Reconciliation
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Documents
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Confession/Reconciliation/Penance
In the Old Testament God formed “man from the dust of the earth,” and breathed into him the breath of life empowering him to become a living being, a new creation.
In a similar way Jesus institutes the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Jn 20:21) by breathing the gift of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles indicating that it is through this means that fallen man may rise from the death of sin and become a new creation.
In other words there is an inherent link between the forgiveness of sins and new life, between the Sacraments and the Resurrection![1]
The divine institution of the sacrament of Penance lies in the promise of the power of the keys and the power of binding and loosing: "I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven" (Mt 16:19a). This power of the keys was prefigured in Old Testament prophecy: "I place the key of the House of David upon his shoulder; should he open, no one shall close, should he close, no one shall open" (Is 22:22).
The keys of the kingdom denote the supreme authority (of teaching, governing, and sanctifying) on earth over the kingdom of God, and the person who has this power can allow a person to enter this kingdom or exclude him from it.
However, since it is precisely sin which hinders entry into the kingdom, the power to forgive sins must also be included in the power of the keys.
Immediately after the promise of the power of the keys, Jesus said to St. Peter "Whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven." (Mt 16:19b)
"Binding and loosing" signifies exclusion from the community by the imposition of a ban, or the re-acceptance by the removal of the ban.
As sin is the ground for the exclusion, the power to forgive sins is included in the power of binding and loosing.[2]
Catholics always confess their sins to God. They do it directly as well as through His ministers because that is what God requires, as clearly taught by Scripture.
In 2 Cor 5:17-20, St. Paul explains how the Apostles are ambassadors of Christ’s work of reconciliation. This means that they share in the ministry of Christ and forgive sins in His name.
James 5:13-16 makes clear that the sins of the sick are forgiven in the sacrament of anointing. It specifies that the presbyters (priests) must be called.
They obviously had a power the ordinary Christian did not: the power to forgive sins.
Again going back to Jn 20:21 Jesus says: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” The Apostles are to continue the mission of Christ. The essence of that mission is the forgiveness of sins.[3]
In the sacrament of Confession the soothing balm of Christ’s mercy and forgiveness is applied to our wounded sinful nature and brings us great comfort in our sorrow, healing in our brokenness, and peace to alleviate the heavy burden of our guilt.
The effects of this sacrament are manifold. It is not intended to be psychological counseling, nor spiritual direction, nor catechesis. It is to restore the sinner to friendship with God in a kind of spiritual resurrection. It brings about reconciliation with the Church, and communion within the Church is strengthened by Penance.
“The forgiven penitent is reconciled with himself in his inmost being, where he regains his innermost truth…He is reconciled with all of creation.”
The penitent is given peace of soul and a deep sense of spiritual consolation which aides him/her as he/she gets up and continues on the way to perfection. [4]
It’s a beautiful thing – to witness the transforming power of Christ’s mercy, to see the Prodigal clothed in the best robe. To see him receive his Father’s ring as he returns home – to experience the Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, who is always in search of the lost sheep, calling out to us as he did in the early chapters of Genesis – “Adam, where are you.”
Hear the voice of Jesus as he moves about the garden of your soul and the rustling of the leaves as the Holy Spirit stirs you to answer his call to repentance and reconciliation. Experience the healing power and the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
[1] Fr. Frank Chacon and Jim Burnham, Beginning Apologetics, (Farmington, NM: San Juan Catholic Seminars, 1993-1998), 24.
[2] Paul Haffner, The Sacramental Mystery, (Wiltshire: Cromwell Press 1999), 116.[3] Fr. Frank Chacon and Jim Burnham, Beginning Apologetics, (Farmington, NM: San Juan Catholic Seminars, 1993-1998), 24.
[4] Paul Haffner, The Sacramental Mystery, (Wiltshire: Cromwell Press 1999), 138-139.