SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Matter

• Understood as remote and proximate.

• One of the sacraments of healing • The remote matter consists of sins committed after
• Also known as the sacrament of penance, baptism, which have not been previously confessed
conversion, confession, or forgiveness • The proximate matter consists of contrition,
confession, and penance.
1. It is called the sacrament of conversion
because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' Form
call to conversion, the first step in returning to • “God the Father of mercies, through the death and
the Father from whom one has strayed by sin. resurrection of his Son, has reconciled the world to
himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the
2. It is called the sacrament of penance, since it forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the
consecrates the Christian sinner's personal and Church may God give you pardon and peace. And I
ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and absolve you from your sins in the name of the
satisfaction. Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

3. It is called the sacrament of confession,

since the disclosure or confession of sins to a The Forgiveness Of Sins Involves Four Parts:
priest is an essential element of this sacrament. • Contrition, confession, penance are done by the
In a profound sense it is also a "confession" - penitent
acknowledgment and praise - of the holiness of • Absolution is done by the minister of the sacrament
God and of his mercy toward sinful man. o Contrition: a sincere sorrow for having
offended God, and the most important act
4. It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, of the penitent. There can be no
since by the priest's sacramental absolution God forgiveness of sin if we do not have sorrow
grants the penitent "pardon and peace." and a firm resolve not to repeat our sin.
o Confession: confronting our sins in a
5. It is called the sacrament of reconciliation, profound way to God by speaking about
because it imparts to the sinner the love of God them —aloud— to the priest.
who reconciles: "Be reconciled to God."7 He o Penance: an important part of our healing
who lives by God's merciful love is ready to is the “penance” the priest imposes in
respond to the Lord's call: "Go; first be preparation for our sins.
reconciled to your brother." o Absolution: the priest speaks the words
by which “God, the Father of Mercies”
reconciles a sinner to Himself through the
• An outward sign instituted by Christ to impart grace merits of the Cross.
to the soul
• As an outward sign it comprises the actions of the Biblical Foundations
penitent in presenting himself to the priest and • John 20: 21-23
accusing himself of his sins, and the actions of the o “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me,
priest in pronouncing absolution and imposing even so I send you. And when he said this, he
satisfaction. breathed on them , and said to them, “Receive
• Involves Sacramental Seal the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any,
• The priest is bound under the severest penalties to they are forgiven: if you retain the sins of any,
maintain the "seal of confession", absolute they are retained”
secrecy about any sins revealed to him in confession. • Corinthians 2:2-10
This strict confidentiality is known as the Seal of the o “For indeed what I have forgiven, if I have
Confessional. According to 983 §1 of the 1983 Code forgiven anything, has been for you in the
of Canon Law, "The sacramental seal is inviolable; presence of Christ.”
therefore it is absolutely forbidden for a confessor • Timothy 1:6-12
to betray in any way a penitent in words or in any o “Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal
manner and for any reason." Priests, and anyone life, to which you were called when you made
who witnesses or overhears the confession (say, an the noble confession in the presence of many
interpreter, caregiver, or aide of a person with a witnesses.”
disability) may not reveal what they have learned • Luke 11:4
during confession to anyone, even under the threat o “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive
of their own death or that of others. everyone who sins against us. And lead us not
• The bishop or priest can minister the sacrament of into temptation.”
Reconciliation
Symbols And Rituals: 2. Reconciliation with the Church
a) Keys • Sin also separates us from the Church.
• The most reoccurring symbol when completing • This separation is often experienced on a very
the Sacrament of Reconciliation basic level.
• Made up of a single or pair of keys that are • Sin pulls us away from our families.
usually crisscrossed in the shape of an X • It isolates us from our friends. It sours our
• The symbol came from the words spoken by relationships at work.
Jesus to Peter, which was, ““I will give you the • By Confession, God restores us to the Church.
keys to the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 16:19) • We return to our families and friends with more
• By speaking these words He established the love to give.
Sacrament of Reconciliation and gave the
Catholic Church the right to forgive people’s 3. Remission of the eternal punishment incurred by
sins. mortal sins
b) Stole • By mortal sin, we condemn ourselves to hell.
• A key symbol of the ordained priesthood Thankfully, through Confession, God freely
• A stole is a narrow, long strip of cloth that is pardons this punishment.
placed over the shoulders and hangs in front of • It would be wrong to imagine that God is stingy
the body. with such a pardon.
• A stole shows the priest’s right to have control • As our loving, merciful Father, He delights in
over the sacraments and to forgive sins. pardoning us.
• During the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the • He even gives us the very grace to draw us to
priest will wear a purple stole as it symbolises Confession.
sorrow and penance. • At the words of absolution (“I absolve you…”),
c) A Raised Hand all the angels and saints rejoice at this remission.
• The priest will extend his right hands and place • They await our entrance to the heavenly
it over the candidates head as it acts as a banquet.
blessing that will remove the person’s wrongful
acts. 4. Peace and serenity of conscience and spiritual
• He will do this during the Rite of Reconciliation. consolation
d) The Cross • Many think of devout Catholics as harboring
• Used when the priest makes a Sign of the Cross guilt complexes.
over the penitent whilst simultaneously reciting • Such a caricature ignores the power of
the final words of the Prayer of Absolution Confession.
• “And I absolve you from you sins in the name of • This sacrament truly brings peace, even if unfelt
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy in the moment.
Spirit.” • Anecdotally, it is the repeated experience of the
e) Scourging Whip faithful that we leave Confession light-hearted,
• Was used on Jesus Christ at the column post joyful, and renewed in God’s love.
before he was died on the cross.
• “He was crushed for our sins, by his stripes we 5. An increase of spiritual strength for the Christian
were healed; through his suffering, my servant battle
shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear; • Whether we recognize it or not, the Christian
he shall take away the sins of many, and win life is a battle.
pardon for their offenses” (Is 53:5,11,12). • We all fight our inner old man, certain of whose
tendencies linger after our baptism.
• Everyday, we are tempted to forget the true
Effects Of The Sacrament
God, to use our neighbors, and to seek our
1. Reconciliation with God by which the penitent
selfish pleasure.
recovers grace
• In this daily battle, even the saints stumble and
• This first effect reveals the real horror of sin.
fall, even if only in small ways.
• By mortal sin, we separate ourselves from God
• Confession forgives these failures, and it also
and refuse His grace.
strengthens us to overcome vices with virtue.
• By Confession, we are reunited with God. God
• Ultimately, Christ is the true victor. He is our
dwells in us through grace, and by that grace,
strength. He is our salvation.
our souls magnify the Lord.
• And should we have sinned only in small, venial
ways, the sacrament of Penance wipes those
away too.