Sacrament of
RECONCILIATION
PYM Catechesis
Our Lady Of Salvation Parish
Archdiocese of Caceres
Presented by: Sem. Rommel Angelo R. Licmoan
What Is This Sacrament Called?
PENANCE: To emphasize that the absolution requires concrete
acts of repentance and the reparation for the injustices caused
by sin; as the people of Nineveh did by wearing sackcloth and
sitting on ashes (cf. Jonah 3:6)
CONFESSION: To highlight that the Matter of the Sacrament is
the verbal confession of all mortal sins since the last valid
absolution. As declared by John: “If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just and will forgive our sins (1John 1:9).
RECONCILIATION: To point out that the Sacrament restores
the communion with God and the Church. As St. Paul affirmed:
“God has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us
the ministry of reconciliation” (2Corinthians 5:18).
What is Reconciliation?
Confession / Penance / Reconciliation is
the Sacrament instituted by Christ for
forgiving the sins committed after Baptism.
Confession is necessary for salvation,
considering that Baptism removes the guilt
of the Original Sin, which is eternal
damnation, but not the concupiscence, or
the inherited tendency towards evil.
When Did Jesus Institute the
Sacrament of Reconciliation?
Jesus instituted the Sacrament of
Penance on the eve of Easter
Sunday, when he declared to his
Apostles: “Receive the Holy Spirit: whose
sins you forgive are forgiven them, and
whose sins you retain are retained” (John
20: 22-23).
When Did Jesus Institute the
Sacrament of Reconciliation?
In the Sacrament of Penance, it is Christ
himself who gives the absolution to
the penitent by means of the Priest,
who acts In Persona Christi.
Why Do We Need to Confess to
a Priest and not Directly to
God?
In order to obtain the forgiveness of mortal sins, a
Christian must undergo the Sacrament of Penance for
two reasons:
OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST: Since it was
Jesus who instituted the Sacrament of
Penance, those who refuse to confess their
sins to the Priests disobey Jesus’ command
and cannot be assured of forgiveness and
salvation.
Why Do We Need to Confess to
a Priest and not Directly to
God?
RECONCILIATION WITH THE CHURCH:
Every sin breaks the communion with
God and wounds the Church; for this
reason, the penitent needs to be
reconciled also with the Community of
the Faithful, represented by the
Confessor.
What If a Penitent Has No Sin to
Confess?
If a Christian, after a thorough
Examination of Conscience, finds no
venial or mortal sin to confess, then he
does not need the Sacrament of Penance.
Although rare, it is possible to remain
completely sinless with a special grace
from God and absolute self-control.
What If a Penitent Has No Sin to
Confess?
However, more often than not, those
presuming to be sinless are just blinded
by ignorance or self-righteousness, like
the Pharisees in the Gospel; as St. John
wrote: “If we say, ‘We are without sin,’ we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in
us” (1 John 1: 8).
What Are the Three Essential
Requirements for Absolution?
REPENTANCE: It is the sincere sorrow for the sins
one has committed; as Peter who bitterly
regretted betraying Jesus for three times.
RESOLUTION: It is the firm commitment not to sin
again; as Jesus said to the adulteress: “Go, and
from now on sin no more” (John 8:11).
REPARATION: It is the determination to remedy
the injustice caused by sin; as Zacchaeus, who
returned the stolen money.
What Is the Relationship
Between Eucharist and
Penance?
The two Sacraments are complementary:
Penance is necessary to regain the State
of Grace and becoming worthy of Christ’s
Body; and the Eucharist, to receive an
abundance of Actual Grace and avoiding
relapsing into sin.
What Is the Relationship
Between Eucharist and
Penance?
It is a sacrilege to receive
Communion in the State of Mortal
Sin, without first going to Confession;
and all the more, to teach others to do so,
arguing that God is unconditionally
merciful, and that Holy Communion in
itself can forgive all mortal sins.
What Is the Relationship
Between Eucharist and
Penance?
Saint Paul said: “Whoever eats the bread
or drinks the chalice of the Lord
unworthily will have to answer for the
Body and Blood of the Lord” (1Corinthians
11:27)
Is There a Middle Ground between
Sanctifying Grace and Mortal Sin?
There can be no middle ground
between the State of Grace and of
Mortal Sin; as Jesus declared: “Who is
not with me is against me”(Matthew
12:30). The soul is like the human body: it
is either alive or dead, and cannot be
half-way.
Is There a Middle Ground between
Sanctifying Grace and Mortal Sin?
Heretics claiming that those living in Mortal
Sin, such as adulterers, do not completely
lose the State of Grace, and thus are allowed
to receive Holy Communion without first
repenting and confessing their sins, are
already condemned by God, who declared: “I
know your deeds; you have a reputation of
being alive, but you are dead” (Revelation
3:1)
Who Is the Minister of Penance?
The Minister of Penance is a Catholic
Priest, or Bishop, with the Faculty of
Hearing Confessions. Jesus delegated
the authority to absolve or retain sins to
the Apostles, and their successors; as he
declared: “Whose sins you forgive are
forgiven them, and whose sins you retain
are retained” (John 20:23).
What Is the Faculty of Hearing
Confessions?
The Faculty of Hearing Confessions is the
authorization to administer validly the
Sacrament of Penance, which is usually granted by
the ordaining Bishop and applies everywhere in the
world, unless a Bishop in his particular diocese
suspends it for serious reasons.
In danger of death, any Priest, even those without
Faculty, can validly and lawfully absolve from any sin
and excommunication.
What Is the Power of the Keys?
The Power of the Keys is the judiciary authority of
forgiving or retaining sins, which Jesus has delegated
to the Apostles and their successors, when he said: “I will
give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven: whatever
you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever
you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”(Matthew
16:19).
Penance is instituted as a tribunal, where the
Confessor, acting as both merciful and just judge, has the
authority to grant or refuse absolution in accordance with
the penitent’s disposition.
What Are the So-called
Reserved Sins?
The Reserved Sins are those that cause
excommunication, such as procuring
abortion and breaking the Seal of Confession.
They are reserved in the sense that they can
be absolved only by the Pope, by the Bishops
in their respective dioceses, or by Priests
authorized by them. In danger of death, any
Priest, even if deprived of the Faculty for
Hearing Confessions, can absolve them.
What Are the So-called
Reserved Sins?
What Is the Seal of Confession?
The Seal of Confession is the
obligation of the Priest to keep
absolute secrecy regarding the sins
confessed to him: under no
circumstances can this seal be broken,
lest the Confessor be excommunicated.
What Is the Seal of Confession?
St. John Nepomucene
(1345-93) was
declared the Patron of
Confessors, because
he was drowned in a
river by King
Wenceslaus IV of
Boemia for refusing to
reveal the sins
confessed by the
Queen.
Matter of Penance
The Matter of Penance is the verbal
confession of all mortal sins, in kind and
quantity, since the last valid Confession, of
which the penitent is aware after a diligent
examination of conscience.
If a penitent intentionally omits one or
more mortal sins, out of shame or fear,
the Sacrament is invalid, and the sin of
sacrilege is added to his evil repertoire.
Form of Penance
The Form of Penance are the essential
words of absolution said by the Confessor
to the penitent, namely: “I absolve you
from all your sins in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit.”
Effects of the Sacrament of
Penance
REMISSION OF THEETERNAL PUNISHMENT: A
valid Confession absolves the penitent from the
Eternal Punishment due to sin, which is the
damnation into Hell.
RESTORATION OF THESANCTIFYING GRACE: A
good Confession restores the State of Grace, or the
communion with God, which was forfeited by Mortal
Sin
RECONCILIATION WITH THE CHURCH: A sincere
Confession reconciles the penitent with the Ecclesial
Community, represented by the Priest
What Is the Difference Between
Eternal and Temporal Punishment?
Every Mortal Sin incurs two kinds of Punishment, Eternal and
Temporal, which must be atoned to restore the Divine Justice.
ETERNAL PUNISHMENT: It is the everlasting
damnation into Hell, which sinners justly deserve. The
Sacrament of Penance absolves the repentant sinners
from eternal damnation by the power of Christ’s
redeeming Sacrifice, but does not exempt from
repairing the injustices caused by sin. Although Jesus
forgave the Eternal Punishment of Zacchaeus, he did
not excuse him from returning the stolen money (cf.
Luke 19:9).
What Is the Difference Between
Eternal and Temporal Punishment?
TEMPORAL PUNISHMENT: It is the contingent
reparation that a penitent must do to atone for the
injustices caused by his sins: this can be done by the
Act of Penance imposed by the Confessor, by gaining
an Indulgence, or by the pains of Purgatory. Although
God remitted the Eternal Punishment to the Israelites
for worshiping the Golden Calf (cf. Exodus 32:14), still
they had to atone their Temporal Punishment by
wandering 40 years in the desert.
Should Confession Be Face-
to-Face or Inside the
Confessional?
Although the Sacrament of Penance can be validly
celebrated either face-to-face or otherwise, the
penitents have the right to confess inside a
Confessional if they so decide.
Introduced in the Middle Ages, the Confessional
became compulsory in all churches since1614, for the
purpose of concealing the penitents’ identity and
helping the mover come a natural feeling of shame.
It must be fitted with a fixed grille between the
penitent and the Confessor to prevent the face-to-
face contact
What Is an Indulgence?
The Indulgence is the remission of the
temporal punishment due to sin, whose guilt
and eternal punishment have been already
forgiven in the Sacrament of Penance.
It can be Partial or Plenary, referring to
whether the remission of the temporal
punishment is limited or complete.
Indulgences are applied to the living or to the
dead
What Is an Indulgence?
To gain an Indulgence, no more than once a day, for
oneself or for a soul, the faithful must personally
visit a designated church and perform four deeds:
1) Confession;
2) Participation in the Holy Mass and
reception of Holy Communion;
3) Prayer for the intentions of the Pope;
4) A Corporal of Spiritual Work of Mercy
Examination of Conscience
Before confession, the penitent should
make an examination of conscience
based on the ten commandments (cf.
Exodus 20:1-17).
Practical Guide to Confession
RECEPTION OF THE PENITENT
Priest: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit.
Penitent: Amen.
Priest: May God, who has enlightened every heart, help you to
know your sins and trust in his mercy.
Penitent: Amen.
CONFESSION OF SINS AND ACCEPTANCE OF
SATISFACTION
The penitent confesses all his mortal sins he has committed
since his last valid Confession; if necessary, the Priest helps the
penitent to make an integral Confession.
Practical Guide to Confession
Penitent: Father, forgive me for I have sinned.
I am a ... (define the state in life, like: “I am
single”, “I am married”, etc.).
My last valid Confession was ... (state the month
or year of the last good Confession).My sins
are ... (confess all mortal sins, in number and
kind, since the last valid Confession; it is
strongly recommended to confess also the
venial sins).
The Priest gives the penitent appropriate counsel and proposes
a suitable Act of Penance (usually in the form of prayer, fasting,
or almsgiving), which the penitent accepts to make satisfaction
for sin and to amend his life.
Practical Guide to Confession
ACT OF CONTRITION
The penitent says the Act of Contrition.
Penitent: O my God, I am heartily sorry for
having offended you, and I detest all my
sins, because I dread the loss of heaven,
and the pains of hell; but most of all
because they offend you, my God, who are
all good and deserving of all my love. I
firmly resolve, with the help of your grace,
to confess my sins, to do penance, and to
amend my life. Amen.
Practical Guide to Confession
ABSOLUTION
Then the Priest extends his hands over the penitent’s
head (or at least extends his right hand) and says
theform of absolution.
Priest: God, the Father of mercies, through the death
and 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.
Penitent: Amen.
Practical Guide to Confession
PROCLAMATION OF PRAISE AND DISMISSAL
After the absolution, the Priest gives praise to God for
his mercy and dismisses the penitent in these words.
Priest: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
Penitent: His mercy endures for ever.
Priest: The Lord has freed you from your sins. Go in
peace.
Penitent: Thanks be to God.
