SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

DEFINITION
1. It is called the sacrament of conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father from whom one has strayed by sin. It is called the sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian sinner's personal and ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction.

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It is called the sacrament of confession, since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a "confession" - acknowledgment and praise - of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man. It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the priest's sacramental absolution God grants the penitent "pardon and peace."

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It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner the live of God who reconciles: "Be reconciled to God." He who lives by God's merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord's call: "Go; first be reconciled to your brother.

 RECONCILIATION, as one of the seven sacraments, is a new moment of grace and a time of awareness about our personal and social sin, calling us to remember our Baptismal commitment, our life confirmed in the Spirit, our unity with the Eucharistic people. Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained (John 20:22-23).

THE MARKS OF THE SACRAMENT

Catholics also believe that the sacraments are an outward sign of an inward grace. In this case, the outward sign is the absolution, or forgiveness of sins, that the priest grants to the penitent (the person confessing his sins); the inward grace is the reconciliation of the penitent to God (which is why the sacrament is also sometimes called the Sacrament of Reconciliation).

RECONCILATION

History

HISTORY
Also referred to as confession/penance Confession was already popular It was considered frightening and impersonal 1950s the church tried to make it a personal experience

 During the early Church, no one went to Confession/Reconciliation as we do today The Sacrament of Reconciliation was received only once, the same as Baptism and Confirmation All sins were already washed away There was a belief that they only had one chance to reconcile with God

 Concept of sin by the early church is different from today It was a turning away from God resulting in total alienation The person who sinned was rejected by God and, as a result, was rejected by the Church and by the community until he/she did public penance and reconciled with God

 People would sit in front of the church in sackcloth and ashes 5 th century monastery was established by monks and friars Townspeople befriended and supported them in their needs People began to visit and talk to the friars about their personal lives, and problems and would receive spiritual direction

 Counsel was formed due to reform of clergy 11- 12st century the church saw more frequency in confession Since many clergy were ill-formed, the church came up with books and manuals on what was a sin and what was not As a result when people came to confess, they listed their sins

 Marked as either venial (not too grave) or mortal (grave) Overtime, people began to have a great sense of unworthiness They fell away from going to Confession and from receiving Holy Communion. They fell away from these sacraments They felt they could not receive Holy Communion (the Holy Eucharist) without going to confession first

 The confessional room, or box as it was called, was small and dark Consisted of an area broken into 3 parts with the Priest in the middle and a small box- like room on either side for a penitent to kneel People would line up on either side of the confessional and wait their turn

 The Priest, always aware of the lines of people, had the tendency to speed up the penitents confession to move things along Confession became impersonal, automatic and anonymous

RECONCILIATION

Functions and Effects

TO RECONCILE IS
to re-unite to bring back to harmony to heal division, separation, rupture. The Christian perspective seeks reconciliation with God, with one another, between nations and with our environment. Begin forgiven of one's sins; being reconciled to God the Church, and other people.

THE PURPOSE OF CONFESSION

That reconciling of man to God is the purpose of Confession. W hen we sin, we deprive ourselves of Gods grace. And by doing so, we make it even easier to sin some more. The only way out of this downward cycle is to acknowledge our sins, to repent of them, and to ask Gods forgiveness. Then, in the Sacrament of Confession, grace can be restored to our souls, and we can once again resist sin.

EFFECTS
Begin forgiven of one's sins; being reconciled to God the Church, and other people. Confession gives one a wonderful sense of freedom and peace from the burden of sin. Sorrow, affliction, and a desire for conversion follow the remorse of sin in those with a contrite heart.

RECONCILIATION

Signs/Sym bols

SIGNS/SYMBOLS

Keys. Keys crisscrossed in the shape of an X are the most common symbol f or the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The symbol originates with Jesus words to Peter, I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. W hatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:19), by which He established the Sacrament of Reconciliation and gave the Church the authority to f orgive sins (see also John 20:21-23: Receive the Holy Spirit. W hose sins you f orgive are f orgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained).

Stole. The stole is the primary symbol of the ordained priesthood. It is the priest in persona Christi, as a representative of Christ who grants Sacramental absolution. Christ is the High Priest behind the priest. A stole is a long, narrow strip of cloth worn over the shoulders, which hangs in f ront in equal lengths on the right and lef t sides. The stole signifies the priests authority to preside over the Sacraments in general, and his authority to absolve sins in particular. W hen a priest hears conf essions, he wears a purple stole, which symbolizes repentance and sorrow.

A Raised Hand. During the Sacrament of Reconciliation, af ter the penitent makes the Act of Contrition, the priest off ers the Prayer of Absolution, the blessing that removes the persons sins, and as he does so he extends his right hand over the penitents Sign of The Cross. head. The priest makes a Sign of the Cross over the penitent as he recites the f inal words of the Prayer of Absolution, And I absolve you f rom all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself bore our sins in his body upon the Cross (1 Peter 2:24a). Jesus has reconciled all things through himself, and he has made peace by the blood of his Cross (Colossians 1:20).

Scourging Whip. Bef ore Jesus, our Suffering Servant, was crucified, He was scourged at the pillar. He was crushed f or our sins, by His stripes we were healed; through His suffering, my Servant shall justify many, and their guilt He shall bear; He shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon f or their off enses (Isaiah 53:5,11,12). The apostle Peter ref lected, By his [Jesus] wounds we were healed (1 Peter 2:24).

Sacrament Penance

Biblical Basis John 20:23 - "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained";

Central Words

Central Actions

Effects Begin forgiven of one's sins; being reconciled to God the Church, and other people.

"I forgive you of The penitent all of your sins, in confesses his the name of the sins, expresses Father, and of contrition, and the Son, and of proposes the Holy Spirit" amendment; the confessor (the "Words of suggests a Absolution") penance and speaks the words of absolution.

Reconciliation

Matt 16:19; 18:18 - more sayings on "binding and loosing"; James 5:16 "confess your sins to one another"

RECONCILIATION

Rituals/Rites

THREE RITES OF RECONCILIATION

1. 2. Rite for the Reconciliation of Individual Penitents. Rite for Reconciliation of Several Penitents with Individual Confession and Absolution. Rite for Reconciliation with General Confession and Absolution.

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RITUALS
Catholics are obliged to go to confession to receive the sacrament of penance at least once a year Receiving this sacrament is encouraged at other times, as a mean of restoring full unity with God and His Church, and for spiritual grow Oath of silence (Priest)

 Consists basically of four acts of the penitent and the priest Contrition - First the penitent must be aware of his sinfulness and must be truly sorry (contrite) for his sins Confession- The penitent confesses to a priest all the sins he can recall (after examining his conscience)

 Act of Penance - The priest-confessor proposes certain actions (penance) for the penitent to perform. This may be saying certain prayers and/or performing some other fitting action Absolution - After the penitent accepts the acts of penance, the priest, by the authority that the Church has given him absolves the sinner

RECONCILIATION

Rituals/Rites

OFFICIATING MINISTERS

PERIOD/EVENT IN THE LIFE OF THE RECIPIENT

W hile Catholics are only required to go to Confession when they are aware that they have committed a mortal sin, the Church urges the faithful to take advantage of the sacrament often. A good rule of thumb is to go once per month.
(The Church strongly recommends that, in preparation for fulfilling our Easter Duty to receive communion, we go to Confession even if we are aware of venial sin only.)

 The Church especially urges the faithful to receive the Sacrament of Confession frequently during Lent, to help them in their spiritual preparation for Easter.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS REQUIRED?
Three things are required of a penitent in order to receive the sacrament worthily: He must be contriteor, in other words, sorry for his sins. He must confess those sins fully, in kind and in number. He must be willing to do penance and make amends for his sins.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU GO TO CONFESSION?

W hile Catholics are only required to go to Confession when they are aware that they have committed a mortal sin. A good rule of thumb is to go once per month. (The Church strongly recommends that, in preparation for fulfilling our Easter Duty to receive communion, we go to Confession even if we are aware of venial sin only.) The Church especially urges the faithful to receive the Sacrament of Confession frequently during Lent, to help them in their spiritual preparation for Easter.

WHY IS CONFESSION NECESSARY?

Act of Contrition Instituted by Christ as the proper form for the forgiveness of our sins. Confers graces that help us to live a Christian life, which is why the Church requires us to receive it at least once per year.

SOURCES
http://www.stmichaelsrcia.com/Archive/Weekly_Sessions_05 -06/RCIA-Reconciliation_11_.pdf http://www.wf-f.org/Confession-Penance.html http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2 s2c2a4.htm http://catholicism.about.com/od/beliefsteachings/p/Why_Con fession.htm http://www.stjohnsfolsom.org/sacraments-04.html http://lillian-marie.blogspot.com/2008/10/symbols-ofsacrament-of-penance.html

 Dallen, James. "The Reconciling Community: The Rite of Penance." Pueblo, New York. 1986. The history and theology of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.