19. Reconciliation

The one sacrament which has gone through the most development and change is probably reconciliation (also called penance or confession). During the first days of the early Church, the followers of Jesus were especially devout and zealous; after all, they believed that Christ's second coming was eminent. However, as the years passed and many of the first witnesses of Jesus began to die, the Church was forced to the realization that the Lord might want his friends to continue and to spread his ministry in the world for some time prior to his return. This and the later acceptance and endorsement of Christianity in the empire resulted in more and more adherents who lacked zeal and who were very much in the grip of weakness and sin. The sacrament of baptism remitted both original and all personal sin. However, since baptism was a one-time sacrament, the problem became what to do with the person who fell back into the old ways of sin? At first, there were those who argued that such people could not be re-admitted to the Church body or to the sacraments. Because of this dilemma and the desire of people to be saved, many waited until their deathbeds for baptism. Those who were especially cast out were those who renounced Christ in order to save their lives from Roman persecution and execution. Quite interestingly, those who remained steadfast and survived, sort of as "living martyrs," were envisioned by many as having the ability to offer God's forgiveness to those who were less faithful. As this category of people in need of reconciliation grew, the Church discerned her ability to offer second penance whereby the Christian could be forgiven once after baptism. As in the story of the prodigal son or of the lost sheep, God would reach out still to forgive his own. Again, many people fell and postponed their reconciliation until either impending death or advanced age seemed to guarantee them success. This second penance was not an easy matter. The penances were often quite severe, including all sorts of humiliations, fasting, constant prayer, servitude, and even hair-skin shirts which itched and disciplined the flesh. Again, human nature proved vulnerable. There was much debate. The understanding that while we were weak, God was strong, came to predominance. The Scriptures were recalled where Jesus told his disciples that one was to forgive seventy times seven times (Matthew 18). If such was to be our individual practice, could it be any less for the Church as a whole? No.

This sacrament has taken upon itself many external forms during its long history. The Eastern churches have kept much of the practice of seeking pardon in the midst of the assembly. They walked up to the priest, who sometimes covered their heads with a cloth, and the sins were whispered and then forgiven. During the early centuries, certain sins were announced publicly when a repentant person sought forgiveness. This was a clear indication that they saw their sins hurting not only themselves but the whole church community. When a person was not what he was called to be, he could not consequently be a steadfast support or faithful witness of the Gospel for others. (Sin touches all, even those sins which are hidden and deeply personal). Obviously, even in the first few centuries, there were certain sins only told to the priest, in order to avoid grievous scandal. In the West, we have owed an immense debt to the Irish Penitentials, who in their development of penance, not only offered it repeatedly, but discretely behind a screen-- the start of the confessional box. This offered an opportunity for privacy for which many yearned. Today, confession is offered both behind a screen or face-to-face with the priest.

Some outside the Church might erroneously surmise that Catholicism invented this sacrament. However, its history proves this to be false. Although we, along with many other Christians, believe that a simple act of contrition is sufficient to forgive some sins; Catholic Christians have a highly developed communitarian perspective of how sin touches the Church body and how she needs forgiveness and healing. This hints to the rationale of a link between reconciliation and the sacrament of the sick. The priest represents the presence of Christ present in the Church offering forgiveness in this sacrament. The priest is configured to Christ in such an intense way that Jesus directly forgives the sins of Church members through him. After the absolution, we can have the assurance of knowing our sins are pardoned. The priest's absolution frees us from sin and from at least some degree of the temporal punishment due to it. It helps us to grow in divine grace and makes us stronger in the struggle to disentangle ourselves from Satan so as to live in true holiness. Jesus has promised us that the Church does indeed possess this authority. When the Lord appeared to his apostles on the first Easter Sunday, he told them: "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men's sins, they are forgiven them; if you hold them bound, they are held bound" (John 20:22-23).

The Church has declared that it is necessary to confess each and every serious "subjective" mortal sin after an intense deliberation of our conscience. The priest needs to know the sins in order to make proper judgments and in order to direct his prayers to the appropriate need. St. Augustine reaffirmed this point in the fourth century, "It is not enough that one acknowledges his sins to God, from whom nothing is hidden; he must also confess them to a priest, God's representative."

The Church has long made distinctions between sins in terms of mortal and venial. This is evident in day-to-day living; after all, there is a difference between let's say an act of cold-bloodied murder and the snatching of a stray grape in the grocery store. Mortal sin is the most serious and technically it means driving God out of ourselves and our lives. It is the rejection of his gift of salvation. Venial means a lesser offense, which we are encouraged to confess in the sacrament of reconciliation. Mortal sin requires that the act in itself be serious matter, that the person knows or thinks he knows that it is most grievously wrong, and that a person gives full consent to it. Unless the person repents and offers an act of sorrow, seeking confession, such a person is asked to refrain from the Eucharist in order as to not commit sacrilege.

The rite of penance has several parts:

1. CONTRITION - No sin is forgiven by God without supernatural sorrow. This contrition may be imperfect (fear of punishment and the loss of heaven) or perfect (love of God and remorse over what we have done to him on Calvary). Further, there must be a firm resolution to avoid the sin in the future.

2. CONFESSION - The power of the keys to salvation, given to the Church, can respond to the person who acknowledges that he is indeed a sinner in need of healing and mercy. Prior to the actual confession of sin, an examination of conscience is made. This is essential. The deliberate concealment of a mortal sin constitutes another serious offense against God. One is not obliged to tell every venial sin, although it is a good practice in seeking holiness.

3. ABSOLUTION - After our confession and a verbal act of contrition, the priest extends his hand and pronounces the words of absolution: "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."

4. ACT OF PENANCE (Satisfaction) - Penance demonstrates true conversion and reparation of injury. The gulf between human forgiveness and divine mercy becomes readily apparent. When God forgives, he treats the sin as something forgotten, put behind his back-- not to be looked at again. We need to strive to do the same in putting the past behind us and in living for God here in the present. The penance itself is often merely prayer(s) or in cases like theft, may involve restitution. These acts display our repentance as something genuine. We are offering words and actions as presents to God in return for his precious gift of forgiveness. The satisfaction follows absolution.

TO SAFEGUARD THE SACRAMENT, THE PRIEST IS BOUND TO KEEP "THE SEAL" OF CONFESSION, KEEPING WHAT HE HEARS SECRET, EVEN IF IT MEANS DEATH. MINIMALLY, ALL IN SERIOUS SIN ARE OBLIGED TO CONFESS AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR; HOWEVER, MORE REGULAR ATTENDANCE IS ENCOURAGED FOR ALL. AFTER ALL, WE SHOULD BE RECEIVING A WORTHY HOLY COMMUNION AND READY WHEN GOD CALLS US HOME.