RECONCILIATION
(Confession)
Catechism
#1422‑1498
Outline
1. Scripture Background
2. Sacramental Sign
3. Sin
4. State of Grace
5. Examination Conscience
6. Manner of Confessing
7. Act of Contrition
8. Penance
9. Obligation
10. Validity
11. Types
of Sorrow
12.
Sacramental Nature
CPPoole,
Jr,. August 15, 1999, revised July 21, 2005
1. Scripture
Background
Power of
binding and loosening:
Whatever
you bind on Earth will be bound in
Heaven Mt 16:19; Mt 18:18
Whose sins
you shall forgive they are
forgiven Jn 20:23
2. Sacramental
Sign
Sign is confessing sins and absolution
Confess
sins - both kind
and number
Mortal (serious) required to be told
Venial (lesser) optional for telling
Absolution
is given by the
priest at the end
There is
absolute secrecy of what is told in confession
3. Sin
Sin is an
offense against God, such as
breaking a commandment
Mortal
sin has three
characteristics
a) grevious
matter
b) sufficient reflection
c) full consent of the will
Venial
sin is a sin which lacks
one or more of
these characteristics
It weakens
the soul, fosters habits of sin,
and can eventually lead to mortal sin
4. State
of Grace
State of
grace is the condition of not having
any mortal sin on a person's soul
One who
dies in state of grace goes to heaven
perhaps after spending some time in
purgatory
A person
who dies with mortal sin on his soul
ends up in hell forever
Mortal sin
should be avoided at all costs,
and confessed as soon as possible
Confession
restores the state of grace to a soul
5. Examination of Conscience
Prepare for
confession by recalling all sins
committed since the last confession
i.e. by an examination of conscience
One can
review the Ten Commandments,
The Commandments of the Church,
The seven capital sins, the beatitudes
typical occasions and habits of sin, etc.
Also recall
how long it has been since the
last confession
6. Manner
of Confessing
Face to
face (new way) or behind a screen (old way)
Begin by
saying: "Bless me father for I have sinned",
Tell sins
to the priest, say act of contrition
He will
pronounce the words of absolution
Do the
assigned penance as soon as possible
7. Act of Contrition
One common form of the act of
contrition is:
O my God I am heartily sorry for having offended thee.
I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven
and the pains of hell, but most of all because I have
offended thee my God who art all good and deserving
of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace,
to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.
Amen.
8. Penance
The priest
assigns a penance to help atone
for confessed sins and develop a habit
of humility
The penance might be, for example, to say a Rosary,
or to read a passage of scripture
It is to be
performed after the confession,
preferably before leaving the church (if
possible)
Other
possibilities are to make restitution
for stolen money, or telling a damaging
lie
9. Obligation
Church law
requires confession at least
once a year
Recommendation
is regular confession,
perhaps monthly
One must
confess after committing a mortal sin
One should
seek out a spiritual advisor and
confess to him regularly
During
Advent and Lent penitential services
including the opportunity for confession
are held in area churches
10. Validity
Requirements
for confession are:
Examination
of conscience
Sorrow for
sins
Confessing
sins
Resolution
to amend life - to sin no more
Satisfaction (e.g. returning stolen money)
Saying or
doing assigned penance
11. Types of
Sorrow
Perfect
contrition involves sorrow out of a motive
of true love of God
Imperfect
contrition is with a lesser motive,
such as the fear of going to hell
Perfect
contrition removes mortal sin by Itself,
but confessing the sin later is still
required
Imperfect
contrition is sufficient for a valid
confession
12. Sacramental
Nature
Reconciliation
is a healing type of sacrament
No
character is imparted by it
The
minister is a priest
The
requirement is once a year, a recommendation
is often, perhaps monthly
First
confession for children is at the age of reason
Shortly before receiving first communion
The sign is
confessing the sins and the absolution of the priest
CPPoole,
Jr., August 15, 1999, revised July 21, 2005