FOR INDIVIDUAL PENITENTS
AN OUTLINE
Jesus grants the Apostles, through the power of
the Holy Spirit, the authority to reconcile repentant sinners with
God and the Church: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If
you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the
sins of any, they are retained‚ (Jn 20:22-23).‚ Pope
John Paul II, MISERICORDIA
DEI.
1.
Preparation of priest and penitent: prayer and examination of
conscience.
Priest: prays privately to Holy Spirit for
enlightenment and charity.
Penitent: compare
your life with example of Christ and saints and the commandments of
Christ. (Reflect
perhaps on the Sunday readings and how your life conforms to their
teaching.) See, Examination
of Conscience, and what the New
Testament says on morality.
Pray
for forgiveness. (Rile of Penance, #15)
When you enter the confessional you should have the option of remaining anonymous, by staying behind a curtain or screen, or of speaking face to face. You may also kneel or sit.
2.
Reception of Penitent (priest should be friendly, welcoming.)
(Rite, cf #41, 16) Make the Sign
of the Cross.
(Traditionally people would say as they made the sign of the cross: Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been [indicate time] since my last
confession.)
The priest might
say: ‚Äúhave confidence in God‚ (Rite, #42)
If
the penitent is unknown to the priest, it is proper for the penitent
to indicate his state in life, the time of his last confession, his
difficulties in leading the Christian life, and anything else which
may help the confessor in his ministry. (Rite, #16)
3.
Reading of the Word of God (optional)
The priest may
share a short reading, or the penitent himself may use the word of
God to receive light to recognize his sins and is called to
conversion and to be confidence in God's mercy. (Rite, #17,
43, 84)
The
priest helps penitent ‚ to make a complete [integral]
confession‚
(At this point the penitent must
confess all grave sins but may confess any other sin or
imperfection to have God’s help and forgiveness.
See the
Catechism on the gravity of sin.)
The priest encourages penitent ‚ to have sincere sorrow‚
He
offers suitable counsel and proposes [imposes] an act of
penance. (Rite, #18, 44)
In order that the minister of the Sacrament may know the
dispositions of penitents with a view to granting or withholding
absolution and imposing a suitable penance, it is necessary that the
faithful, as well as being aware of the sins they have committed, of
being sorry for them and resolved not to fall into them again, should
also confess their sins. In this sense, the Council
of Trent declared that it is necessary “by
divine decree to confess each and every mortal sin‚. The Church
has always seen an essential link between the judgement entrusted to
the priest in the Sacrament and the need for penitents to name their
own sins, except where this is not possible. John Paul II, MISERICORDIA
DEI, April
7, 2002.
We should listen with attention to the
instruction which the Confessor may think proper to give, and to the
Penance he enjoins; and when he asks us questions, we should answer
them with sincerity and humility.‚ Joseph Deharbe, SJ, A Full
Catechism of the Catholic Church,
(1876) p. 288.
What are we to do if we should not receive
Absolution?
[The
priest is to judge whether or not he should grant absolution. If he feels a person is
unrepentant, or will fail to take steps to stop serious future
wrongdoing, then he should withhold absolution. In the past some sins
were reserved, that is he was not permitted to absolve them on his
own. If this should
occur you] should humbly submit to the decision of the Confessor,
and, by true amendment, make [yourself] worthy of
[receiving absolution].‚ Ibid.
This
is an unusual occurrence. Reserved
sins are generally a thing of the past.
More likely would be to withhold absolution because of some
grave recurring sin. For
example, if someone confesses he is a serial killer or molester, and
if he refuses to go to the police or undergo therapy, most people
would expect the priest to refuse absolution. Even in this extreme
case, the priest must respect the seal
of confession.
CCC 2490 "The secret of the sacrament of
reconciliation is sacred, and cannot be violated under any pretext.
"The sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore, it is a crime for a
confessor in any way to betray a penitent by word or in any other
manner or for any reason." See Code of Canon Law 983 §1.
Act of Penance:
The act of
penance makes up for past, helps penitent to begin a new life, and
provides an antidote for weakness.
It should
correspond to the seriousness and nature of the sins.
It can take the
form of prayer, self-denial, and especially service of
one’s neighbor and works of mercy. This underlines
the fact that sin and its forgiveness have a social aspect. (Rite,
#18)
(The penance can
be a way to undue harm done. Whenever
we sin, we cause someone hurt, we disappoint God’s
love and his desire that we love others.
An action may be imposed to help make up for it, and to make
restitution. Alternatively, the priest may
ask prayer which could be for the person who was hurt, and to ask
God’s help to avoid this sin again.
Sin separates us from God while prayer does the opposite. It brings us closer to God. CCC
1494.)
5.
Prayer of the Penitent: Act
of Contrition‚ (cf.
Rite, #49)
6. Absolution: (This is the prayer said by the
priest or bishop that actually confers forgiveness.)
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.‚ (Penitent answers) Amen.
(Reconciliation
of the penitent comes from the mercy of the Father. It shows
connection between the reconciliation of the sinner and the paschal
mystery of Christ.
It stresses the role of
the Holy Spirit in the forgiveness of sins and it underlines the
ecclesial aspect of the sacrament because reconciliation with God is
asked for and given through the ministry of the Church. (Rite,
#19)
(The priest
represents Christ, the Church, and the community.
As a member of the community he acknowledges the
penitent’s mistakes and the harm done, but also
confers the community’s love and acceptance of the
penitent despite what he has done. See Spiritual
Effects.)
7.
Proclamation of Praise of God and Dismissal
Priest:
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.‚
Penitent:
His mercy endures forever.‚(Rite, #20,
47)
[NB: God
is thanked, rather than the priest,
although he may be thanked too.]
[Older
traditional dismissal: Go in peace and may God bless you.]
See the
Catechism for catholic teaching on forgiveness of sins as part of the
power
of the keys, especially sections 981-983,
Can. 987
In order that the faithful may receive the saving remedy of the
sacrament of penance, they must be so disposed that, repudiating the
sins they have committed and having the purpose of amending their
lives, they turn back to God.
Can. 988 The faithful are bound to confess, in kind and
in number, all grave sins committed after baptism, of which after
careful examination of conscience they are aware, which have not yet
been directly pardoned by the keys of the Church, and which have not
been confessed in an individual confession.
The faithful are recommended to confess also venial
sins.
Can. 989 All the faithful who have reached the age of discretion are bound faithfully to confess their grave sins at least once a year.
1.People
should keep in mind that the priest has promised to never reveal what
is said in confession, even if ordered to do so by an agent of
government or a court. Although
no bishop would ask, he is never to real it even to church authority.
Normally in the United States, this duty is protected by law, but the
duty remains even if the law should seek to compel him to reveal
something. Also, the
priest is not to use the knowledge in some way; he may not act on it.
He should not independently refer to the knowledge in conversation
with the penitent. It is as if the act and the
knowledge of the act are gone. See
Catechism of the Catholic
Church 1467.
2.People
are often nervous about confessing if they do not have much
experience with this sacrament. However, it has the power to heal someone
emotionally as well as spiritually.
Guilt can be a corrosive that eats away at ones appreciation
of life. It is difficult to own up to
something, to admit to another person the evil we may have done, but
to keep it inside is harmful. The
sacrament is designed to allow you to let go of it safely, and to
receive help. The grace of God which washes away the wrong is not
just an idea. It has the capacity and power
to take away guilt, shame, sorrow, and even despair. It operates
through another person who assures you that you are loved, that you
are a valuable person, that you are someone who can turn around and
begin to do beneficial things rather than hurtful things.
3.
As a penitent for about 50 years, I can say that not every confession
is a great experience, but usually they are. If the priest is having a bad
day, pray for him. As a
confessor for 30 years, I can say that hearing confessions
isn’t always a joy, but it can be. It is wonderful
when someone with serious problems really does genuinely repent,
especially if they have been away many years. As a confessor, you find that most people have
many of the same problems, which recur habitually. Nevertheless, it
is the willingness to keep struggling that can convey
sanctity.