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The Sacrament
of Penance and Reconciliation
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296. What is the name
of this sacrament? |
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It is called the sacrament
of Penance, the sacrament of Reconciliation, the sacrament
of Forgiveness, the sacrament of Confession, and the
sacrament of Conversion. |
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297. Why is there a
sacrament of Reconciliation after Baptism? |
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Since the new life of grace received in
Baptism does not abolish the weakness of human nature nor
the inclination to sin (that is, concupiscence),
Christ instituted this sacrament for the conversion of the
baptized who have been separated from him by sin. |
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298. When did he
institute this sacrament? |
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The risen Lord instituted
this sacrament on the evening of Easter when he showed
himself to his apostles and said to them, “Receive the Holy
Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven;
if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John
20:22-23). |
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299. Do the baptized
have need of conversion? |
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The call of Christ to
conversion continues to resound in the lives of the
baptized. Conversion is a continuing obligation for the
whole Church. She is holy but includes sinners in her midst. |
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300. What is interior
penance? |
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It is the movement of a
“contrite heart” (Psalm 51:19) drawn by divine grace
to respond to the merciful love of God. This entails sorrow
for and abhorrence of sins committed, a firm purpose not to
sin again in the future and trust in the help of God. It is
nourished by hope in divine mercy. |
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301. What forms does
penance take in the Christian life? |
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Penance can be expressed
in many and various ways but above all in fasting, prayer,
and almsgiving. These and many other forms of penance can be
practiced in the daily life of a Christian, particularly
during the time of Lent and on the penitential day of
Friday. |
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302. What are the
essential elements of the sacrament of Reconciliation? |
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The essential elements are two: the acts of
the penitent who comes to repentance through the action of
the Holy Spirit, and the absolution of the priest who in the
name of Christ grants forgiveness and determines the ways of
making satisfaction. |
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303. What are the acts
of the penitent? |
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They are: a careful
examination of conscience; contrition (or
repentance), which is perfect when it is motivated by love
of God and imperfect if it rests on other motives and which
includes the determination not to sin again; confession,
which consists in the telling of one’s sins to the priest;
and satisfaction or the carrying out of certain acts
of penance which the confessor imposes upon the penitent to
repair the damage caused by sin. |
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304. Which sins must
be confessed? |
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All grave sins not yet
confessed, which a careful examination of conscience brings
to mind, must be brought to the sacrament of Penance. The
confession of serious sins is the only ordinary way to
obtain forgiveness. |
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305. When is a person
obliged to confess mortal sins? |
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Each of the faithful who
has reached the age of discretion is bound to confess his or
her mortal sins at least once a year and always before
receiving Holy Communion. |
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306. Why can venial
sins also be the object of sacramental confession? |
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The confession of venial
sins is strongly recommended by the Church, even if this is
not strictly necessary, because it helps us to form a
correct conscience and to fight against evil tendencies. It
allows us to be healed by Christ and to progress in the life
of the Spirit. |
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307. Who is the
minister of this sacrament? |
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Christ has entrusted the ministry of
Reconciliation to his apostles, to the bishops who are their
successors and to the priests who are the collaborators of
the bishops, all of whom become thereby instruments of the
mercy and justice of God. They exercise their power of
forgiving sins in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit. |
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308. To whom is the
absolution of some sins reserved? |
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The absolution of certain particularly grave
sins (like those punished by excommunication) is reserved to
the Apostolic See or to the local bishop or to priests who
are authorized by them. Any priest, however, can absolve a
person who is in danger of death from any sin and
excommunication. |
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309. Is a confessor
bound to secrecy? |
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Given the delicacy and greatness of this
ministry and the respect due to people every confessor,
without any exception and under very severe penalties, is
bound to maintain “the sacramental seal” which means
absolute secrecy about the sins revealed to him in
confession. |
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310. What are the
effects of this sacrament? |
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The effects of the sacrament of Penance are:
reconciliation with God and therefore the forgiveness of
sins; reconciliation with the Church; recovery, if it has
been lost, of the state of grace; remission of the eternal
punishment merited by mortal sins, and remission, at least
in part, of the temporal punishment which is the consequence
of sin; peace, serenity of conscience and spiritual
consolation; and an increase of spiritual strength for the
struggle of Christian living. |
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311. Can this
sacrament be celebrated in some cases with a general
confession and general absolution? |
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In cases of serious necessity (as in imminent
danger of death) recourse may be had to a communal
celebration of Reconciliation with general confession and
general absolution, as long as the norms of the Church are
observed and there is the intention of individually
confessing one’s grave sins in due time. |
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312. What are
indulgences? |
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Indulgences are the remission before God of
the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already
been forgiven. The faithful Christian who is duly disposed
gains the indulgence under prescribed conditions for either
himself or the departed. Indulgences are granted through the
ministry of the Church which, as the dispenser of the grace
of redemption, distributes the treasury of the merits of
Christ and the Saints. |
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Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic
Church.
© 2005 Liberia Editrice Vaticana,
00120 Citta del Vaticano
www.vatican.va |
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