Sacrament of Reconciliation

1. Sacrament of Reconciliation

2. What is Sin? • Breaking a rule or harming a relationship? • How we view sin affects how we view the Sacrament • Rules are in place to help us know how to correctly relate to others. • Recognition of sin is to recognize that we need to constantly work on relationships. • Sin – Thoughts, words, and actions that harm or rupture our relationship with God, others, and our self. • No sin is merely personal – they all affect our relationship with God and others (think Body of Christ).

3. How bad is sin? • Some thoughts, words, and actions weaken our relationship with God, community, and our self. • Makes it harder to resist sin, leads to vices. • Known as Venial Sin • Some thoughts, words, and actions destroy our relationship with God, Community, and our self. • Turning our back on God, other, and self. • Known as Mortal Sin • Think Relationship, not rules.

4. Venial vs. mortal “elements” • Venial • One must know something is wrong. • One does the thought, word, or act freely and deliberately. • Mortal • Concerns serious and grave matter. • One must know something is wrong. • One does the thought, word, or act freely and deliberately.

5. Sin and sinner Distinction • Jesus and the woman caught in adultery • Hate the sin, love the sinner. • Catholic Guilt • Good when it helps us change our ACTIONS • Bad when it makes us feel bad about who we are • God loves us the way we are, but too much to leave us that way.

6. Forgiveness • Forgiveness is the power to heal relationships. • All sins are offenses against God. • Jesus, who has authority to forgive all sins, passed this authority on to the apostles. • Matthew 16:19-20; John 20:22-23 • Authority to forgive in the name of Jesus passed on through Apostolic Succession. • With God, forgiveness is always a possibility, no matter how grave the sin.

8. Names for Reconciliation • Sacrament of Conversion • “metanoia” – turning toward God • Sacrament of Confession • Naming and taking responsibility for our actions. • Sacrament of Forgiveness • Receive pardon for sins and the gift of peace • Sacrament of Penance • Action of penance (act of reparation) is necessary • Sacrament of Reconciliation • Reunited more firmly with God and others

9. Reconciliation • Conversion – continual turning toward God • Minister of the Sacrament of Reconciliation • Bishop and his coworkers, the priests. • Should be respectful and sensitive • Should encourage responsibility of living the Gospel • Should offer the healing love of Christ • Should pray and do penance for the penitent. • Sacramental Seal (seal of the confessional) • Priest is bound to secrecy – cannot reveal sins to others.

10. Scripture and Reconciliation • Power to forgive sins is exercised in the name of the Trinity. • “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” (John 20:22-23) • Forgiveness of the paralytic (Mark 2:1-12) • Jesus tells the paralytic, and us, “Child your sins are forgiven.” • Sin and sickness in the Old Testament.

11. Conversion after baptism • Concupiscence – human tendency toward sin • Remains after Baptism washes away original sin • Need for ongoing conversion • St. Peter’s post resurrection conversion. • Reconciliation focuses on this repentance and ongoing commitment to avoid sin (harming of relationships) • Reconciliation is the “Second Plank” • Baptism first saves us from the sea of sin and death • Reconciliation is for when we fall back into the sea.

12. Historical Perspective • Early Church, public confession and penance was practiced. • Was reserved for mortal sins only. • Could only happen once. • Irish monks began practice of private confession and penance, which could be repeated. • Reconciliation expanded to a way to support ongoing conversion for both venial and mortal sins.

13. Rite of Reconciliation • Actions of the Penitent • Repentance – contrition, sorrow for sins and an intention to avoid sin in the future • “Perfect contrition” – because of God’s love • “Imperfect contrition” – because of a fear of hell • Confession of sins – taking responsibility • Strengthens conscious, curb bad tendencies, open heart to Christ, & become more faith filled. • Intention to make reparation – penance, which is a prayer or action that repairs the harm caused by sin • Absolution takes away sin, reparation ties to heal the disorder underlying the sin.

14. Rite of Reconciliation • Action of the Priest • Gives absolution – pardons sins in the name of God and the Church. • An essential element of Reconciliation

15. Rite of Reconciliation • Preparation – Examination of Conscious • Welcome • Reading of Scripture • Penitent confesses, accepts penance, prays an act of contrition. • Priest says prayer of absolution • Proclamation of praise and dismissal

16. Three celebrations of Reconciliation • Individual Reconciliation • Communal celebration of Reconciliation with individual confession. • Examine conscious, hear Scripture, and pray together as a community • Followed by individual confession and absolution • Reminds us of how our sin affects the entire Body of Christ • Communal celebration of Reconciliation with General Confession and General Absolution • Used in case of emergency, when there is not time or enough priests to hear individual confessions

17. Effects of the Sacrament of Reconciliation • Forgiveness of all sin • Reconciliation with God – “spiritual resurrection” that overcomes the separation we have caused • Reconciliation with the Church – restores and repairs the Body of Christ and our union with it. • Remission of punishment for sin – removes the effects of our broken relationships • Peace and serenity of conscious – God’s gift to us. • Increased Spiritual Strength – helps us choose and stay on the right path in life.

18. Pope emeritus Benedict XVI • Story on page 201 • Regular confessions is helpful • We regularly clean our homes even though the dirt is always the same. • The Spiritual Cleaning of Reconciliation: • Helps make the conscious more alert • Helps us mature spiritually and as a human person

19. Heaven, hell, and purgatory • At the moment of death, each person undergoes particular judgment • Decision is made toward God or toward self. • Once release from bounds of time and space, there is no possibility of “changing our mind.” • Our life culminates at the moment of our death – who we’ve become is who we are. • Hell is eternal separation from God • Heaven is eternal union with God. • Purgatory is the process of purification that most people need to be in complete union with God.