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