The Sacrament of Penance: From Whence Doth It Appear?

What did the early Church have that resembled Reconciliation? Constantine We know the Emperor Constantine was baptized on his death bed, seeing baptism as the only major source of forgiving sins.

We have MANY sources alluding to priests forgiving sins St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St. Cyril and others wrote about priests forgiving sins.St. Augustine But the WAY forgiveness was granted has changed A LOT over the centuries.

Order of Penitents Christians who had committed grave sins (after baptism) were sometimes admitted to the Order of Penitents. Forgiveness, in some places, was limited to once in a lifetime. One could do penance for YEARS.

The practice of PRIVATE, INDIVIDUAL confession, as we know it today, was spread from the Eastern part of the Christian world to Ireland, and the Irish monks brought it to Western Europe.

What we learn about forgiveness in the Gospels…

Pharisee and the Tax Collector/Two Debtors To be forgiven, HUMILITY is required. The self-righteous are severely warned to be humble.

Healing of the paralytic; call of Levi (aka Matthew) Jesus can heal not just the body, but He can also forgive sins. He proves this by healing the paralytic’s body. Matthew/Levi was a tax collector – meaning he worked for the enemy, and there’s a good chance he took extra. Jesus had no problem forgiving even someone who worked for Rome.

Lost Sheep/Lost Coin/Prodigal Son God is DESPERATE for sinners to turn back to Him; rejoices when they do. In the Prodigal Son parable, the older brother makes the incredible claim that he NEVER disobeyed his father. He refers to himself as a slave (Jews saw God primarily as a law giver). He refers to his brother as “your son” – represents treating “sinners” as less than the “righteous” The Father corrects both views – that everything the father has is the son’s, and that he is “your brother”.

Forgiveness from the Cross Mercy is so much a part of Jesus’ mindset that He can even forgive those who killed Him, not long after, but while He was on the cross.

Parable of the Unforgiving Servant Before this parable, Peter asks Jesus if forgiving someone seven times is enough: Jesus responds seventy times seven times. In the parable, the king forgives the equivalent of several BILLION dollars; the servant refuses to forgive a fellow servant THOUSANDS (a hundred days’ wages). When the latter is mistranslated as a FEW DOLLARS, people interpret the parable to be against pettiness; rather, it is urging that we forgive HUGE amounts.

Woman Caught in Adultery Jesus allows them to follow the law, and execute, but “Let he who has never sinned throw the first stone.” Starting with the oldest, the men who were going to kill her dropped their stones and left. Jesus, after offering her pardon, tells her not to sin again. (The will to change is an important part of forgiveness.)

Zacchaeus and Peter are forgiven Zacchaeus, the tax collector, tries to see Jesus, who then invites Himself to Zacchaeus’ home. Zacchaeus offers to repay anyone he cheated FOURFOLD, and give HALF his wealth to the poor. Peter is asked 3 times if he loves Jesus (after betraying Him 3 times). Each time, after Peter says “Of course I love you.” (or some variation thereof), Jesus says some variation of “Feed my sheep.” In both passages, Jesus teaches that charity is an important part of forgiveness/conversion.

The Sacrament of Penance The idea that priests forgive sins goes back to the Gospels. On Easter Sunday: “‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.’ When He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” (Jn. 20:21-23) (Mt. 16:16-19 is similar.)

(Review) So forgiveness from the Church is there from the beginning, but the sacrament develops over time. For about 6 centuries, public penance and the Order of Penitents (for grave sins, often a 1-time opportunity). Irish monks brought the practice of private confession from the East to the Western Church.

Catholics believe in both temporal punishment (Purgatory) and eternal punishment (Hell), as a result of sins. Reconciliation offers the remission of both by absolving sins (ABSOLUTION).

AKA The sacrament is sometimes just referred to as “Confession”, “Penance”, “Reconciliation”, the Sacrament of Conversion, or the Sacrament of Forgiveness. Remember that Conversion is a lifelong process, not a one-time event.

Adapting to different situations One way the sacrament can be received is the “Rite for Reconciliation with Several Penitents with General Confession and Absolution”, aka General Absolution This is for an extraordinary circumstance – like if you bought a ticket for the Titanic!

We also have the “Rite of Reconciliation with Several Penitents with Individual Confession and Absolution”, aka the Communal Rite. (This is often done in a school setting. Everyone says the Act of Contrition together, to save time, individually confess and receive absolution.)

The most common form is the “Rite of Reconciliation with Individual Penitents”, or the “Individual Rite”, which we’ll focus on.

Preparation Examination of conscience – people think about what sins they have committed since their last Confession (The 10 Commandments are a common guide to reflect on this – although people can also look at where they have not been charitable enough, where they could be better to parents/children/siblings, etc.)

Reception of the Penitent The priest welcomes the person, they make the Sign of the Cross

Reading of the Word of God (optional) The priest may read a Scripture passage, to remind people of God’s role in it.

Confession of Sins/ Acceptance of Penance “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned…” The penitent is required to name all MORTAL sins; recommended we name VENIAL sins. (Venial sins are also forgiven at the reception of the Eucharist.)

As a way of showing our sorrow for our sins, gratitude for forgiveness, desire to live in peace w/ God and people, we say prayers, do works of mercy, love and justice, service, etc.

Penitent’s Prayer/Priest’s Absolution At this point, the penitent says the Act of Contrition (“Oh, my God, I am sorry for my sins…”) Contrition is “perfect” when it comes from love of God; “imperfect” when it comes from fear of hell. Either includes a resolve to end one’s sinful ways.

“God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son, has reconciled the world to Himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us 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.”

With those words, the priest absolves a person of their sins. This forgiveness comes from the God, and the priest is merely acting as an intermediary, like an ambassador.

Seal of Confession The priest cannot, under any circumstances, reveal what he hears in Confession.

What about illness and death?

There are MANY healing stories in the Gospels. To find the message (other than attesting to Jesus’ power), we must often look at the details. The sacrament can be seen as early as the letter of James (5:14)

For example, what does it mean that Jesus healed: a Roman centurion’s servant? a Samaritan leper? a woman whose bleeding made her ritually unclean? several people on the Sabbath? the servant of one of the men arresting Him? a man born blind (and assumed cursed by God to that life)?

What about illness and death? Illness and death are part of every person’s life journey. Everyone is invited to reach out with compassion to join with those who are ill or dying, just as Jesus did. God has revealed himself to be a God of compassion. Compassion is the quality of a person who so closely identifies with the suffering of another that the other’s suffering becomes their own.

Jesus gave us the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. Through this Sacrament God offers us the graces to deal with our illness and the difficulties that accompany it. In this Sacrament we encounter the same Jesus who grieved over Lazarus and raised him from death, cleansed lepers, healed the centurion's servant, healed St. Peter’s mother-in-law, healed the man paralyzed from birth, and many others. What about illness and death?

Hope in the midst of suffering and pain Jesus’ healing miracles are signs of the healing and saving presence of the Spirit of God, who is always at work among us. Jesus’ healing miracles:  healed the whole person―body and soul;  offered healing for the unjust social structures that afflicted the people;  healed the suffering caused by social isolation;  strengthened people’s faith in God.

Hope in the midst of suffering and pain Jesus also suffered; much of Jesus’ suffering resulted from people’s spiritual blindness. Jesus’ suffering was also the consequence of his obedience to his Father and his love for humanity. All during his suffering Jesus reached out and found healing in the presence of his Father. Jesus’ greatest act of healing was his suffering and Death on the Cross. The healing and saving power of Jesus’ suffering and Death was revealed in the Resurrection.

Hope in the midst of suffering and pain The Resurrection is the source of our hope in the midst of the ongoing suffering and death that we experience. Suffering and death did not have the final say in Jesus’ life, and neither will they have the final say in our life. When we ‘take up our cross daily’ and unite our suffering with the suffering of Jesus, it gives us courage and strength to accept our suffering with dignity and hope. Hope is the desire and expectation of the salvation God promised. In the end, all suffering and death will be defeated.

When? Who? Where? How? The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is one of the Church’s two Sacraments of Healing. A priest can celebrate this Sacrament with an individual who is seriously ill or with a group of sick or elderly people. The Church celebrates this Sacrament wherever the seriously ill person may be; for example:  in the family home,  in a hospital,  in an assisted-living residence,  in a hospice,  at the scene of an accident.

When? Who? Where? How? How the Sacrament is celebrated outside of Mass:  The priest greets those present and invites them to reverence the Blessed Sacrament.  The priest celebrates the Sacrament of Penance with the sick person.  The priest proclaims the Gospel. (Liturgy of the Word)  The Liturgy of Anointing begins and those present are invited to join in a prayer of faith to express their trust in God.  The priest lays his hands on the head of the person receiving the Sacrament and anoints first the forehead and then the hands with the Oil of the Sick.  The priest concludes the Liturgy of Anointing with a prayer.

When? Who? Where? How?  While anointing the person’s forehead, the priest recites these words: Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit.  While anointing the person’s hands, the priest recites these words: May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up.  The distribution of Holy Communion then takes place.  Holy Communion received by those in danger of death is called Viaticum.  The celebration concludes with the blessing of all present.

The gifts of God’s healing presence Despair about life is the loss of hope in the saving and healing power of God. The risen Lord does not abandon us in moments of illness or suffering. His healing power is always at work in our lives. Through the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, the Holy Spirit offers the sick person the gifts of strength, peace and courage. These graces strengthen the person to fight against the effects of the illness and against the temptation to lose faith and hope and to despair.

The gifts of God’s healing presence The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick also brings to the sick and suffering....  union with Christ in his Passion  forgiveness of sins  restoration to health, if God wills it  preparation for passing over to eternal life Christians must become the hands of Christ touching the sick and dying, bringing his healing presence to those who need it most.

Blessed José Olalla Valdés ( ) and the Hospitaller Brothers of St. John of God (1495–1550) Blessed José Olalla Valdés was born in Havana, Cuba on February 12, His passion for serving the poor inspired him to join the Hospitaller Brothers of St. John of God, a community which today cares for the sick and dying in fifty-one countries, including the United States. Brother José served the sick and poor at Camaguey, Cuba for fifty-four years. He became legendary for his skill first as a nurse and then as a surgeon, for his knowledge of homeopathic medicines and for his talent for resolving disputes among townspeople.