Celebration of the Sacrament of Penance

How Often?

The question of how often we should celebrate this sacrament is a difficult one. Certainly anyone who commits grave or serious sin should seek the forgiveness of God and reconciliation with the Church. 

It has been traditional for people to celebrate reconciliation during Lent and also in Advent. The regular celebration of the Sacrament is to be encouraged as it acts as a ‘spiritual barometer’ and always keeps before us the reality of sin and ownership that we are sinners and need forgiveness.

The Call to Conversion

As we have already noted, the practice of the Sacrament of Penance is really about conversion. As Catholic people we are called to follow Christ closely and live out as best we can the demands that the Gospel places upon us. Jesus constantly called those he meets in the Gospel stories to a new life freed from sin. 

This turning to God and leaving old ways is what conversion is all about. It is a decision we make to say that what we desire is to be different and that that difference is to model our lives as disciples of the Lord. The decision to ‘convert’ is not one off, but rather a daily recommitment to live out our Baptism. 

Every time we enter a Church and make the Sign of the Cross with holy water we are reminding ourselves of our Baptism and the call to daily conversion. Thus, as we enter the Church to celebrate this sacrament we have already signaled a decision to convert our lives more faithfully to Christ.

The Demands of the Gospel

A good start to preparation is to reflect on the Gospel itself. There are many stories, about the way Jesus dealt with sinners in all four Gospels. As the celebration of this sacrament is an encounter with the forgiving and compassionate Risen Christ, we too can identify closely with those people Jesus called to conversion. 

In preparing in our prayer for entering the place set aside for this sacrament it is helpful to enter into a reflection on perhaps one part of the Gospel that directly concerns forgiveness of sin and reconciliation. A more detailed examination should really occur before we reach the Church.

Confession, Penance and Absolution

It is sometimes easy to forget that this is a liturgy that is celebrated by the Church even though it may only involve the priest and the penitent. Whilst it may be somewhat more informal than a more public celebration, nevertheless it should begin with a short reading from scripture as all liturgy contains within it the Word of God. 

There are various ways in which a confession can be made. Some people prefer to use the form from Mass and then name their sins. Others prefer a less structured form. It always needs to be remembered that the confession being made is to Christ and the Church empowers its ministers to pronounce absolution in his name. 

There is provision in the celebration for the priest to offer advice, but Penance should not be seen as a counselling session. If a person wants to discuss general problems they should make a separate appointment with the priest.

The priest will after the confession impose what is called a penance. This is normally an act of charity or some other prayerful discipline that is a statement by the penitent of the need to make a concerted effort to repair the damage done by way of sin. The absolution is pronounced with the words that it is  “through the ministry of the Church” that God grants pardon and peace. This is a wonderful moment, a real liberation and restoration.

New Start

Perhaps the greatest challenge of all is to leave the place of reconciliation because we are now called to embrace Christian life fully and endeavour to live out the demands of the Gospel in our day to day lives. 

Each encounter with Christ in the Sacrament of Penance draws us more closely to him and helps us in shaping our lives to reflect his life. There is a wonderful image in the book of Jeremiah about a potter working to produce vessels on his wheel. The sacrament of Penance helps to shape us to become the Disciples of Christ that we are meant and called to be through Baptism.

Let us hope that more people will come to rediscover and appreciate the value and the place of the Sacrament of Penance in their lives and that it be understood to be the sacrament of healing that it truly is.

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This article was originally published in  ‘Healing Ministry’. ©  Diocese of Parramatta.  2001, 2007. Reprinted with permission.