Fr Michael's presentation on

The Sacrament of Confession

from 3-4-11

Post Baptism

•“If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins but a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries. Anyone who rejects the law of Moses is put to death without pity on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Do you not think that a much worse punishment is due the one who has contempt for the Son of God, considers unclean the covenant-blood by which he was consecrated, and insults the spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:26-31)

•“Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. Realize how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” (Rev. 2:4-5)

•“Therefore, I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.“(Matt 12:31)

•"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it becomes a tree, so that the birds

What is Confession?

•A sacrament of healing and conversion

–Begins with God’s creative love for the person

–Awareness (Know thyself)

–Turning oneself over to the forgiving love of God

•Every person has a relationship with

–God

–Other people

–Himself or herself

–Creation

•We are created by and for the Logos (Word)

–Sin is falling into the anti-Word

–Confession is casting out the anti-Word and being filled once again with the Word

Contrition vs Attrition

•Attrition: motivated by a fear of punishment (guilt)

–Mercy from God can be attained but grace is not penetrating deeply

–Satisfaction is a struggle

•Contrition: motivated by love of God

–A desire to be in communion

–Grace penetrates deeply

–Satisfaction is an act of love

•A double movement at work in confession

–Sorrow for sin and a turning away from it

–Turning towards God

Sorrow for Sin

•Sorrow for sin becomes efficacious when combined with the absolution of the priest

•A meeting between personal sorrow and faith in Christ’s promises

•"Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.“(John 20:21-23)

•Confession is not just about feeling sorrow but celebrating God’s mercy

•The Double Movement: Healing our intentionality

How to Confess

•Contrition: Sorrow for sin

–Examination of Conscience in proper context

–Belief in God’s mercy

–Message of the preacher

•Confession: Verbal acknowledgment of sin

–All mortal sins must be confessed

•Kind

•Number

•Cause

–Venial sins do not have to be confessed but must be forgiven

–“If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.” (1 Jn5:16-17)

•Satisfaction: Penance performed not as punishment but as remediation

When are sins forgiven?

•Absolution of the priest:

–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. Amen.

–In Latin: “… et ego teabsolvoa peccatistuis.”

•Don’t canonize the poena