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~ RECONCILIATION AND FORGIVENESS~
A God merciful and gracious
210 After Israel's sin, when the people had turned away from God to
worship the golden calf, God hears Moses' prayer of intercession and
agrees to walk in the midst of an unfaithful people, thus demonstrating
his love. [Ex 32; 33:12-17] When Moses asks to see his glory, God
responds "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will
proclaim before you my name "the LORD" [YHWH]." [Ex 33:18-19] Then the
LORD passes before Moses and proclaims, "YHWH, YHWH, a God merciful and
gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and
faithfulness"; Moses then confesses that the LORD is a forgiving God.
[Ex 34:5-6; 34:9]
 Reconciliation with the Church
In imparting to his apostles his own power to forgive sins the Lord
also gives them the authority to reconcile sinners with the Church.
This ecclesial dimension of their task is expressed most notably in
Christ's solemn words to Simon Peter: "I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." [Mt
16:19; Mt 18:18; 28:16-20] "The office of binding and loosing which was
given to Peter was also assigned to the college of the apostles united
to its head." [Lumen Gentium 22, 2] 1444
In this sacrament, the sinner, placing himself before the merciful judgment of God, anticipates in a certain way the judgment
to which he will be subjected at the end of his earthly life. For it is
now, in this life, that we are offered the choice between life and
death, and it is only by the road of conversion that we can enter the
Kingdom, from which one is excluded by grave sin. [1 Cor 5:11; Gal
5:19-21; Rev 22:15] In converting to Christ through penance and faith,
the sinner passes from death to life and "does not come into judgment."
[Jn 5:24] 1470
The Definition of Sin
Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is
failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse
attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures
human solidarity. It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a
desire contrary to the eternal law." [St Augustine, Contra Faustum 22:
PL 42, 418; St Thomas Aquinas, STh I-II, 71,6] 1849
The Different Kinds of Sins
There are a great many kinds of sins. Scripture provides several lists of them. The Letter to the Galatians
contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit: "Now the
works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness,
idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness,
dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I
warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall
not inherit the Kingdom of God." [Gal 5:19-21; Rom 1:28-32; 1 Cor 9-10;
Eph 5:3-5; Col 3:5-8; 1 Tim 9-10, 2 Tim 2-5] 1852
The Gravity of Sin
Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love
itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of
sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not
redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from
Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the
power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although
we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust
judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God. 1861
Sin
creates a proclivity to sin; it engenders vice by repetition of the
same acts. This results in perverse inclinations which cloud conscience
and corrupt the concrete judgment of good and evil. Thus sin tends to
reproduce itself and reinforce itself, but it cannot destroy the moral
sense at its root. 1865
The repetition of sins - even venial ones - engenders vices, among which are the capital sins. 1876
Hell
1037 God predestines no one to go to hell; [Roman Missal, EP I (RC) 88]
for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary,
and persistence in it until the end. In the Eucharistic liturgy and in
the daily prayers of her faithful, the Church implores the mercy of
God, who does not want "any to perish, but all to come to repentance":
[Acts 24:15] Father, accept this offering
from your whole family.
Grant us your peace in this life,
save us from final damnation,
and count us among those you have chosen. [Jn 5:28-29]
The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation
"Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's
mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time,
reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and
which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their
conversion." [Lumen Gentium 11, 2] 1422 Forms of Penance in Christian Life
The interior penance of the Christian can be expressed in many and
various ways. Scripture and the Fathers insist above all on three
forms, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving,
[Tob 12:8; Mt 6:1-18] which express conversion in relation to oneself,
to God, and to others. Alongside the radical purification brought about
by Baptism or martyrdom they cite as means of obtaining forgiveness of
sins: effort at reconciliation with one's neighbor, tears of
repentance, concern for the salvation of one's neighbor, the
intercession of the saints, and the practice of charity "which covers a
multitude of sins."
[1 Pet 4:8; Jas 5:20] 1434
Only God forgives sin
Christ has willed that in her prayer and life and action his whole
Church should be the sign and instrument of the forgiveness and
reconciliation that he acquired for us at the price of his blood. But
he entrusted the exercise of the power of absolution to the apostolic
ministry which he charged with the "ministry of reconciliation." [2 Cor
5:18] The apostle is sent out "on behalf of Christ" with "God making
his appeal" through him and pleading: "Be reconciled to God." [2 Cor
5:20] 1442
The sacrament of forgiveness
Over the centuries the concrete form in which the Church has exercised
this power received from the Lord has varied considerably. During the
first centuries the reconciliation of Christians who had committed
particularly grave sins after their Baptism (for example, idolatry,
murder, or adultery) was tied to a very rigorous discipline, according
to which penitents had to do public penance for their sins, often for
years, before receiving reconciliation. To this "order of penitents"
(which concerned only certain grave sins), one was only rarely admitted
and in certain regions only once in a lifetime. During the seventh
century Irish missionaries, inspired by the Eastern monastic tradition,
took to continental Europe the "private" practice of penance, which
does not require public and prolonged completion of penitential works
before reconciliation with the Church. From that time on, the sacrament
has been performed in secret between penitent and priest. This new
practice envisioned the possibility of repetition and so opened the way
to a regular frequenting of this sacrament. It allowed the forgiveness
of grave sins and venial sins to be integrated into one sacramental
celebration. In its main lines this is the form of penance that the
Church has practiced down to our day. 1447
The
formula of absolution used in the Latin Church expresses the essential
elements of this sacrament: the Father of mercies is the source of all
forgiveness. He effects the reconciliation of sinners through the
Passover of his Son and the gift of his Spirit, through the prayer and
ministry of the Church: God, the Father of mercies,
through the death and the 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. [Rite
of Penance: formula of absolution] 1449
Satisfaction
The penance
the confessor imposes must take into account the penitent's personal
situation and must seek his spiritual good. It must correspond as far
as possible with the gravity and nature of the sins committed. It can
consist of prayer, an offering, works of mercy, service of neighbor,
voluntary self-denial, sacrifices, and above all the patient acceptance
of the cross we must bear. Such penances help configure us to Christ,
who alone expiated our sins once for all. They allow us to become
co-heirs with the risen Christ, "provided we suffer with him." [Rom
8:17; Rom 3:25; 1 Jn 2:1-2; Council of Trent (1551): DS 1690] The
satisfaction that we make for our sins, however, is not so much ours as
though it were not done through Jesus Christ. We who can do nothing
ourselves, as if just by ourselves, can do all things with the
cooperation of "him who strengthens" us. Thus man has nothing of which
to boast, but all our boasting is in Christ . . . in whom we make
satisfaction by bringing forth "fruits that befit repentance." These
fruits have their efficacy from him, by him they are offered to the
Father, and through him they are accepted by the Father. [Council of
Trent (15510: DS 1691; Phil 4:13; 1 Cor 1:31; 2 Cor 10:17; Gal 6:14; Lk
3:8] 1460
The Minister of the Sacrament
When he celebrates the sacrament of Penance, the priest is fulfilling
the ministry of the Good Shepherd who seeks the lost sheep, of the Good
Samaritan who binds up wounds, of the Father who awaits the prodigal
son and welcomes him on his return, and of the just and impartial judge
whose judgment is both just and merciful. The priest is the sign and
the instrument of God's merciful love for the sinner. 1465 The punishments of sin
The forgiveness of sin and restoration of communion with God entail the
remission of the eternal punishment of sin, but temporal punishment of
sin remains. While patiently bearing sufferings and trials of all kinds
and, when the day comes, serenely facing death, the Christian must
strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin as a grace. He should
strive by works of mercy and charity, as well as by prayer and the
various practices of penance, to put off completely the "old man" and
to put on the "new man.[Indulgentiarum doctrina, 5] 1473
The Celebration of the Sacrament of Penance
Like all the sacraments, Penance is a liturgical action. The elements
of the celebration are ordinarily these: a greeting and blessing from
the priest, reading the word of God to illuminate the conscience and
elicit contrition, and an exhortation to repentance; the confession,
which acknowledges sins and makes them known to the priest; the
imposition and acceptance of a penance; the priest's absolution; a
prayer of thanksgiving and praise and dismissal with the blessing of
the priest. 1480
Purification of the heart demands prayer, the practice of chastity, purity of intention and of vision. 2532
And Lead Us Not Into Temptation
The Holy Spirit makes us discern
between trials, which are necessary for the growth of the inner man,
[Lk 8:13-15; Acts 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; 2 tim 3:12] and temptation, which
leads to sin and death. [Jas 1:14-15] We must also discern between
being tempted and consenting to temptation. Finally, discernment
unmasks the lie of temptation, whose object appears to be good, a
"delight to the eyes" and desirable, [Gen 3:6] when in reality its
fruit is death. God does
not want to impose the good, but wants free beings.... There is a
certain usefulness to temptation. No one but God knows what our soul
has received from him, not even we ourselves. But temptation reveals it
in order to teach us to know ourselves, and in this way we discover our
evil inclinations and are obliged to give thanks for the goods that
temptation has revealed to us. [Origen, De orat. 29: Pg 11, 544CD] 2847
The Old Law
According to Christian tradition, the Law is holy, spiritual, and good,
[Rom 7:12, 14, 16] yet still imperfect. Like a tutor [Gal 3:24] it
shows what must be done, but does not of itself give the strength, the
grace of the Spirit, to fulfill it. Because of sin, which it cannot
remove, it remains a law of bondage. According to St. Paul, its special
function is to denounce and disclose sin,
which constitutes a "law of concupiscence" in the human heart. [Rom 7]
However, the Law remains the first stage on the way to the kingdom. It
prepares and disposes the chosen people and each Christian for
conversion and faith in the Savior God. It provides a teaching which
endures for ever, like the Word of God. 1963 The Old Law is a preparation for the Gospel.
"The Law is a pedagogy and a prophecy of things to come." [St.
Irenaeus, Adv. Haeres. 4, 15,1: Pg 7 / 1, 1012] It prophesies and
presages the work of liberation from sin which will be fulfilled in
Christ: it provides the New Testament with images, "types," and symbols
for expressing the life according to the Spirit. Finally, the Law is
completed by the teaching of the sapiential books and the prophets
which set its course toward the New Covenant and the Kingdom of heaven.
There were .
. . under the regimen of the Old Covenant, people who possessed the
charity and grace of the Holy Spirit and longed above all for the
spiritual and eternal promises by which they were associated with the
New Law. Conversely, there exist carnal men under the New Covenant
still distanced from the perfection of the New Law: the fear of
punishment and certain temporal promises have been necessary, even
under the New Covenant, to incite them to virtuous works. In any case,
even though the Old Law prescribed charity, it did not give the Holy
Spirit, through whom "God's charity has been poured into our hearts."
[St. Thomas Aquinas, STH I-II, 107, 1 ad 2; Rom 5:5] 1964
The Law of the Gospel fulfills and surpasses the Old Law and brings it
to perfection: its promises, through the Beatitudes of the Kingdom of
heaven; its commandments, by reforming the heart, the root of human
acts. 1984 
Justification
The first work of the grace of the Holy Spirit is conversion,
effecting justification in accordance with Jesus' proclamation at the
beginning of the Gospel: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand." [Mt 4:17] Moved by grace, man turns toward God and away from
sin, thus accepting forgiveness and righteousness from on high.
"Justification is not only the remission of sins, but also the
sanctification and renewal of the interior man. [Council of Trent
(1547): 1529] 1989
What is repentance?
The following saying appears in the Anonymous Series of the Apophthegmata Patrum :
Two
brothers who were attacked by lust went away. Later on they said to one
another, 'What have we gained by leaving the angelic order and coming
to this impurity? In the end we shall suffer fire and punishment. Let
us then return to the desert and repent. So they, returned and asked
the Fathers to give them a penance, confessing what they had done. The
old men imposed seclusion for a year on them, giving each one the same
amount of bread and water. Now they were alike physically. When the
time of penitence was fulfilled, they came out, and the Fathers saw the
first was pale and humbled while the other looked well, with a clear
countenance. They were surprised, for they had had the same food.
They asked the one who was humbled 'How did you get on with your
thoughts in the cell?' He said, 'I thought of the evil I had done and
the judgement to which I was going, and the fear of it made my bones
cleave to my flesh.' Then they asked the other, 'What did you think in
your heart in your cell?' He said 'I thanked God for having taken me
out of the impurity of the world to judgement, and for having led me to
this way of life in Jesus Christ, and I rejoiced in the remembrance of
God.' Then the old men said, 'In the eyes of God, the penitence of the
two men is of equal value.'
[The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers, (Fairacres: SLG Press, 1975)]
The point of this text is to compare and contrast two responses to a
self knowledge of sinfulness. The first monk responded from his
consciousness of his own failing: his repentance was backward looking
and self-centered. It was barely a true repentance, but one that was
centered on regret rather than Love. For this reason it bread fear. The
second monk repented at a deeper level. He immediately gave up on the
past and centered his whole being on the object of his faith: the God
who is Love. He could do nothing else but rejoice, and suffered not in
any way as a result of his sin: for his perfect love cast out all fear.
While the penitence of each monk served its purpose in discharging the
temporal debt due to sin, the second (which was painless) was a more
authentically Christian response. Though to the outward
observer the repentance of the second monk might seem too easy and
superficial, in fact it reveals a deeper commitment to Love. Both monks
were contrite for the sin of which they judged themselves guilty, but
the first monk's contrition had more of attrition about it, whereas the
second was pure contrition of the most meritorious kind.
Apologizing,
in the sense of admitting that some action or omission was
embarrassing; shameful; regrettable; unfortunate or mistaken in
hindsight is not at all the same thing as being truly sorry
for some action and admitting personal responsibility for a moral
fault. An unhappiness with oneself, a sense of guilt or shame or
embarrassment and a fear of the consequences of sin: attrition,
does not amount to repentance. Nevertheless, they can motivate someone
to wish to repent and so bring a sinner to the Sacrament of Penance.
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