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Sacrament of Forgiveness and Healing
The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation is one of the greatest and perhaps least appreciated gifts the Lord bequeathed his Bride, the Church, so I want to recall how important it is to our lifelong struggle of conversion away from the paths of sin to the paths of life. As the Church has always taught, our first freedom from sin takes place through Baptism. In Baptism we are “begotten of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). The effects of Baptism include being cleansed of Original Sin, being joined to Christ who suffered died and was raised and so being made a member of his Mystical Body, the Church. Because we are joined to Christ through Baptism, we each become a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17), an adopted child of God and heir of heaven (Romans 8:14-17). Yet, the new life which we Christians receive in this sacrament is a treasure we carry in "earthen vessels" (2 Cor 4:7). That is, our new of life of grace in Christ can be weakened or even lost by sin. Through the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, the Lord who is always present among his people continues his saving work of forgiving, healing, and strengthening us in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Lord strengthens us not only to enable us to attain holiness, but also to en able us to carry out the commission he entrusted to us to announce, in the unity of truth and charity, the good news of salvation and reconciliation with God the Father. The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation is called the sacrament of conversion; it makes Jesus' incessant call to conversion sacramentally present. It is called the sacrament of confession because the admission or confession of sins to a priest, who represents Christ and the Church, is an essential element of the sacrament. Sin is not all that is confessed, however. There is also a confession, or acknowledgment, of God's goodness and mercy. It is also called the sacrament of forgiveness since, in the sacramental absolution given by the priest, God gives the penitent pardon and peace. This sacrament seems foreign to some people today, especially in a culture which at times persuades itself that it is a sign of strength and independence never to admit to wrongdoing. In today’s culture, moral evasion is common. Moral guilt is explained away psychologically. Many devout Christians seem to sincerely believe that it is enough to confess one's sins to God alone. After all, Jesus taught his followers to pray directly to the Father, saying,"... forgive us our trespasses... "Why, then, confess to a priest? Baptism is the sacramental celebration of "first conversion", but the fact that we all experience moral weakness and repeatedly fall into sin shows that a "second conversion", which completes and perfects the first, is a lifelong process. The grace of Baptism does not abolish the frailty and weakness of human nature. St. Ambrose put it this way: In the Church there are water and tears, the water of Baptism and the tears of repentance. The Church is for sinners. She calls to sinners and embraces them, and because of that, she is always, in her members, in need of purification. Today there is much emphasis on outward works by Christian women and men -- involvement in social issues and the like. These commitments by Christians are certainly important, but the Lord's call to conversion aims first not at outward changes but at interior change, a change of heart. This is the essential call of the gospel: “Reform your lives; the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt 3:2; Mk 1:15). Without this, attempts at works of peace, justice, and charity too easily remain impure, misconceived and misdirected, and possibly even fruitless. This interior change calls for a complete reorientation of our whole lives. It entails a return to love of God with our whole mind and heart and strength and being, a complete renunciation of sin, and repugnance toward any sins we have committed. Because sin hardens the human heart, conversion calls for compunction, or repentance, of heart. But for this to happen, and for us to acquire new hearts, we need the help of God, the Lord of love. For our part, we can desire new hearts, and desire to return to God, but our conversion is more God's work than it is ours. In sum, the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation is the sign, cause, and celebration of a most profound mystery. It is the mystery of Christ leading us in our lifelong conversion away from sin and toward God, and of him healing us from the damaging effects of sin so as to be free to live again in innocence as God's beloved children. Our interior conversion must be expressed in visible signs and gestures, for the sake of confirming and strengthening it. It also needs the constant aid of Christ's sacramental grace, and it was to bestow that grace that Christ gave his Church this sacrament. When breathing on them, he said to his Apostles, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them; whose sins you retain are retained" (Jn 20:22). What an awesome power Christ has given his Church! I exhort everyone to make a good confession this Lent. If time has passed since your last confession and you’ve forgotten how, just ask the priest to help you, and he will. Remember, there is more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine who have no need of repentance! (Lk 15:7) +Bishop Raymundo J. Peña last updated 09-Jun-2010 10:44 sitemap |
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