|
Basic
Catholic Q and A's
The numbers in parenthese that
follow the questions refer to related paragraphs in the Catechism
of the Catholic Church.
Penance and Reconciliation
1. What is the sacrament
of Penance and Reconciliation?
2. From whom do we receive the gift of this sacrament?
3. Who may receive the sacrament of Penance and
Reconciliation?
4. How do we know that God is willing to forgive
sins?
5. Can every sin be forgiven?
6. How is the sacrament of Penance given?
7. What makes up the sign of the sacrament of Penance?
8. Who is a penitent?
9. What are the three acts of the penitent?
10. What steps does a person follow in receiving this
sacrament?
11. What is perfect contrition?
12. What is imperfect contrition?
13. What does one do after receiving this sacrament?
14. Who acts for Jesus in this sacrament?
15. What is the seal of confession?
16. Should we ever speak of what we heard or
said in confession?
17. Should we ever be so embarrassed that we
do not go to confession?
18. What does absolution mean?
19. Does the priest ever refuse absolution?
20. Are there any sins which the ordinary confessor
cannot absolve?
21. What is a penance?
22. Who is a confessor?
23. When must a person receive the sacrament
of Penance?
24. What should a person do who has committed
a mortal sin?
25. Are there any requirements for confessing
mortal sins?
26. Can a person confess sins with the intention of
committing them again?
27. How often must we receive the sacrament of Penance
and Reconciliation?
28. Why is it beneficial to receive this sacrament
frequently, even if we have committed only venial
sins?
29. When may general absolution be given?
30. What is a communal celebration of the sacrament
of Penance and Reconciliation?
31. What are the effects of this sacrament?
32. How is an examination of conscience
made?
1. What is the sacrament
of Penance and Reconciliation?
Penance and Reconciliation is the sacrament of God's loving forgiveness
by which we are set free from sin and reconciled with the Church which
we have wounded by our sins. This sacrament helps us to grow in God's
grace, and it strengthens us to avoid sin and to lead holier lives.
(1422)
Be merciful, as your Father
is merciful (Lk 6:36).
2. From whom do we receive the gift
of this sacrament?
We receive the gift of the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation
from Jesus, who gave the apostles the power to forgive sins. (1441)
He breathed on them, and said to them, "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).
(RSV)
3. Who may receive the sacrament
of Penance and Reconciliation?
Any Catholic who has committed sin may receive the sacrament of Penance
and Reconciliation. (1446)
4. How do we know that God is
willing to forgive sins?
We know that God is willing to forgive sins because in the Gospel
Jesus has told us this many times and in many ways. (1489)
For the Son of Man came to seek out and save what
was lost (Lk 19:10).
5. Can every sin be forgiven?
Yes, every sin can be forgiven through the sacrament of Penance. Jesus
said to the apostles:
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven,
and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and
whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven (Mt 16:19).
6. How is the sacrament of Penance
given?
The sacrament of Penance is given when we go to confession with sorrow
for sin, accept the penance that the priest gives, and receive absolution:
"I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." As when receiving the Eucharist
and Confirmation, we answer, "Amen." (1448-1449)
7. What makes up the sign of
the sacrament of Penance?
The sign of Penance is made up of three "acts of the penitent,"
plus the words of the priest.
8. Who is a penitent?
A penitent is someone who is sorry for his or her sins.
Father, I have sinned against
heaven and before you (Lk 15:18).
9. What are the three acts of
the penitent?
The penitent's three acts are contrition (sorrow), confession (telling
our sins), and satisfaction (making up for the harm done when possible,
and doing or saying the penance given by the priest). We also may
perform or say other penances beyond what is required. (1450)
10. What steps does a person
follow in receiving this sacrament?
To receive this sacrament with spiritual profit, a person first needs
to examine his or her conscience, then to be sincerely sorry for sin,
resolving to avoid it in the future. This sorrow is based on spiritual
motives such as love of God and hatred of sin. The person then confesses
the sins and accepts the penance. (1450, 1460)
11. What is perfect
contrition?
Perfect contrition is sorrow for sin especially because sin displeases
God, who is all-good and loving, and deserves all our love. (1452)
12. What is imperfect contrition?
Imperfect contrition is sorrow for sin for reasons that are good but
not the very best, such as sorrow based more on fear than on love.
(1453)
13. What does one do after receiving
this sacrament?
One who has received the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation must
say or do the penance given by the priest, avoid everything that would
lead to sin, and make up as much as possible and necessary for the
harm done. How the harm is to be made up for is explained under various
commandments, such as the 7th and 8th. (1459)
14. Who acts for Jesus in this
sacrament?
The priest acts for Jesus in the sacrament of Penance and
Reconciliation. When we confess our sins to the priest, we are confessing
them to Jesus, who forgives us through the priest. (1461)
All of this is from God, who reconciled us to himself
through Christ and has given us this ministry of reconciliation (2
Cor 5:18).
15. What is the seal of confession?
The seal of confession is the most solemn obligation of a priest
to keep secret what has been revealed to him in confession. The priest
may never break this seal even to save his own life. (1467)
16. Should we ever speak of what
we heard or said in confession?
With regard to overhearing someone else's confession, we are
strictly bound to secrecy; regarding our own confession we are not.
However, it is better not to talk about the advice given, the penance,
etc.
17. Should we ever be so embarrassed
that we do not go to confession?
Embarrassment or fear should not keep us from this sacrament,
for the Lord awaits us with love despite our sins. The priest is Christ's
representative, bound by the seal of confession never to reveal anything
told to him in the confessional. Also, we are free to confess to any
priest. (1465)
18. What does absolution mean?
Absolution means "releasing." Through this sacrament,
we are released from our sins-set free from them. (1449)
He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy (Prov 28:13).
19. Does the priest ever refuse absolution?
A priest could refuse absolution only in rare cases, for example,
if the person is not sorry for his or her serious sins or has no intention
of avoiding them in the future, or when there is no confidence in
God's forgiving Spirit. This is what Jesus referred to when he spoke
of sin which cannot be forgiven. Unless there is true sorrow, there
is no forgiveness. We must have confidence in God's mercy and pray
to his Spirit for a contrite heart.
Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven you, but
blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven (Mt 12:31).
20. Are there any sins which
the ordinary confessor cannot absolve?
Some sins are so grave that the sinner is excommunicated. Absolution
in these cases must be sought from the Pope, the bishop or a priest
authorized by them. The exception to this occurs in the danger of
death when any priest, even one deprived of permission to hear confessions,
can give absolution for all sin and excommunication. (1463)
21. What is a penance?
A penance is something which must be done or accepted to make
up for confessed sin. It should correspond to the type of sins and
their gravity. Generally penances take the form of prayer, acts of
mercy or self-denial. (1459-1460)
Return to me with all your
heart, with fasting, with weeping, and
with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments (Joel 2:12).
22. Who is a confessor?
The word "confessor" may have two meanings. It can mean
a priest who hears confessions, or in another unrelated sense, it
can mean a saint, other than a martyr, who witnessed to ("confessed")
the faith. (1466)
23. When must a person receive
the sacrament of Penance?
A Catholic who has committed a mortal or serious sin must receive
the sacrament of Penance. A mortal sin can be forgiven even before
confession if a person has perfect (pure) sorrow for having offended
our loving God. But normally, he or she must still go to confession
before receiving Holy Communion. If we have committed serious sin,
we should go to confession soon. (1456)
24. What should a person do
who has committed a mortal sin?
A person who has committed a mortal sin should say a prayer of
perfect sorrow with the intention of going to confession soon. This
obtains forgiveness and God's grace. But the person must go to confession
before receiving Communion.
25. Are there any requirements for
confessing mortal sins?
In confessing mortal sins, a person should say what kind of sins
they were and-as far as possible-tell how many times these sins were
committed, as well as any circumstances that might alter their nature.
26. Can a person confess sins
with the intention of committing them again?
A person cannot confess sins with the intention of committing
them again. No sin is forgiven by God unless there is true sorrow
for it (even imperfect sorrow, such as fear of divine punishment)
and a firm resolution not to commit it again.
27. How often must we receive
the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation?
The Church requires us to receive the sacrament of Penance and
Reconciliation at least once a year if we have serious sins. It is
a good idea to receive this sacrament more frequently because it greatly
helps our spiritual growth. (1456-1457)
28. Why is it beneficial to receive
this sacrament frequently, even if we have committed only venial sins?
This sacrament helps us to realize that every sin offends God.
It helps us develop greater self-knowledge, grow in grace and love
of God and neighbor, and grow spiritually as a living and active member
of the Church. (1458)
29. When may general absolution
be given?
In certain rare cases, such as during a war or a natural disaster,
general absolution may be given to a group without individual confession.
As always, the penitents must be sorry and intend not to sin again.
One whose grave sins are forgiven by a general absolution is obliged
to make an individual confession as soon as possible before receiving
another general absolution, unless a just reason intervenes. (1483)
30. What is a communal celebration
of the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation?
A communal celebration of this sacrament consists of a common
preparation including readings, a homily, an examination of conscience,
individual confession and absolution, and a common request for forgiveness
and thanksgiving. This form expresses clearly the ecclesial nature
of the sacrament. (1483)
31. What are the effects of
this sacrament?
This sacrament reconciles us with God, who forgives all our sins.
We are restored to God's grace and friendship (if this had been broken
through serious sin), or our union with him is deepened. We are also
reconciled with the Church which we have wounded by our sins. The
sacrament gives us the grace we need to live our Christian life more
deeply, thus preparing ourselves for a merciful judgment when we die.
(1468-1470)
This brother of yours was dead,
and has come back to life; he was lost, and has been found! (Lk 15:32).
Contents
page
|
