By Father Michael Van Sloun - For The Catholic Spirit
Thursday, 26 March 2009
The following is the third in a 10-part series on reconciliation
Penance
Father Michael Van Sloun
Of all the objections to the sacrament of reconciliation, the one most often voiced, particularly by Protestants, and sometimes by Catholics is: “I don’t need to go to confession to a priest! The priest is just another human being! All that I need to do is to confess my sins directly to God, and that is enough!”
• Jesus commissioned forgiveness through his apostles. Jesus asked believers to approach God for forgiveness through the apostles who were commissioned to act as his agents.
Jesus told Peter, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew
16:19).
After the resurrection, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said,
“Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are
retained” (John 20:22-23). Priests alone carry out this apostolic role
(Canon 965; CCC 1461 and 1462).
This is consistent with our Jewish heritage. When it came to atonement
for sins in the Jewish tradition, God instructed Moses to have the
people bring a holocaust to the temple, usually an unblemished bullock
or lamb.
The sinner was to lay his hands on the head of the animal, symbolically
transferring his sins to the animal, and then to slaughter it, to have
the animal die in place of the sinner.
The sinner then handed the animal to the priest who offered it on the
altar (Leviticus 1:1-5). The priest served as a go-between for the
sinner to mediate God’s pardon and peace.
• Catholic sacraments are mediated. The sacraments celebrate the
most profound moments of our lives: birth (baptism), the transition to
adulthood (confirmation), lifetime commitment (marriage and holy
orders), and the end of life (anointing).
Two other sacraments strengthen us for the journey through life:
Eucharist, our spiritual sustenance; and penance, the forgiveness of
sins.
We need to be fed at least weekly, and because we sin so often, we need
to be forgiven regularly. The sacraments are not self-administered.
Rather, the priest is the mediator, the linkage or conduit between God
and the people, a rich channel of God’s grace.
• A personal encounter with Christ. The priest is not just
“another human being,” but one who acts in persona Christi, in the
person of Christ. With faith, we believe that when the penitent speaks
to the priest, the penitent speaks to Christ, and when the priest
speaks, the priest speaks on behalf of Christ. When the priest says, “I
absolve you,” it is Christ who absolves (Mark 2:10).
• A community representative. Our sins offend not only God, but
the community as well. It is not only impractical to admit our sins to
others, but often also ill-advised, because of scandal or grave
consequences. When we admit our sins to a priest, we reconcile with the
community, and the priest, on behalf of those we have offended, says,
“You are forgiven.”
• The personal touch. When we confess our sins to a priest, we
are able to receive individualized counsel — advice that fits our
unique circumstances — and we can be given a penance that is
“medicinal,” specifically tailored to help us in the spiritual healing
process (Canon 981).
Father Michael Van Sloun is pastor of St. Stephen in Anoka.
Covers all the common objections to individual Sacramental Confession.
God Bless you and your ministry.
Craig ,
March 25, 2009
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I'm trying to find previous installments of this 10-part series? I can't find them on your wite?
Tracy ,
March 25, 2009
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Tracy - There should be a box on the right with all of the articles listed. The published articles will be linked. Please let me know if you can't see the box.
Michael ,
March 25, 2009
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Great article! In my opinion,confession is a beautiful sacrament that Catholics are privileged to have. We are all like the woman at the well--Jesus already knows our sins, but I think he understood the need for the sinful to voice our transgressions and our need to HEAR that we are forgiven. Knowing that he would not always be physically on the Earth, he blessed the Apostles (and priests) with the ability to hear and forgive sins in his name. Going to regular confession relieves us of the barriers we create between our souls and God's grace--opening us up to freely receive all possible blessings from Jesus in our lives.
Gia ,
March 29, 2009
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But what happens when the priest does not want to forgive? You end up feeling pretty low. Forgiveness of sins is a tricky business.
Sam ,
March 31, 2009
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Good job Father Michael Van Sloun for explaining the importance of the sacrament of penance/reconciliation.
Alexander Layko ,
April 02, 2009
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Dear Father Michael Van Sloun, I saw mention of this series on Zenit and immediately wanted to read more. How necessary this series is in today's world. If there are thoughts of publishing this as a booklet, don't hesitate. If the entire series could be made available in pdf format as an e-book, so much the better! I'll be waiting. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom!
Mark Manno ,
May 07, 2009
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Dear Father Michael Van Sloun, I read your article and found it to be very insightful. However, I'm still confused in some areas of confession. I read in Mark 2:7 that only God can forgive sins, so is it possible to confess sins on your own to God on a regular basis and still be forgiven?
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• A personal encounter with Christ. The priest is not just
“another human being,” but one who acts in persona Christi, in the
person of Christ. With faith, we believe that when the penitent speaks
to the priest, the penitent speaks to Christ, and when the priest
speaks, the priest speaks on behalf of Christ. When the priest says, “I
absolve you,” it is Christ who absolves (Mark 2:10).
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