The Sacrament of Penance

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The Sacrament of Penance
The Sacrament through which sins committed after
Baptism can be forgiven
Also known as
The Sacrament of Reconciliation
The Sacrament of Healing
The Sacrament of Confession
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The Prodigal Son
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Jesus spent much of his ministry healing those
who were sick and forgiving sins.
What are some stories you can think of that show
God forgiving sins?
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Woman caught in adultery John 810-11
Father, forgive them for they know not what they
do.
Go, your sins are forgiven.
Thief on the cross Lk 2339
Repent and believe in the gospel
Your faith has saved you
Jesus healing and forgiving on the Sabbath Mk
28-12
Mary Magdalene washes Jesus feet with her tears
and anoints his feet Lk 737
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While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house,
many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate
with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees
saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does
your teacher eat with tax collectors and
'sinners'?"
On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the
healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go
and learn what this means 'I desire mercy, not
sacrifice. For I have not come to call the
righteous, but sinners."
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At Baptism, all of our sins are washed away.
Because we live in a fallen world, however, we
have a tendency to sin again at least once
between our baptism and our death. For this
reason, Christ instituted the sacrament of
Penance.
When we sin, we freely and deliberately choose
evil instead of good.
To be forgiven, we must first have a conversion
of heart.
A conversion is a turning. In this case, away
from sin and towards the Gospel.
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The penitent (one confessing) goes through 3
steps during the Sacrament of Penance

1. Contrition true sorrow for the sins committed,
   a rejection of the sin committed and a resolve
   not to sin again.

Perfect contrition arises out of a pure love of
God.
Imperfect contrition arises out of the ugliness
of sin and our fear of eternal damnation or other
penalties.
This leads to a remittance of venial sins and the
forgiveness of mortal sins if there is a firm
resolution to celebrate the sacrament of Penance
as soon as possible
This disposes us to obtain forgiveness but does
not obtain the forgiveness of grave sins
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2. Confession the telling of sins to the priest
involves admitting guilt and taking
responsibility for the sins we have committed.
All grave sins that are remembered through an
examination of conscience must be confessed.
The confession of venial sins is strongly
recommended but is not necessary.
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Why do we have to confess to a priest?
Because Christ set it up that way
You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my
ChurchI will give you the key to the kingdom of
heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound
in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall
be loosed in heaven. Matt 1616
When we sin we not only hurt God, we hurt
ourselves and the body of Christthe Church.
Therefore, we must ask forgiveness from God AND
from the Church.both of them are present in the
priest.
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We also need to heal
Doing something concrete helps us take visible
steps forward on our walk with God.
Priests can offer good advice to help us overcome
sins.
Confession itself is a remedy to pride!
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The Seal of Confession
The minister of the sacrament CANNOT reveal to
ANYONE what is confessed in the sacrament!
Many priests have DIED upholding this command!
If the seal is broken, the priest can no longer
celebrate the sacraments.
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This is also known as
3. Satisfaction repairing the damage caused by
the sin
Penance a voluntary suffering or punishment to
show repentance for a wrong doing.
Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving are the three main
ways to perform penance.
Standing up for what is right
Some others may include
Reaching out to those in need
Reading Sacred Scripture
Asking forgiveness from someone we have harmed
Participating in the liturgical seasons and days
of penance, especially Lent
Praying the Liturgy of the Hours, the Our Father
and other prayers
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After we have confessed our sins, said an act of
contrition and promised to fulfill an act of
penance, the priest can offer us absolution
complete forgiveness of our sins.
Acting in the name of Christ, the priest will
extend his hands over the penitent and say
God, the father of mercies, through the death and
resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world
to himself and sent the Holy Spirit 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.
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Going to confession and performing our penance
frees us from the eternal punishment of sin.
God says, I forgive you.
The Temporal Punishment for sin remains after the
sacrament. This can be paid by purifying
ourselves of unhealthy attachment to this world
either in this life or in purgatory.
We still have to pay for the window that was
broken!
An indulgence is a special mercy the Church
offers to rid us from the temporal punishment. It
generally consists of making a specific
sacrifice, going to confession, receiving the
Eucharist at Mass and saying certain prayers.
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Remember, Christ came to heal the sick
The Church requires that you go to confession at
least once a year.
Most spiritual advisors recommend once a month.
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In a nutshell
Essential elements Matter contrition,
confession and a firm purpose of amendment Form
words of absolution by the priest or bishop
Minister Only an ordained priest or bishop
Effects 1. Forgiveness of ALL sin 2. Grace to
resist sin in the future
Implications 1. Thanksgiving for Gods
forgiveness of sins indicated by efforts to keep
the promise to avoid sin in the future.
2. Ongoing conversion turning from sin and to
the Lord by penance and an intention to sin no
more.
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Tips for making a good confession

• To make a good confession, you must truly be
  sorry for your sins and make the promise not to
  sin again and to stay away from situations that
  lead you into sin.

• Be Honest and truthful in there!

• Go in and say bless me father for I have sinned,
  it has been ______ since my last confession

• Tell him your sins. If it is mortal, say so and
  say what it was and why you chose to do italso
  how many times you have done it.

• If you are not sure whether or not something is a
  sinASK!

• If you forgot a big sin in a past confession,
  tell the priest and confess it to him.

• Listen to the priests advice and ask him
  questions if you do not understand something.

• Receive your penance and make sure you understand
  it.

Make and act of contrition and meditate on
Christs sacrifice while you receive absolution.
Remember you are promising not to sin again!
Do your penance promptly and devoutly as soon as
you can.
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