The Sacrament of Penance

Also known as:

The Sacrament of Reconciliation

The Sacrament of Confession

The Sacrament of Healing

The Sacrament through which sins committed after Baptism can be

forgiven

The Prodigal Son

Jesus spent much of his ministry healing those who were sick and forgiving sins….

What are some stories you can think of that show God forgiving sins?

Woman caught in adultery John 8:10-11

Jesus healing and forgiving on the Sabbath Mk 2:8-12

Mary Magdalene washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and anoints his feet Lk 7:37

Thief on the cross Lk 23:39

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

“Go, your sins are forgiven.”

“Your faith has saved you”

“Repent and believe in the gospel”

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.‘ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

At Baptism, all of our sins are washed away. Because we live in a fallen world, however, we have a tendency to sin again at least once between our baptism and our death. For this reason, Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance.

When we sin, we freely and deliberately choose evil instead of good.

To be forgiven, we must first have a conversion of heart.

A conversion is a “turning”. In this case, away from sin and towards the Gospel.

The penitent (one confessing) goes through 3 steps during the Sacrament of Penance

1. Contrition – true sorrow for the sins committed, a rejection of the sin committed and a resolve not to sin again.

Perfect contrition arises out of a pure love of God.

This leads to a remittance of venial sins and the forgiveness of mortal sins if there is a firm resolution to celebrate the sacrament of Penance as soon as possible

Imperfect contrition arises out of the ugliness of sin and our fear of eternal damnation or other penalties.

This disposes us to obtain forgiveness but does not obtain the forgiveness of grave sins

2. Confession – the telling of sins to the priest involves admitting guilt and taking responsibility for the sins we have committed.

All grave sins that are remembered through an examination of conscience must be confessed.

The confession of venial sins is strongly recommended but is not necessary.

Why do we have to confess to a priest?

Because Christ set it up that way:

You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church…I will give you the key to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matt 16:16

When we sin we not only hurt God, we hurt ourselves and the body of Christ…the Church.

Therefore, we must ask forgiveness from God AND from the Church….both of them are present in the priest.

We also need to heal…

Priests can offer good advice to help us overcome sins.

Doing something concrete helps us take visible steps forward on our walk with God.

Confession itself is a remedy to pride!

The Seal of Confession

The minister of the sacrament CANNOT reveal to ANYONE what is confessed in the sacrament!

Many priests have DIED upholding this command!

If the seal is broken, the priest can no longer celebrate the sacraments….

3. Satisfaction – repairing the damage caused by the sin

This is also known as:

Penance – a voluntary suffering or punishment to show repentance for a wrong doing.

Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving are the three main ways to perform penance.

Reaching out to those in need

Standing up for what is right

Asking forgiveness from someone we have harmed

Reading Sacred Scripture

Praying the Liturgy of the Hours, the Our Father and other prayers

Participating in the liturgical seasons and days of penance, especially Lent

Some others may include:

After we have confessed our sins, said an act of contrition and promised to fulfill an act of penance, the priest can offer us

absolution – complete forgiveness of our sins.

Acting in the name of Christ, the priest will extend his hands over the penitent and say…

God, the father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Going to confession and performing our penance frees us

from the eternal punishment of sin.

The Temporal Punishment for sin remains after the sacrament. This can be paid by purifying ourselves of unhealthy attachment to this world either in this life or in purgatory.

An indulgence is a special mercy the Church offers to rid us from the temporal punishment. It generally consists of making a specific sacrifice, going to confession, receiving the Eucharist at Mass and saying certain prayers.

God says, “I forgive you”.

We still have to pay for the window that was broken!

Remember, Christ came to heal the sick…

The Church requires that you go to confession at least once a year.

Most spiritual advisors recommend once a month.

In a nutshell…Essential elements:

Matter – contrition, confession and a firm purpose of amendment

Form – words of absolution by the priest or bishop

Effects:

1. Forgiveness of ALL sin

2. Grace to resist sin in the future

Minister:

Only an ordained priest or bishop

Implications:

1. Thanksgiving for God’s forgiveness of sins indicated by efforts to keep the promise to avoid sin in the future.

2. Ongoing conversion – turning from sin and to the Lord by penance and an intention to sin no more.

Tips for making a good confession:

Do your penance promptly and devoutly as soon as you can.

•Be Honest and truthful in there!

•To make a good confession, you must truly be sorry for your sins and make the promise not to sin again and to stay away from situations that lead you into sin.

•Go in and say “bless me father for I have sinned, it has been ______ since my last confession”

•Tell him your sins. If it is mortal, say so and say what it was and why you chose to do it…also how many times you have done it.

•If you are not sure whether or not something is a sin…ASK!

•If you forgot a big sin in a past confession, tell the priest and confess it to him.•Listen to the priest’s advice and ask him

questions if you do not understand something. •Receive your penance and make sure you understand it.

Make and act of contrition and meditate on Christ’s sacrifice while you receive absolution. – Remember you are promising not to sin again!