Sacrament of Reconciliation

“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”

Reporter:
Felix, Krizza
Flore, Mae Ann
Gabas, Gerald
Infiesto, Zacher Kemuel

Reactors:
Lumokso, Mylene
Manlangit, Julia Cyrene
Marelo, Sharlene Mae
 Reconciliation
 The Sacrament of Reconciliation finds its way in to the ministry of Jesus. He entrusted the
exercise of the power of absolution to the apostolic ministry which He charged with the
'ministry of reconciliation. As we read these passages, we see Jesus giving His apostles the gift
of peace while He confers upon them the power to forgive sins in the name of God." The
apostle is sent out on behalf of Christ with God making His appeal' through him and pleading:
Be reconciled to God" (CCC 1442).
 In the Gospels we read about Jesus' teachings on love and forgiveness. Through His deeds and
actions, Jesus gave us an example of what repentance and pardon truly means. "Repent and
believe in the Gospel; for the kingdom of God Is at Hand" (Mark 1:25).
 Much of what Jesus did and taught centered on the mission of reconciling sinners to God and
one's neighbor. The synoptic gospels are filled with stories and teachings of Jesus on this
matter. We are also given the beautiful picture of the unconditional love of the Father to those
who turned away from sin.
 From the examples cited above, the message which Jesus preached come to us loud and
clear. It was more than a message of repentance which meant being sorry for what one has
done. His was a call to metanoia, which means "to change one's life and one's heart".
 The intensity of Christ's call to metanoia was such that when Peter asked Him: "Lord, how
often do I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?" Jesus' answer was:
“Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times" (Mt. 18:21-22). In other words, there is no
limit to what could be forgiven and what need to be forgiven. It is like saying, I shall
forgive for as long as my brother needs my forgiveness.
 Origins of the Sacrament
 Early Christians were aware of penitential rituals prescribed in the Hebrew scriptures and
Jewish traditions. Prominent among these is the rite celebrated during the Day of Atonement.
Chief Priest would confess his sins and that of the People to God. He would then transfer
these to a goat called Azazel which was taken to the wilderness. This practice began the term
"scapegoat".
 In the days of the first Christian communities, the sacrament of baptism was seen as the
primary sacrament of reconciliation and forgiveness. The early Church believed that a
frequent reception of the sacrament whenever one commits a sin is a mockery of the
compassion, love and mercy of the Father.
 Later, when the furor of persecution had died down, these apostates asked to be reconciled to
the community. Some bishops readily admitted them, others did not. The early Christians
were not blind to the reality of ordinary sins. Concern now however arose for those who
committed serious sins such as those of the apostates. And what for those who were guilty of
murder, heresy and adultery? Eventually, the need for a ritual of penance and absolution was
greatly felt.
 By the fourth century, a public ritual especially for those with the serious sins, has evolved.
Absolution was given only after sincere reform of one's life has been proven. Penance was
harsh which oftentimes lasted for many years.
 In the following centuries, the Church experienced an evolution in the sacrament of
reconciliation. This time, it took on the form of a private confession, which practice was
started by the monks during the seventh to the eleventh centuries. Monasticism encouraged
the monks to confess their sins to another or to their abbot. At the end of these meetings,
both monks would pray together and ask forgiveness. This form of penance developed and
with it, the Church came up with a list of particular sins.
 Another development that came with it is seen in the role of the priest-confessor who
eventually was regarded as judge. Absolution was naturally done in the name of God, but
there was a point in history when the people surmised that the forgiveness of one's sins was
dependent on the priest, rather than on the mercy and love of God. It was he who would hear
the individual's confession, determine the kind of penance for the remission of the person's
sins and bestow the absolution for forgiveness.
 Other development on the understanding of the sacrament included the distinction between
the mortal and the venial sins, perfect and imperfect contrition as well as that concerning the
punishment of sins.
 The Council of Trent, in response to the beliefs of the Protestant Church, issued directives
and teachings on the sacrament of reconciliation. It reaffirmed the truth of God's
unconditional love and mercy on His people and the necessity of confession after baptism for
the forgiveness of our sins. In the latter form, stress was on the penitent's acts of sorrow for
sins committed, confession of his sins, penance and absolution.
 Its Celebration Today
 Penance is a liturgical action. The elements of celebration are ordinarily these: a greeting and
a blessing from the priest, reading the Word of God to illuminate the conscience and elicit
contrition, and an exhortation to repentance, the confession which acknowledges sins and
makes them known to the priest. The priest's absolution, a prayer of thanksgiving and praise,
praise and dismissal with the blessing of the priest are part of the rite of Reconciliation.
 In December 1973, the Congregation for Divine Worship published the Rite of Penance as a
response to the Second Vatican Council. The Congregation stated that: "The Church urges the
faithful to attend penitential celebrations from time to time" (National Conference of Catholic
Bishops. The Rite Of Penance, 8).
 3 Forms of Reconciliation
 The first form, the one most Catholics are familiar with, is called the Reconciliation of
Individual Penitents. The sacrament of Reconciliation is heard in a reconciliation room
where the penitent and priest-confessor sit face-to-face in an atmosphere of friendship,
openness and trust. Traditional practice shows the rite celebrated in the Church inside the
confessional box. More recently, the ecclesial community is encouraged with the sacrament
heard in the reconciliation room. The purpose for such is to present to the Penitent the
circumstances and consequences of certain decisions and choices which he or she has made
while receiving counsel, encouragement to renew life choices and rectification.
 At this juncture, the priest-confessor extends his hands over the penitent while he says the
prayer of absolution (the form of the sacrament): "God, the Father of mercies, through the
death and resurrection of His Son, has reconciled the worldto 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." And the penitent responds with: "Amen."
 The second form of Reconciliation is known as the Rite for Reconciliation of several
penitents with individual confession and absolution, otherwise called communal penance.
As its name aptly describes it, this form of penance depicts the ecclesial and communitarian
dimension of the wound inflicted by sin and that of conversion. It allows one to reflect on the
social consequences of personal sin and at the same time, be thankful for the support and
encouragement of the Christian community to him or her in his or her journey to conversion.
 Communal penance is commonly celebrated during Advent and Lent. The whole congregation,
gathered In church actively participates in the rite of Reconciliation. The rite includes a general
confession of sins, citation of the Lord's Prayer, individual confession and absolution. It
concludes with a prayer of thanksgiving, a Concluding Prayer and dismissal. (NCCB 74-78).
 The third form of penance is the Reconciliation of Penitents with General Absolution. The
Rite of General Absolution is similar to the Rite for communal penance which begins with the
Introductory Rites followed by the Liturgy of the Word. In this case, the minister of the
sacrament explicitly states the necessity of giving general absolution. This form presupposes
that the individual penitent is sincerely sorry for his or her sins.
 There are particular instances when one witnesses and participates in penitential services
without sacramental absolution. The practice started in the mid-sixties as an encouragement for
the lay faithful to a life of renewal and conversion. It is commonly done during the seasons of
Lent and Advent. The structure of the penitential service is clearly similar to that of the rite for
several penitents with absolution. For this reason, thorough care must be given so as not to
confuse the celebration of sacramental penance and the penitential services.
The Minister and Sacramental Seal of Confession
 In the Church, the bishops and the priests receive the power to forgive the sins of men and
women. The exercise of this ministry is equally received by them in priestly ordination. "The
priest is the sign and the instrument of God's merciful love for the sinner".
 Clearly the minister of Reconciliation takes upon himself the inspiration of the Father's love
for His children and his fraternal charity to assist the faithful to return to a life in communion
with Christ and His Church. For this reason, it is commendable that the bishops and priests be
adequately equipped and properly disposed for the ministry.
 The minister of the sacrament is strictly obligated to the secrecy of whatever is heard in
confession. "What the penitent has made known to the priest remains 'sealed' by the
sacrament" (CCC 1467). The obligation to absolute secrecy is inviolable. It binds "even unto
death" and in spite of consequences that may befall any person or that of the common good.
Teachings of the Church on the Sacrament
 In the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, we read: "It is through the sacrament and the
exercise of the virtues that the sacred nature and organic structure of the priestly community is
brought into operation" (LG 11). At this juncture, we shall reflect on the relevance of this truth
to the sacrament of Reconciliation.
 In the preceding sections of this lesson, it is stated that one of the concerns posed to the
Catholic Church in its early days is the inclination of the people towards direct confession to
God. the Second Vatican Council replies: "Those who approach the sacrament of Penance
obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against Him, and are, at the same
time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity,
by example and by prayer labors for their conversion" (LG 11,2). Added to this is a clear
weakening of man's conscience and his declining sense of sin which may have been brought
about by certain socio-cultural conditions such as those that we find in a modern morally-
permissive
 "Sin is, before all else, an offense against God, a rupture of communion with Him". We are,
therefore, made to understand that sin is an act which the human person consciously and
deliberately choose. Under these circumstances we knowingly and freely oppose the will of
the Father and violate the principle of goodness and virtue.
 The Parable of the Prodigal Son describes the kind of relationship man shares with God and
how such relationship is marred by one's scornful and stubborn choices. What is most
remarkable, though, in this story is the comforting and reassuring gifts of compassion and
forgiveness given by the father to his son.
 Every sin that one person commits necessarily affects the ecclesial community to which one
belongs. Every choice of evil, even if committed in private, is an affront to the effort of the
whole of mankind who strives for holiness and perfection. We are all members of one body,
the Body of Christ.
 The power to forgive man's sins belongs solely to God, but this gift of forgiveness is granted
by God and received by man through the Church. The mission and ministry of reconciling
man back to God has been entrusted by Christ to His Church. "Whose sins you forgive are
forgiven them and whose sins you retain are retained"(John 20:23).
 "In the Church, the same power is given to the bishops and the priests. We understand, though,
that the efficacy of the sacrament act ex opere operato (literally: by the very fact of the action
being performed), i.e. by virtue of the saving work of Christ, accomplished once for all. It
follows that the sacrament is not wrought by the righteousness of either the celebrant or the
recipient, but by the power of God" (CCC 1128).
 In the sacrament of Penance, the individual person is enabled to recognize his/her faults and
limitations and to articulate these to God's minister. He/she humbly expresses too, one's
repentance over them; freely accepting the satisfaction of participating mankind's sin in the
sacrifice of Jesus for the reparation of man's sin.
The Christian Challenge
 For us Christians who believe in the effectiveness of the sacrament, recourse to it is done on a
frequent basis, but more importantly and especially, when one is aware of the commission of a
grave or serious sin. The regular and frequent reception and celebration of the sacrament is
actually also beneficial in the formation of our conscience and the development of our
sensitivity to sin and its harmful consequences.
 A renewal of one's life towards goodness become easier and better experienced in a community
which provides an atmosphere of fraternal concern and genuine charity. The ecclesial
community, in this regard, plays an important role in so far as the members extend moral
support to one another.
The End