Sacrament of Mercy, Part III

Last week we read that for a confession to be valid there must be contrition, the confession of sins and satisfaction. Here is what the Church says specifically about satisfaction:

Many sins wrong our neighbor. One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return stolen goods, restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for injuries). Simple justice requires as much. But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God and neighbor. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused. Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: he must "make satisfaction for" or "expiate" his sins. This satisfaction is also called "penance." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1459)

One way of looking at it is this. Suppose a child insults his mother. He realizes what he has done, is sorry for it and asks forgiveness. His mother understands, is moved by his sorrow and readily forgives him. Yet, her child is not completely comforted. He wants to make up for the hurt that he caused her. So, he will look for ways to be especially nice and helpful to her.

Every sin ruptures our relationship with God. Even though He wipes away our confessed sins, we should want to fortify our filiation with Him and with the Church. Even sins committed in secret injure the Church. The Church, which is the mystical Body of Christ, is not as strong as she could be due to sins. Each member of the Church has a relationship with each other in this Body. We, together, also have a relationship with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Every sin weakens us as a whole.

The satisfaction or penance which priests most often assign is prayer. Prayers that are said well lead to a deeper faith in and relationship with God. But, other good penances that the priest can give are: service to our neighbor, almsgiving, acts of self-denial, sacrifices and acceptance of the crosses we have to bear (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1460).

Next week we continue with this Sacrament.

Father Stanley

Sacrament of Mercy, Part II

Jesus instituted this sacrament, knowing that we need continued conversion. Even after having received the Sacrament of Baptism there still remains in us concupiscence, a tendency towards sin. This tendency is not sin.  As a matter of fact, the person, who struggles against these temptations, gains merit in the sight of God. Freely consenting to them is sin. However, only God can forgive sins.  That is why Jesus gave this power to every validly ordained priest in his Church: "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (John 20:21-23)  By the power of God each priest forgives the sins he hears when he says the words of absolution. 

To have a valid confession, there must be contrition, the confession of sins and satisfaction.  There are two kinds of contrition.  The most desirable is perfect contrition which arises purely from the love of God.  Sufficient for a good confession is also Imperfect contrition which is regret coming form the loss of God and heaven.  Understandably, either kind of sorrow must include a purpose of amendment, that is, the resolution to avoid sin and all occasions leading to sin.

The actual verbal confessing of sins to a priest must include all sins committed since a persons last good confession: 

Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: "All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1456)

Because of heartfelt sorrow and sincerity, a person makes an honest examination of conscience.  He sees the sins he has committed (particularly the serious ones) and takes responsibility for them.  One should never be afraid of confessing any sin or feel embarrassed.  The only way to heal the soul is to reveal all the wounds.  Jesus is there with his love and mercy.

Satisfaction means doing our best to remedy the damage caused by our sins.  Every sin causes some disorder.  First, it offends God, Also, it often wrongs another person.  Thirdly, it harms the one committing the sin.  So, we have the obligation to try to make up for this injury usually through prayer but also by good works.

More on this subject next week.

Father Stanley

Sacrament of Mercy

Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment.  The kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15)

The Gospel is one of repentance or conversion. It means turning away from all that is not of God and turning towards all that is of God.  He told the woman caught in adultery "...go and sin no more." (John    8:11).  Before curing the paralytic he said: "...your sins are forgiven." (Luke    5:23) In the parable about the lost sheep, Jesus taught that "...there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:7)  Also, He told the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 5:11-32).   Here, a son of a wealthy man demands his share of his inheritance and goes to  another country and squanders all of it living immorally.  Because he is starving, he returns home to ask forgiveness of his father.  Rather than scold him, the father embraces his son and throws a party for him.  These are just a few instances where Our Lord taught us about the importance of being forgiven by God.  Even in his last agony he said of his persecutors and executioners:   "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke    23:24) 

Consistent with his mission, Jesus lived up to his name as Savior by instituting the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation. He said to the Apostles on that first Easter Sunday: "'Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, so I send you.'  And when He had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.'" (John 20:21-23)  He virtually was saying that each Apostle had to hear the sins of people; otherwise how would they know whose sins to forgive and whose sins could not be forgiven?  Thus do we have Confession.  A person is aware of his sins, is sorry for them and confesses them to a priest; the Sacrament of Penance is administered.

Next week, there will be more on this Sacrament of mercy in part two. But, before I close: to what sins could Our Lord be referring when He told the Apostles that they could withhold forgiveness? It would be sins confessed without sincere sorrow, that is, sins without the purpose of amendment, the intention not to commit them again.

More on this Sacrament next week.

Father Stanley

The Sacraments

Beginning today I resume my series on the Sacraments which began in the fall. Then, we considered Baptism, Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist. I would like to give a short review of these Sacraments.

Today, is the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord and marks the close of the Christmas season. Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Baptism when He was baptized by St. John the Baptist. John’s baptism was more or less a sign that the baptized was going to enter a new life, a life turned toward God. The Baptism that Jesus instituted is a different kind of sign. This sign contains the reality of what it signifies. The water and the words ("I baptize you...") indicate that God cleanses one of all sin and infuses His Divine Life into the baptized.

The Holy Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. It is also called Holy Communion when a person receives it. That is why one must be in willful communion with the Faith, with the Catholic Church, and not be aware of having any unabsolved serious sin on the soul in order to receive this the greatest of Sacraments.

Baptism, the Holy Eucharist and Confirmation are called sacraments of Christian initiation. Confirmation completes baptismal grace. When an unbaptized adult studies and enters the Catholic faith, he or she receives Baptism, Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist at the same time, that is, within one Mass.

The ordinary minister of Confirmation is a bishop. Sometimes a priest may confirm as in the cases of persons who have completed Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. The bishop anoints the forehead of the person with sacred chrism which is a sweet smelling oil consecrated during Holy Week. While anointing he says "N. be sealed with the Gift of the. Holy Spirit." Just like at Baptism, the newly confirmed receives an indelible mark or character on his soul. This mark is the seal of God, meaning that the person now totally belongs to Him and is in his service forever. This mark also guarantees God’s protection when the person undergoes spiritual trials, especially at the point of death.

Confirmation strengthens the gifts of the Holy Spirit already given at Baptism, namely, wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. These gifts are supernatural aids to counter our defects. They help us to do what God wants us to do, that is, to spread the faith and to defend it when challenged.

God wants us to be happy with Him now in this life as well as in the next. We thank Him for instituting these Sacraments so that this may be a reality in our lives.

Father Stanley

The Way, the Truth and the Life

As we begin this new year, we can be of service to the world by our prayers as well as by our deeds. We need to pray daily for the conversion of sinners and of nonbelievers. The Gospel is the gospel of repentance. Jesus wanted everyone to know the truth, to turn away from selfishness and to be reconciled with his Father.

There are more and more attacks on Christianity in our own country as well as in other parts of the world. Jesus Christ is disrespected and ridiculed in plays and in what sometimes passes as art. While Christians go about peacefully practicing the Faith, they are openly and, at times, maliciously criticized. This amounts to "shooting the world in the foot." The very Person Who is the answer to the world’s problems is the One who is rejected.

Pope Benedict said: "...in Christ, the Son of God, man can always find the strength to combat poverty, domestic violence, unemployment and corruption, seeking social justice, the common good, and the integral progress of human beings." (Pope’s audience with the new ambassador of Costa Rica to the Holy See, Dec. 3, 2010). Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). He is the only way to the Father. Without his dying for our sins, we could not be in union with God. He tells us the truth about ourselves and about God. He is truly Life which means the indwelling of the Holy Trinity in us (sanctifying grace).

As more and more people live their faith, there is less and less corruption, violence, poverty, etc. Why? Because to act as Christ means that we respect each individual as a daughter or son of God. We may not use another for our own purposes. As a matter of fact we are obliged to help others in so far as we have the means to do so.

From now on, let us be careful to act as true disciples of Christ. Daily examinations of conscience help us to see if we are doing this. Moreover, let us also pray. Prayer is powerful. I suggest praying for the triumph of Mary’s Immaculate Heart in everyone in the world. If Our Lady triumphs, then Jesus Christ reigns. When that happens in individuals there is real peace, true happiness.

A blessed 2011 to you and your loved ones!

Father Stanley