The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation

The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation is one of the Sacraments of Healing. It is often referred to as the Sacrament of Confession. Through this sacrament, God pours out His forgiveness toward the repentant sinner, reconciles them to Himself and His Church, then gives them grace to be reconciled with others and to again pursue righteousness. It is necessary because even after having been forgiven and cleansed through baptism, we often struggle with sin. This sin affects our relationship with God and with others. It must be dealt with. Fortunately, God has provided us with the means to overcome these sins. It is the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.

To enter into this sacrament one must have a conversion of heart. In other words, one must recognize his/her sin and have a desire to be rid of it. To do this one must have a firm purpose of heart to repent (which means to turn away) of this sin and to never desire to pursue it again. We also must come to Confession knowing that God loves us and wants to forgive us. We should never think of our sins as so great that God cannot restore us. He indeed is able to forgive our gravest offenses if we will turn to him. 1 John 1:9 says that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The Prophet Isaiah also records that "though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool." (Isaiah 1:18). God will forgive us.

Our desire for forgiveness is accompanied by our contrition for having done wrong. We often come out of imperfect contrition, which means we seek forgiveness for fear of Hell. But as we grow in the Christian life, we begin to have perfect contrition, which means we seek forgiveness purely out of love of God and realization that we have offended Him. Either way, God stands at the ready to forgive us. Coming to Him in contrition through the ministry of the priesthood He has established, we are called also to do penance.

When one breaks a window, he/she can be forgiven of the offense, but there is still a window that needs to be repaired. Penance is that act of the penitent which seeks to repair the window and the relationship that was severed by the act of breaking it. It is not an attempt to "earn" forgiveness, but rather an attempt to rebuild what was lost through the sin, namely the break in the relationship. The penances assigned by confessors are not punishments to make one feel guilty for having done wrong. The fact that you have come to Confession shows you already have contrition of heart. Rather, the penance will help you to grow spiritually and seek reconciliation toward the one your have wronged, perhaps through prayer or even talking with the person. Being strengthened by God's grace through this sacrament will help you the next time you are tempted to sin again and may even help you to prevent others from making the same mistake.

The Sacrament of Penance is rightly performed by a Bishop or by a Priest who has been given the faculties to hear confessions. This is a continuation of the ministry given to the Apostles. Christ said that the sins forgiven by them were forgiven and that the sins they retained were retained (John 20:21-23). This is because when the priest hears confession and gives absolution, he is acting "in persona Christi" which means "in the person of Christ". It might be the priest you hear, but it is God speaking through him and granting your forgiveness. This ministry has been faithfully performed through the Church for centuries and it is very effective. How wonderful it is to hear from the Lord that our sins have been washed away; forgiven by the blood of Jesus. How powerful to be filled with grace so that we may stand firm against sin and its temptations.

To read more detailed information about the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1422-1498.