The Sacrament of Penance

 Baptism washes away all sin to that point  Sins committed after Baptism are washed away through Confession  This was a point of clarification in the early Church  Confession = Penance = Reconciliation

 “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:23)  Jesus said this to the Apostles the night he rose  Only God can forgive sins  As seen in the parable of the Paralytic  Jesus shared this part of His mission and power  “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation”  2 Corinthians 5:18

 “Peace be with you”  Penance is the true way to peace in our lives  Frees us from guilty consciences  “As the Father has sent Me”  Jesus is the messenger of the Good News  “So I send you”  Priests are “Ambassadors of Christ” (2 Cor 5:20)  “Receive the Holy Spirit”  Priest forgives sins through the power of the Spirit  Not his own power  “If you forgive men’s sins, they are forgiven them”  Jesus explicitly gives the priest the power of forgiveness  “If you hold them bound, they are held bound”  Priest can refuse to forgive sins if we are not truly sorry

 Matter  Verbal confession of sins  Form  Words of absolution  I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit  “ I absolve” – In persona Christi  He makes the sign of the cross over us when saying this  Reminds us that it is Christ’s sacrifice which cleanses us of our sins

 Takes away sins  Restores Sanctifying Grace  If we had lost it through mortal sin  Strengthens our relationship with God  Satisfies some of our temporal punishment  Penance here on earth helps us limit penance in purgatory  Gives us graces to do better in the future

 Examine your conscience  Have sorrow for having sinned  Pray for perfect contrition  Have at least contrition  Firm resolution to avoid sin and its near occasion in the future  Confess your sins honestly  Without hiding things  Priest isn’t going to hold it against you  If anything, he will be moved that you were bold enough to confess them to Him  He is in the person of Christ  Confessional Seal = Secrecy  Receive absolution and do the penance prescribed to you

 Make Sign of the Cross after entering confessional  “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”  You say how long it’s been since your last Confession  Reveal your sins  Starting with mortal sins  Must confession number of times committing mortal sin  Must give necessary details relating to it  Priest gives advice  This is a major reason Christ gave us this Sacrament  Act of Contrition  To show our contrition/attrition  Absolution