Confession

The Sacrament of Penance (Confession)

Short Introduction

Penance, commonly called Confession, is the sacrament by which sins committed after Baptism are
forgiven through the absolution of a priest. Christ gave this power to His Apostles on the evening
of His Resurrection, saying, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are
forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained” (John 20:22-23). Through sincere
confession, contrition, and satisfaction, the sinner is reconciled to God and restored to the state of
grace.

Full Explanation

What Penance Is

The Catechism teaches that Penance is the sacrament by which sins committed after Baptism are
forgiven. Where Baptism washes away original sin and any sin preceding it, Penance was instituted
by Christ as the ordinary means by which the faithful, having fallen into sin after Baptism, might
be restored to friendship with God. St. Thomas Aquinas, in the Summa Theologica, describes
Penance as a kind of spiritual healing — a “second plank after shipwreck,” a phrase drawn from
the Fathers of the Church describing how the soul, having lost the grace of Baptism through sin,
is rescued anew through this sacrament.

Matter and Form

The Catechism explains that the matter of this sacrament consists of the acts of the penitent himself:
contrition, confession, and satisfaction. The form of the sacrament is the words of absolution spoken
by the priest: “I absolve thee from thy sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost.” The ordinary minister of Penance is a bishop or priest who possesses the faculty
(permission) to hear confessions in a given territory, a requirement carefully guarded by the 1917
Code of Canon Law to protect the seal and the good order of the sacrament.

The Three Acts of the Penitent

The Catechism summarizes the parts required of the penitent as follows:

The Effects of Penance

According to traditional teaching, this sacrament:

1. Restores or increases sanctifying grace in the soul.
2. Forgives mortal sins and remits the eternal punishment they deserved.
3. Remits, in whole or in part, the temporal punishment due to sin.
4. Restores or strengthens the supernatural virtues, particularly hope and charity.
5. Gives peace and consolation of conscience, together with grace to avoid sin in the future.

The Seal of Confession

The old manuals of moral theology stress that the priest is bound by the “seal of confession” never
to reveal, by word or sign, anything he has learned in the confessional — a bond so absolute that it
admits no exception whatsoever, even to save his own life. This inviolable secrecy has always been
a chief safeguard of the sacrament, giving penitents full confidence to confess without fear.

The Necessity of Confession

The Church has always taught that anyone conscious of mortal sin must confess it, in kind and
number, before receiving Holy Communion, and at least once a year (traditionally satisfied at
Easter time, per the “Easter Duty”). Venial sins may also be confessed profitably, though they
may be forgiven through other means such as contrition, the Mass, or works of charity.

How to Make a Good Confession

Just as Baptism carries responsibilities for parents and godparents, the sacrament of Penance places
clear responsibilities upon the penitent, who must prepare properly before entering the confessional:

• Examine one’s conscience. The penitent should prayerfully recall sins committed since
  the last worthy confession, considering the Commandments of God and of the Church, and
  one’s particular duties of state in life.
• Have true sorrow (contrition). Sorrow must be interior, supernatural (arising from love
  or fear of God, not mere embarrassment), universal (covering all mortal sins), and joined to
  a sincere resolution to avoid sin and its occasions in the future.
• Confess completely and honestly. All mortal sins must be told in kind and approximate
  number; a penitent must never deliberately conceal a mortal sin, as this would render the
  confession invalid and add the sin of sacrilege.
• Accept and perform the penance. The penance assigned, however small, should be
  carried out promptly and faithfully as an act of reparation.
• Resolve to avoid the near occasions of sin. The old manuals insist that a firm purpose
  of amendment includes a real intention to avoid those persons, places, or circumstances that
  habitually lead one into sin.

Sources referenced: The Catechism; the 1917 Code of Canon Law; the canons of the Fourth Lateran
Council; St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica.