What is the Sacrament of Penance (Confession)?

One area of human life that is most difficult for us is the admission that in some area of our life we don't measure up. Admitting those instances when we were not true to principles, ideals, or persons that are important to us. To admit to ourselves, much less somebody else, that we have fallen short in some area of our life, to live as we should, can be a difficult thing indeed.

And yet, we all know that we are not perfect. Try as we might, there are instances when we fall short of the mark. Indeed, to sin, is literally to "miss the mark". As Christians, how does God deal with those followers who, from time to time, "miss the mark" And, how do we, as followers of Jesus, seek forgiveness from God, and reconciliation with those that we have offended? How does someone who sincerely believes in Jesus accept the forgiveness of Christ, and the support of the community?

We believe that Jesus Christ provides a peace that is unique. A true sense of well-being that endures. A peace, that quite frankly, cannot be achieved any other way, except through "The Way", Jesus Christ. And, His forgiveness of our sins is a tremendous thing indeed.

The basic truth of forgiveness, in the Catholic tradition, is that the forgiveness of sins belongs to God alone.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church states this clearly: "Only God forgives sins. Since he is the Son of God, Jesus says of himself, "The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" and exercise this divine power: "Your sins are forgiven." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1441.)

Further, in the Gospel of John, Jesus extends this divine authority to the apostles, when they are told in the Gospel of John, "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." There are similar references in the Gospel of Matthew.  It seems clear that not only did Jesus forgives sins by his ministry on earth, but continues this ministry in his abiding presence with the Church.

For in the Church, we recognize the two-fold effect of sin. The primary effect is the damage our sins do to our relationship with God. "Missing the mark" of living the life of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has a profound effect on our life with God.  But, as Jesus demonstrated by eating with sinners in his ministry on earth, God is rich in mercy. Even though we may offend God by our sins, the mercy and love of God is far more powerful.

But, we don't sin in isolation.  Our sin also effects our relationship with God's people, the Church.  Our sinfullness not only can separate us from God, but also can alienate us from the community of believers.  This is why so often Jesus sought out the sinners.  Not just because he wanted to extend forgiveness, but also because he wanted to welcome them in a concrete way that puts them back into the center of the community.

Jesus also reminds us that there is a connection between how we treat one another and how we treat Jesus. To serve the least of God's people is to serve Jesus. Put another way, we must strive to see and serve the presence of Christ in all people. So, related to forgiveness, we must not only see the need for reconcilation to God, but, by extension, to God's people.

These two-fold reconcilation with God and His community, the Church, is at the heart of the Church's belief about the sacramental nature of Confession. We know from other areas of life, that the telling of sins to others can be healing.  Even when we believe God does indeed forgive our sins, often it doesn't feel complete until we can be reconciled with the person or persons we have offended.

We believe then, that when Jesus gave to the apostles the power to forgive sins in his name, he gave this authority to their successors as well.  The method of celebration has evolved over the history of the Church.

"Over the centuries the concrete form in which the Church has exercised this power received from the Lord has varied considerably. During the first centuries the reconciliation of Christians who had committed particularly grave sins after their Baptism (for example idolatry, murder, or adultery) was tied to a very rigorous discipline, according to which penitents had to do public penance for their sins, often for years, before receiving reconcilation. To this "order of penitents" (which concerned only certain grave sins), one was only rarely admitted and in certain regions only once in a lifetime. During the seventh century Irish missionaries, inspired by the Eastern monastic tradition, took to continental Europe the "private" practice of penance, which does not require public and prolonged completion of penitential works before reconciliation with the Church. Form that time on, the sacrament has been performed in secret between penitent and priest. This new practice envisioned the possibility of repetition and so opened the way to a regular frequenting of this sacrament. It allowed the forgiveness of grave sins and venial sins to be integrated into one sacramental celebration. In its main lines this is the form of penance that the Church has practiced down to our day. (CCC, paragraph 1447)

Over time, then, the priest took on the role of representing the community in the process of God's forgiveness of sins. While God is always the one who forgives our sins, the priest provides guidance and help to be reconciled to the community. We can recall that the basic structure of the celebration remains the same.

The first step is clearly the contrition or sorrow of the sinner. Forgiveness begins with the recognition that we are not our own moral authority, but that we strive to follow the laws of Christ, and His community, the Church. When we violate the laws of Jesus, we sin. "Among the penitent's acts contrition occupies first place. Contirtion is 'sorrow of the soul and destination for the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again.'" (CCC, paragraph 1451)

There are two types of contrition. The first type is sorrow that is based upon our love of God and the desire to serve God.  It is this contrition that is called "perfect" contrition, or contrition of charity. The second type, called "imperfect", which is also a gift from God, but is based on consideration of the ugliness of sin; namely, "the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner." (CCC, paragraph 1453)

After contrition, which involves the genuine sense of conversion, comes the confession or disclosure of sins. "The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others."  (CCC, paragraph 1455) While it is most important that God alone is the forgiver of our sins, the confession of our sins to a priest is also an essential part of the sacrament, for the priest, acting in the person of Christ, provides guidance and support to the penitent. The priest then prays the prayer of absolution, recognizing the forgiveness that God imparts to all who sincerely seek it.

The last part of the sacrament is the actions we undertake to repair the wrong we have done. Sin certainly harms others. "Many sins wrong our neighbor. One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g. returen stolen goods, restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for injuries). Simple justice requires as much." But sin also harms the sinner. "But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God and neighbor. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused. Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: he must "make satisfaction for" or "expiate" his sins. This satisfaction is also called penance." (CCC, paragraph 1459)

Penance is that action that puts us back on the right road, helping us to recognize again the gospel way of life. "It can consist of prayer, an offering, works of mercy, service of neighbor, voluntary self-denial, sacrifices, and above all the patient acceptance of the cross we must bear." (CCC, paragraph 1460)

It is good to remember that the celebration of the sacrament is important. If a person has been away from the sacrament for a long time, and has forgotten how to go to confession, they should simply ask a priest for guidance. 

Also, people should remember that a priest is bound by what is known as the seal of confession. Namely, a priest may not reveal, either directly or indirectly what is revealed in confession, for the sacrament involves such serious purpose: to facilitate the reconciliaton of the penitent to God and the Church.

Still, it might be helpful to know a general form for the private reception of the sacrament. The sacrament is usually celebrated in this way. First, the person seeking forgiveness (the penitent) enters the confessional or reconciliation room. This is usually a small room where the penitent (the one seeking God's forgiveness) sits (or kneels) either face to face in the presence of a priest, or, behind a screen, where the priest can hear the penitent but not see them. The penitent beings by saying, "Bless me Father, for I have sinned." Then, the penitent tells the pirest how long it has been since their last confession. For example, "It has been one month since my last confession." This helps the priest take into account the individual circumstances of the penitent. Then the penitent shares with the priest those areas of sin in his or her life. "And these are my sins . . ." After the penitent has recounted all of the sins he or she can remember, they conclude, "These are all the sins I can remember. I ask penance of you, Father and absolution." Then the priet offers words of encouragement and guidance. The priest may ask questions of the penitent for understanding, and may read or quote Scripture to help guide the penitent. After, the priest offers a penance for the penitent, which is an action which helps the penitent get back on the right track. The penitent may then say an "Act of Contrition" which can be as simple as the Scriptural, "Have mercy on me, O God, a sinner", or a formal prayer learned as a child. The penitent may also express sorrow and a desire to change in an informal way, simply talking to God. The priest then prays the prayer of absolution, "loosing" the sins as Jesus indicated in the Gospel of Matthew when Jesus told the apostles "What you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven". The priest then usually ends the celebration by wishing the penitent the peace that comes from God's forgiveness.

Catholics are to celebrate this sacrament whenever they are conscious of serious or grave sin, called mortal sin. Since mortal sin serious separates us from God, Catholics see an intimate connection between the sacraments of Confession and Eucharist. Catholics conscious of serious sin are not to receive communion until they have confessed these sins.