Sunteți pe pagina 1din 6

Presentation sacrament of reconciliation

1. 1. I shall be spotless with Him, and shallkeep myself from my iniquity. (Ps.17:24)
2. 2. Significance And Values
3. 3. Penance is a sacrament of the New Law instituted by Christ inwhich forgiveness of sins
committed after baptism is grantedthrough the priests absolution to thosewho, with TRUE
sorrow confess their sins and promise tosatisfy for the same. It is called a "sacrament, not
simply afunction or ceremony, because it is an outward sign institutedby Christ to impart
grace to the soul. As an outward sign, itcomprises the actions of the penitent in presenting
himself tothe priest and accusing himself of his sins, and the actions ofthe priest in
pronouncing absolution and imposing satisfaction.
4. 4. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the seven sacraments Christ gave hischurch.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is also known as the Sacrament of Penanceor Confession.
This sacrament can set us free from our sins, and from the burden ofguilt that comes along
with our sins. Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation confession we are brought back
into union with God. Our sins separate and damageour relationship with our Lord, and it is
through this most powerful sacrament that ourrelationship with the Lord is repaired and
strengthened. Through the Sacrament ofReconciliation we can walk more closely with the
Lord once again, without the burdenof our sins weighing us down and distancing our
relationship with God
5. 5. "Peace be with you. As the Father hassent me, so I sent you." And when hehad said this,
he breathed on themand said to them, "Receive the HolySpirit. Whose sins you forgive
areforgiven them, and whose sins youretain are retained." (John 20:21-23)
6. 6. The well-known Parable of the Prodigal Son is perhaps the most strikingly
powerfulillustration of the human process of reconciliation, and of the theology inherent inthe
new Rite of Reconciliation. But many of us find it difficult to believe the story.The father
welcomes the son back instantlydoesnt even wait for him to get to thehouse. And he isnt at
all interested in the young mans confession, only incelebrating.This is not the way we
Catholics have viewed the Sacrament of Reconciliation.Even with the new Rite, most of us
tend to view this sacrament with the attitude ofthe older son in the story: Forgiveness comes
only after you recite your list ofsins, agree to suffer a bit for them, do something to make up
for your offenses, givesome guarantee you wont commit the same sins again, and prove
yourself worthyto join the rest of us who havent been so foolish!
7. 7. A journey home to GodGods reconciling work in us doesnt happen in an instant.
Reconciliation is often a long, sometimes painfulprocess. It is a journey not confined to, but
completed in, sacramental celebration. It is a round-trip journey awayfrom our home with God
and back again that can be summed up in terms of threeCs: conversion, confession and
celebrationand in that order.In the past the order was different: Receiving the sacrament
meant beginning with a recitation of sins (confession).Then we expressed our sorrow with an
Act of Contrition, agreed to make some satisfaction for our sins byaccepting our penance,
and resolved to change our ways (conversion). Celebration was seldom, if ever, part of

theprocess.The Parable of the Prodigal Son can help us understand the stages in our
journey to reconciliationand the orderin which they occur. This helps us see why the
theology of the new Rite of Reconciliation suggests a reordering inthe pattern that we were
familiar with in the past.The journey for the young man in the parable (and for us) begins with
the selfishness of sin. His sin takes him fromthe home of his parentsas our sin takes us
from the shelter of God and the Christian community. His majorconcern in his new selfcentered lifestyleas is ours in sinis himself and his personal gratification. None of
therelationships he establishes are lasting. When his money runs out, so do his "friends."
Eventually he discovershimself alone, mired in the mud of a pigpen, just as he is mired in sin.
Then comes this significant phrase in thestory: "Coming to his senses at last...." This is the
beginning of the journey back, the beginning of conversion.
8. 8. Conversion: An ongoing processThe conversion process begins with a "coming to ones
senses," with a realization that all isnot right with our values and style of life. Prompted by a
faith response to Godscall, conversion initiates a desire for change. Change is the essence
of conversion. Shuv, theOld Testament term for conversion, suggests a physical change of
direction; metanoia, theterm the New Testament uses, suggests an internal turnabout, a
change of heart that isrevealed in ones conduct.The Gospel vision of metanoia calls for an
interior transformation that comes about whenGods Spirit breaks into our lives with the Good
News that God loves us unconditionally.Conversion is always a response to being loved by
God. In fact, the most important part ofthe conversion process is the experience of being
loved and realizing that Gods love savesuswe do not save ourselves. Our part in this
saving action is to be open to the gift of Godsloveto be open to grace.
9. 9. Moral conversion means making a personal, explicitly responsible decision to turnaway
from the evil that blinds us to Gods love, and to turn toward God who gifts uswith love in spite
of our sinfulness.Persons who turn to God in conversion will never be the same again,
becauseconversion implies transforming the way we relate to others, to ourselves, to
theworld, to the universe and to God. Unless we can see that our values, attitudes
andactions are in conflict with Christian ones, we will never see a need to change ordesire to
be reconciled.The need for conversion does not extend only to those who have made a
radical choice for evil.Most often metanoia means the small efforts all of us must continually
make to respond to thecall of God.Conversion is not a once-in-a-lifetime moment but a
continuous, ongoing, lifelongprocess which brings us ever closer to "the holiness and love of
God." Eachexperience of moral conversion prompts us to turn more and more towardGod,
because each conversion experience reveals God in a new, brighter light.
10. 10. When we discover in the examination of our values, attitudes and style of life that weare
"missing the mark," we experience the next step in the conversion processcontrition. This
step moves us to the next leg of our conversion journey: breakingaway from our misdirected
actions, leaving them behind and making some resolutionsfor the future.Lets look again at
our story. The young man takes the first step in the conversionprocess when he "comes to
his senses," overcomes his blindness and sees what hemust do. "I will break away and
return to my father." Before he ever gets out of thepigpen, he admits his sinfulness. And in
this acknowledgment of sin he both expressescontrition and determines his own penance. "I
will say to him, Father, I have sinnedagainst God and against you....Treat me like one of your

hired hands.Contrition means examining our present relationships in the light of the
Gospelimperative of love, and taking the necessary steps to repent and repair
thoserelationships with others, ourselves and God. The repentance step in the
conversionprocess is what is commonly called "making satisfaction for our sins," or
"doingpenance."
11. 11. Confession: Externalizing what is withinConfession, one aspect of the sacrament which
used to receive the greatest emphasis, isnow seen as just one step in the total process.
Confession of sin can only be sincere if it ispreceded by the process of conversion. It is
actually the external expression of the interiortransformation that conversion has brought
about in us. It is a much less significant aspect ofthe sacrament than we made it out to be in
the past. This does not mean that confession isunimportantonly that it is not the essence
of the sacrament.Look again at the parable. The father, seeing his son in the distance, runs
out to meet him with anembrace and a kiss. Through one loving gesture, the father forgives
the sonand the son hasnteven made his confession yet! When he does, it seems the father
hardly listens. The confession isnot the most important thing here; the important thing is that
his son has returned. The son neednot beg for forgiveness, he has been forgiven. This is the
glorious Good News: Godsforgiveness, like Gods love, doesnt stop. In this parable, Jesus
reveals to us a loving God whosimply cannot not forgive!
12. 12. "I think of God as being exactly like me. Only bigger, stronger, crazier. And immortal,
intothe bargain. Hes sitting on a pile of soft sheepskins, and his huts the sky....In his
righthand hes holding not a knife or a pair of scalesthose damned instruments are meant
forbutchers and grocersno, hes holding a large sponge full of water, like a rain cloud. On
hisright is Paradise, on his left Hell. Here comes a soul; the poor little things quitenaked,
because its lost its cloakits body, I meanand its shivering."...The naked soul throws itself
at Gods feet. Mercy! it cries. I have sinned. And away itgoes reciting its sins. It recites a
whole rigmarole and theres no end to it. God thinks thisis too much of a good thing. He
yawns. For heavens sake stop! he shouts. Ive heardenough of all that! Flap! Slap! a wipe of
the sponge, and he washes out all the sins. Awaywith you, clear out, run off to Paradise! he
says to the soul....Because God, you know, is agreat lord, and thats what being a lord
means: to forgive!"
13. 13. The Rite of Reconciliation reflects this image of a God of mercy. Formerly, it was
thepenitent who began the encounter in confession"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned"
notunlike the way the sinner of Zorbas imagination approached God, or the way the son in
ourparable planned to greet his father. But both Zorbas God and the parent in the
parableintervened. In the same vein, now in Reconciliation it is the confessor who takes
theinitiative, reaching out, welcoming the penitent and creating a hospitable environment
ofacceptance and love before there is any mention of sin. Thus, the sacramental moment
ofconfessionjust one of the sacramental moments in the whole Ritefocuses on Godslove
rather than our sin.Of course the new Rite does concern itself with the confession of sins.
Butones sinfulness is not always the same as, ones sins. And, as a sacrament ofhealing,
Reconciliation addresses the disease (sinfulness) rather than the symptoms (sins).So, the
sacrament calls us to more than prepared speeches or lists of sins. We arechallenged to

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

search deep into our heart of hearts to discover the struggles, valueconflicts and ambiguities
(the disease) which cause the sinful acts (the symptoms) to
14. Celebration: God always loves usCelebration is a word we havent often associated with
the Sacrament of Reconciliation. But in Jesusparable, it is obviously important and
imperative. "Quick!" says the father. "Let us celebrate." And why?Because a sinner has
converted, repented, confessed and returned.Celebration makes sense only when there is
really something to celebrate. Each of us has had the experienceof going to gatherings with
all the trappings of a celebrationpeople, food, drink, balloons, bandsand yetthe festivity
was a flop for us. For example, attending an office party can be such an empty gathering for
thespouse or friend of an employee. Celebration flows from lived experience or it is
meaningless. The need forcelebration to follow common lived experiences is especially true
of sacramental celebrations. All of thesacraments are communal celebrations of the lived
experience of believing Christians.The communitys liturgical celebration of Reconciliation
places a frame around the picture of ourcontinual journey from sin to reconciliation. Only
someone who has never experienced orreflected on that journey will fail to understand the
need and value of celebrating the sacrament.So there is something we can do about the
unconditional forgiveness we receive fromGod: forgive as we have been forgiven. Having
been forgiven, we are empowered to forgiveourselves and to forgive one another, heal one
another and celebrate the fact that together wehave come a step closer to the peace, justice
and reconciliation that makes us the heralds ofChrists Kingdom on earth.
15. Question : Why confess my sins? And why confess to a priest?Why not confess directly
to God, since God has already forgivenme anyway? From Gods point of view, the simple
answer is: Thereis no reason. But from our point of view, the answer is that ashuman beings
who do not live in our minds alone, we need toexternalize bodilywith words, signs and
gestureswhat is in ourminds and heart. We need to see, hear and feel forgivenessnotjust
think about it.Answer: From Gods point of view, the simple answer is: There isno reason. But
from our point of view, the answer is that as humanbeings who do not live in our minds alone,
we need to externalizebodilywith words, signs and gestureswhat is in our minds
andheart. We need to see, hear and feel forgivenessnot just thinkabout it.
16. We confess to a priest because that is the way Jesusinstigated the sacrament. It is at his
command that weconfess to one another. When we sin against theFather our sins also affect
our Christian family.Confessing sins to a priest is something that was auniversal practice and
never debated in the EarlyChurch.
17. No Catholic believes that a priest, simply asan individual man, however pious or learned,
has power to forgive sins. Thispower belongs to God alone; but He can and does exercise it
through theministration of men. Since He has seen fit to exercise it by means ofthis
sacrament, it cannot be said that the Church or the priest interferesbetween the soul and
God; on the contrary, penance is the removal of theone obstacle that keeps the soul away
from God.
18. Jesus entrusted his Church with the power of forgiving sins through this most wonderful
sacrament. The priest is simply the one who acts in persona Christi (in the person of Christ)
in the confessional, but it is our Lord who forgives our sins. The priest grants absolution (sets
us free from our sins) using the power Jesus entrusted to his Church. It is through Christ,

19.
20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

however, that our sins are forgiven. St. Paul tells us, "And all this is from God, who has
reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely,
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if
God were appealing through us." (2 Corinthians 5: 18-20)"Amen, I say to you, whatever you
bind on earth shall be bound inheaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven. Again, Isay to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are
topray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father." (Matthew 18:18-19)
19. Some things that shouldbe cleared up to better understand the Sacrament of
Reconciliation
20. ONE: Penance is not a mere human inventiondevised by the Church to secure powerover
consciences or to relieve the emotionalstrain of troubled souls; it is the ordinary
meansappointed by Christ for the remissionof sin. Man indeed is free to obey ordisobey, but
once he has sinned, he must seekpardon not on conditions of his own choosingbut on those
which God has determined, andthese for the Christian are embodied inthe Sacrament of
Penance
21. But keep in mind :Without sorrow for sin there is no forgiveness. Hencethe Council of
Trent says: "Contrition, which holds the firstplace among the acts of the penitent, is sorrow of
heart anddetestation for sin committed, with the resolve to sin no more".
22. Two:It is not true that forthe Catholic the mere "telling ofones sins" suffices to obtain
theirforgiveness. Without sincere sorrowand purpose ofamendment, confession
availsnothing, the pronouncementof absolution is of no effect, and theguilt of the sinner is
greater thanbefore.
23. NUMERO TRES : While this sacrament as a dispensation of Divine mercy facilitatesthe
pardoning of sin, it by no means renders sin less hateful or its consequences lessdreadful to
the Christian mind; much less does it imply permission to commit sin in thefuture. In paying
ordinary debts, for example, by monthly settlements, the intention ofcontracting new debts
with the same creditor is perfectly legitimate; asimilar intention on the part of him who
confesses his sins would not only be wrong initself but would nullify the sacrament and
prevent the forgiveness of sins then and thereconfessed.
24. The reconciliation of the sinner with God has as a further consequence of the revivalof
those merits which he had obtained before committinggrievous sin. Good works performed in
the state of grace deserve a rewardfrom God, but this is forfeited by mortal sin, so that if the
sinner should dieunforgiven his good deeds avail him nothing. So long as he remains in sin,
he isincapable of meriting: even works which are good in themselves are, in his
case,worthless: they cannot revive, because they never were alive. But once his sin
iscancelled by penance, he regains not only the state of grace but also the entire storeof
merit which had, before his sin, been placed to his credit.
25. ACT OF CONTRITIONO my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee and
Idetest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but mostof all because they offend
Thee, my God, who art all goodand deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help
ofThy grace, to sin no more and avoid the near occasions ofsin. Amen.

26. 26. Now you must imitate Christ by forgiving others asyou have been forgiven:Matthew 6:915Thus therefore shall you pray: Our Father who art inheaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy
kingdom come.Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give usthis day our super
substantial bread. And forgive usour debts, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead usnot
into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.For if you will forgive men their offences,
yourheavenly Father will forgive you also your offences.But if you will not forgive men, neither
will your Fatherforgive you your offences.
27. 27. Activity

S-ar putea să vă placă și