By Father Michael Van Sloun - For The Catholic Spirit
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
The following is the second in a 10-part series on reconciliation. This week’s focus is the meaning behind symbols used in the sacrament of reconciliation.
• Keys. A single key or a pair of keys, usually crisscrossed in the
shape of an “X,” occasionally one on top of the other, is the most
common symbol for the sacrament of reconciliation. The symbol
originates with Jesus’ words to Peter, “I will give you the keys to
the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19a), by which Jesus imparted his
authority to the church, and his continuing statement, “Whatever you
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19b), by which he established
the sacrament of reconciliation and gave the church the authority to
forgive sins (see also John 20:23).
• A stole. The stole is the primary symbol of the ordained priesthood,
and it is the priest “in persona Christi,” as a representative of
Christ, who grants sacramental absolution. A stole is a long, narrow
strip of cloth worn over the shoulders, which hangs in front in equal
lengths on the right and left sides.
The stole signifies the priest’s authority to preside over the
sacraments in general, and his authority to absolve sins in particular.
When a priest hears confessions, he wears a purple stole, which
symbolizes repentance and sorrow.
• A raised hand. During the rite of reconciliation, after the penitent
makes the Act of Contrition, the priest offers the Prayer of
Absolution, the blessing that removes the person’s sins, and as he does
so he extends his right hand over the penitent’s head.
• The cross. The priest makes a Sign of the Cross over the penitent as
he recites the final words of the Prayer of Absolution: “And I absolve
you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit.” Jesus “himself bore our sins in his body upon the
Cross” (1 Peter 2:24a). Jesus has reconciled all things through
himself, and he has made peace by the blood of his cross (Colossians
1:20).
• A scourging whip. Before Jesus, our Suffering Servant, was crucified,
he was scourged at the pillar. “He was crushed for our sins, by his
stripes we were healed; through his suffering, my servant shall justify
many, and their guilt he shall bear; he shall take away the sins of
many, and win pardon for their offenses” (Isaiah 53:5, 11, 12). The
Apostle Peter reflected, “By his [Jesus’] wounds we were healed” (1
Peter 2:24b).
Father Michael Van Sloun is pastor of St. Stephen in Anoka.
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• The cross. The priest makes a Sign of the Cross over the penitent as
he recites the final words of the Prayer of Absolution: “And I absolve
you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit.” Jesus “himself bore our sins in his body upon the
Cross” (1 Peter 2:24a). Jesus has reconciled all things through
himself, and he has made peace by the blood of his cross (Colossians
1:20).
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