

b.        The priest dismisses you by saying, “Go in peace.” You go forth to perform the act of penance he has given you.

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* For first time confession the penitent says:

“Bless me father, for I have sinned. This is my First Confession.”

For the Catholic, the Ten Commandments are a summary of “the conditions of a life freed from the slavery of sin” (CCC, 2057)[1]. This is a call to follow God’s will and must be understood in relation to the “law of love”: The Love of God, love of neighbor and love of self, summarizes all of Catholic morality. It is also from here where Jesus presents the two great commandments:

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”  37 He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  38 This is the greatest and the first commandment.  39 The second is like it:You shall love your neighbor as yourself.   40 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:36-40

The law of love is also the first principle & source of the moral law. It contains “all the law and the prophets” (Mt 22:40).

For the Catholic, the Ten Commandments are a description of the minimum that love requires. It can be considered a baseline from which to start. Christianity requires much more than simply following the Ten Commandments verbatim. The Christian seeks to know and follow the truth of all commandments contain. This is done by seeking what more Christ and His Church says about moral behavior.

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[1] CCC 2057  The Decalogue must first be understood in the context of the Exodus, God’s great liberating event at the center of the Old Covenant. Whether formulated as negative commandments, prohibitions, or as positive precepts such as; “Honor your father and mother,” the “ten words” point out the conditions of a life free from the slavery of sin

You Shall Love the Lord Your God

He (Jesus) said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”                                                                                      Matthew 22:37

The first three (3) commandments found in the Old Testament are based on the first great command provided by Jesus in Matthew 22:37 which is given above.

1. I am the LORD your God. You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.[1]

2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.[2]

3. Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.[3]

Living the first commandment is to live so nothing else stands before you, except God. Often the only idea of the which comes to mind about breaking the first commandment would be someone bowing before a golden idol. There is more to this commandment which you are commanded to avoid such as misfit ideologies or addictions which can remove God from His primary place in your life. This commandment is listed first because the other two as well as the last seven follows from this one.

You should recognize that your ego may stand to get in the way between you and God. The ego can cause you to develop into selfish being with a narcissistic approach to life as well as tainting your view as to what is truly due to God (worship). With a “me first or ats all about” conditional way of thinking the individual follows a poorly formed conscience, and a poorly formed (if not a wrong) idea of God and not serving your fallow man.

As a Christian you let your selfishness go. This truly dying to Christ and allowing sanctity to form you. Such sanctity draws you to true worship of God. It follows that relying and revering the Holy name of God as well as seeking to worship Him on the Lord’s day faithfully, is done because you place God first; not yourself. 

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[1] CCC 2084 - 2041

[2] CCC 2142 - 2159

[3] CCC 2168 - 2188

Love your Neighbor

39  The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.                                   Matthew 22:39

The last seven (7) commandments encompass what Jesus says in Matthew 22:39.

4. Honor your father and your mother.[1]

5. You shall not kill.[2]

6. You shall not commit adultery.[3]

7. You shall not steal.[4]

8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.[5]

9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.[6]

10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.[7]

To Love God first allows you to see yourself as you truly are and forms greater self-love. A proper self-love is relying on God’s mercy and brings you to greater humility because God loves you. With this you can truly love others. Through growing love for others your virtue of charity grows. This in turn becomes devotion because you are doing it for the Love of God.

You cannot love others if you do not love God. Likewise, you cannot say you love God if you do not love your neighbor.

The fourth commandment God places before you, is to love your parents. It applies to those persons through virtue of goodness and truth have authority to guide you in the proper way of God’s love. Such authority should always command you in a way which agrees with God’s commands to love one another and demands you honor the life of those who came before you.

The fourth commandment demands human love and therefore stems to the next commandment which forbids destruction of any human life. You are not to kill; includes maiming or disabling a person, intentionally destroying a person’s livelihood, destroying someone’s reputation or leading someone to the point where they destroy their own life.

The commandments 6,7 and 8 follow from the previous commandments for many of the same reasons.

To covet is to assume you are entitled to the same thing as another person, to act out unjustly to get something or mistreat others because they have what you do not. This especially includes envy, hate, gossip and cheating.

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[1] CCC 2197 - 2246

[2] CCC 2258 - 2317

[3] CCC 2331 - 2391

[4] CCC 2401 - 2449

[5] CCC 2464 - 2503

[6] CCC 2514 - 2527

[7] CCC 2534 - 2550

A Jesus Moment: The Prodigal Son.

10  ……….  I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The Parable of the Lost Son.

11 Then he said, “A man had two sons,12 and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them.13 After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.

14 When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need.15 So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.16 And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any.17 Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger.18 I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.19 I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’

25 Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing.  26 He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.  27 The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned, and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’  28 He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him.

29 He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.30 But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’31 He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours.32 But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’”                                                                   Luke 15: 10 -32

The parable of the Prodigal Son told by Jesus makes clear for Christians the intense desire God has to forgive us. In today’s society the meaning of the initial request by the youngest son of ‘requesting his inheritance’ can get lost. In the times Jesus was speaking in and still in many societies today, the very idea of asking for your inheritance before your parent has died was sending a message to them of “I wish you were dead!”

The youngest did not want to wait for his father to die. Jesus noting that the son is the youngest, discloses another serious fault in the young man’s request. For in those it was the birthright of the eldest to receive the inheritance first and then dole the lot of what the younger son should receive. So, the young man was not only sending a message of great disrespect for His father, he was also turning his back on the traditions of his upbringing and any sense of rightness and propriety.

It is noteworthy to point out that all that young man can ever possess which was of any good, came from his father. That in turn was from the father’s benevolence and love which came from the rightness of the traditions of the young man’s upbringing.

Now see in the young man’s actions, the world (His so-called friends) never, ever acknowledges or affirm his boldness in insisting things be done his way. No one celebrates his independence from traditions. Perhaps initially the young man had a few good times of drinking and eating while he still had money. Perhaps his new found “so-called’ friends encouraged his squandering’s and endured the young man’s boast of independence so long as they had a free drink and meal. Until it all ran out and then the young man was left penniless and friendless.

In the parable Jesus says the young man “squanders” his inheritance and is left with nothing. None of his so-called friends would acknowledge his condition.  Now penniless and in need; where are they now? Jesus tells us in the parable that no one came to help him. This in turn is his wakeup call and he returns to his father.

Jesus makes it very clear the intent of God the Father reaction towards you when you have sinned. Jesus says this, “While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.” When you sin, God remains and watches for you to repent (turn around toward Him and return).

God the Father does not wait there, tapping His foot, glaring with a crooked glance and one raised eyebrow exclaiming; “Ahh, hmmmmmmm, I knew it!” Notice the real picture Jesus Christ gives us is just the opposite. The father runs to his young son, embraces him and kisses him. And so it is the same with God the Father.

Notice the father allows the boy to confess. The father allows his son to use words to get it out and leave the sin behind. The son does this with humility and without any fear of reprisal. His guilt is left on the approach home and his guilt no longer follows him home and into the celebration.

We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.[1] God constantly remains looking for us to initially turn to him. . Remember God does not force us. He continues to look for us when in sin we desperately need to repent, and we want to turn back to Him. 

Why do you suppose Jesus Told this parable?

How does this help you understand the sacrament of Penance(reconciliation/confession)?

What about the response of the Older son? Why did He respond that way?

What do you understand from the parable?

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[1] Romans 3:23 all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God