The Sacrament ofPenance and Reconciliation: Forgiveness in FourEasy Steps
by Rev. Msgr. Richard B.Hilgartner
Executive Director, Secretariat of Divine Worship
UnitedStates Conference of Catholic Bishops
In every relationship, there comes a time when somethinggoes wrong and one person or one group hurts or offends the other, and therelationship is damaged. Whether it is a personal relationship between familymembers or friends or a more structured relationship between an individual anda group or organization, some process of healing or repair is required torestore the relationship. Sometimes it takes as little as an apology—"I'msorry"—but in some cases, a more significant act or gesture to demonstrate goodwill or an attempt to make up for the harmful action is required.
The Sacrament of Penance andReconciliation (as it is called in the Catechismof the Catholic Church [CCC]) is one of the means by which our relationshipwith Jesus Christ and the Church is healed, restored, and ultimatelystrengthened. The sacrament is known by several names: the liturgical book thatcontains the rite is called the Rite ofPenance, but it is commonly referred to as "confession," "Penance," or "Reconciliation."Those different names focus attention on the various elements of the sacrament:confessing sin, doing penance, reconciling the sinner. Some of those elementsrequire the work and effort of the penitent (the one confessing), but theprincipal act of forgiving and reconciling belongs to God alone. There are fourprimary actions in the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, all ofwhich contribute in some way to the healing that takes place: confession of sin; expression of contrition or sorrow for sin; doing penance ("satisfaction"), whichexpresses a desire to avoid sin; and absolutionfrom sin. Essentially there are two "movements" in the sacrament: our movementtoward God and God's toward us.
Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus (seeLk 19:1-10) demonstrates the twofold movement at work in the Sacrament ofReconciliation. It takes both parties' willingness to reconcile in order tobring about healing, and when the Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated,the sinner makes a move toward Jesus Christ, and the Lord himself makes a moveto welcome, embrace, and forgive the sinner. Zacchaeus knew who he was: "a taxcollector and a wealthy man." Tax collectors made their money by taking theirown cut of the taxes they collected, so they were particularly despised,because their work was often motivated by personal gain. Zacchaeus must havebeen good at what he did, because St. Luke tells us he was a wealthy man. Zacchaeusclimbed the tree, because, as St. Luke tells us, he wanted "to see Jesus." Indoing so, he knew that Jesus would see him, too, and in that way he takes astep forward. Jesus then enters into Zacchaeus's life, and the process ofhealing and conversion is made manifest in Zacchaeus's intention to makerestitution. To be clear, Zacchaeus doesn't necessarily initiate the process,but his own movement is itself a response to some prompting of God's invitationand grace.
To understand the working offorgiveness, one must also understand the work of sin. St. Augustine describessin as "an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law" (Contra Faustum manichaeum, PL 42, 428; seealso CCC, no. 1849). Sin offends God and harms relationships with others. Sinis a choice to do the wrong or avoid the good. We actively cooperate in the actof sinning (because it is a conscious decision), and so we must activelyparticipate in the process of being forgiven from sin.
When onespeaks of reconciliation, referring either to the theological concept or toCatholic sacramental practice, one must begin with the primacy of God's workand free gift flowing from his love for his people. It is God who forgives, andit is Jesus who embodies that forgiveness in his ministry and preaching, and inhis Passion, Death, and Resurrection. From him flows the gift of forgivenessfor those who believe. This "first" act of reconciliation is referred to asjustification. Human forgiveness (i.e., as we forgive one another) is theresponse to what is already accomplished in Christ.
Justification is the broad activityof redemption and forgiveness in which the specific action of the Sacrament ofReconciliation functions. The Praenotandaof the Rite of Penance sets thecontext of sacramental forgiveness within a larger framework: in the firstplace there is Christ as reconciler, and in the second place is the Church as a"locus of reconciliation" (Rite ofPenance, nos. 3-5; see also Kenan Osborne, Reconciliation and Justification: The Sacrament and Its Theology,1990). If the working of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is understoodincorrectly, it could lead to a false sense of "controlling" the grace offorgiveness in one's life simply by confessing and receiving absolution, or ofearning the grace of forgiveness by acts of satisfaction. The Rite of Penance emphasizes thatjustification is the action of God in Christ Jesus. The sacrament is one locuswhere that justification is made manifest for the believer in a particular way.
Only within this proper context ofthe primacy of God's work in Jesus Christ is it then possible to see the way inwhich the Rite of Penance outlinesthe four steps—and our work—in the "process of forgiveness": confession, contrition,satisfaction, and absolution. The celebration of the sacrament, under normalcirc*mstances, is the "Rite of Reconciliation of Individual Penitents,"otherwise known as "private confession," in which the individual sinner gatherswith a priest who stands as the face of Jesus Christ, who offers mercy andpardon. In this form the "work" of the sinner (the first three acts) and the"work" of God in Jesus Christ (through absolution by the priest) is clear, asthe various parts flow directly from one to another (it should be noted thatthe same elements are present in the so-called "communal celebrations"—found inChapters Two and Three of the Rite ofPenance—but this article is limited in scope to the individual celebrationof the sacrament). In addition to the essential elements, the celebration ofthe rite also includes a welcome and greeting, reading of the Word of God, andthe proclamation of praise of God.
Confession entails admitting and naming one's sin. It is in thisact that the penitent names his or her sins, acknowledging the judgment of Godover his or her actions. For some, especially those who are celebrating the sacramentfor the first time or after a long time, this might seem awkward, for it isdifficult to admit one's faults. The Catechismof the Catholic Church points out, however, that even on a strictly humanlevel, confessing one's sins can be a freeing experience (CCC, no. 1455) as ameans of unburdening oneself of those burdens. Generally there is anexpectation that confession of sin be integral and thorough, and the priest canbe of assistance in guiding the penitent through such a process. He can alsooffer counsel regarding the process of conversion from sin.
Contrition is one's expression of sorrow for sin. Simplyapproaching the Sacrament of Reconciliation can at some level be an expressionof contrition. Contrition "occupies first place" in the work of the sacrament(see CCC, no. 1451), but the expression of the "Act of Contrition" usuallyfollows after the confession of sin. The Council of Trent defined contrition as"heartfelt sorrow and aversion for the sin committed along with the intentionof sinning no more" (Council of Trent, Session XIV, De Sacramento Paenitentiae, Chapter 3: Denz., 1673-1675). Thesinner expresses the desire for a right relationship with God, which entailsdoing God's will. Contrition comes about through understanding the nature ofone's relationship with God as an invitation and a call to discipleship, and anawareness of the ways in which one has not lived up to that call. The sinnerwho desires God's forgiveness seeks the Lord, because he or she recognizes thatovercoming sin and resisting temptation come not from one's own abilities butwith God's help.
Satisfaction for sin is the way in which the sinner shows his orher "firm purpose of amendment," which means that the sinner demonstrates byaction the intention to heal the harm done by sin. When someone harms another,the process of reconciliation in that relationship entails making restitution,and that gesture in itself is a healing remedy. In the celebration of the sacrament,the penitent is offered a suggested act of penance as a means of makingsatisfaction. Sometimes the suggested penance is a concrete gesture to makeamends for a particular sin, but at other times the penance can be somethingbroader, such as a particular act of charity. Even a penance involving prayeror devotion can be offered, because such prayer helps the sinner to reorienthis or her life to the presence of Jesus Christ and his love for the sinner,which flows from his Cross. An integrated Christian life is one in whichactions flow from prayer. The sinner's expression of contrition anddemonstration of firm purpose of amendment together manifest such integrationin his or her life.
Absolution from sin is offered by the priest acting in persona Christi, "in the person ofChrist." The real power of the sacrament is this incarnational moment, as thehealing power of Christ in his forgiveness is given a real face and a realvoice in the person of the priest. One can pray to God to ask forgivenessanytime, and all are encouraged to do so as a means of seeking and findingforgiveness for minor everyday faults (i.e., venial sins), but only in thesacramental celebration is that gift of forgiveness offered in such concreteform. The priest's prayer of absolution states, "Through the ministry of theChurch, may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins inthe name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." This makesclear the prayer for God's gifts ("of pardon and peace"), but the declaration,"I absolve you," is far more powerful than an invocation or request for forgiveness.The power to offer absolution has its roots in Jesus' giving the authority toforgive to the Apostles (see Mt 16:19; Jn 20:23).
The process of seeking, receiving,and celebrating God's mercy and forgiveness is meant to be source of joy. It isdifficult to admit one's faults, and sometimes even more difficult to askforgiveness. Pope Francis, however, reminds us that it need not be something tofear, because the Lord is always ready and eager to bestow his healing love:
Whenever we take a step toward Jesus,we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms. Nowis the time to say to Jesus: "Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in athousand ways I have shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew mycovenant with you. I need you. Save me once again, Lord, take me once more intoyour redeeming embrace." How good it feels to come back to him whenever we arelost! Let me say this once more: God never tires of forgiving us; we are theones who tire of seeking his mercy. (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium [The Joy ofthe Gospel] [Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,2013], no. 3)
Pastors, catechists, and parents must never tire ofextending this invitation with love and genuine joy!
Copyright © 2014, United States Conference ofCatholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Permission is herebygranted to duplicate this work without adaptation for non-commercial use.
Scriptureexcerpts used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, rev.ed.© 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc.,Washington, DC.All rights reserved. No part of this work may bereproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic ormechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storageand retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Excerptsfrom the Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, copyright ©2000, Libreria Editrice Vaticana (LEV)–United States Conference of CatholicBishops, Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
