The Sacraments – Penance

I believe the Sacrament of Penance is one of the most difficult and controversial of all the sacraments.

Whereas the Eucharist clearly delineates Catholics from Protestant Christians,

I believe that many Catholics who are not routed in their faith do not fully understand the importance and absolute greatness of the Sacrament of Penance.

This sacrament generally makes even converts to the Catholic faith a little uncomfortable, because they are “afraid” to go to confession.

We must first understand, like the sacraments of Christian initiation, there is real and Christ ordained purpose to the sacraments of healing :

the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

The Catechism tells us that,

“Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that His Church continue in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members.”

This sacrament brings to a greater reality Jesus’ work on earth.

He invited sinners to his table,

he healed the sick,

gave sight to the blind and

he gave instructions to his apostles and by extension his Church

“whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

When we are questioned on the validity of this sacrament –

particularly when those who do not fully understand will like to cry down the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation

remember the words of Jesus Christ himself,

“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, Jesus showed himself to his apostles. 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 20:19,22-23)

This sacrament is the sacrament of conversion, the sacrament of Penance, the sacrament of confession, the sacrament of forgiveness, the sacrament of Reconciliation.

If we simply listen attentively to the formula of absolution*

when we go to this sacrament there will be no doubt in our minds the real grace that we receive in continuously going to this sacrament.

I call it the sacrament of Joy, because it is only when we are reconciled once more to Christ that we truly find joy.

This sacrament allows us to experience this when we choose by our sins to rupture our relationship with God.

*“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.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church point 1449)

Hilary De Freitas

Catholic Blogger and  Author (among other things.)

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About Hilary De Freitas

Hilary De Freitas is a wife, mother, engineer and marketer. She is dedicated to helping people build better businesses using the information available to them. Apart from helping people build businesses she runs her own Knights Consulting business as well as being a network marketer. Hilary has been on a faith journey that guided her along her professional life. She shares what she had learned in her faith and how she uses it in her everyday life.

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