THE THREE ACTS OF A PENITENT IN THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

Gabriel Uchechi Emeasoba (Rev. Fr) On the Sacrament of Reconciliation The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a very unique sacrament not only in the life and work of the Church but also in the life and very existence of the ordinary Christian. Hence, the Sacred Council of Trent numbered it as one of the seven sacraments of the Church which are necessary for salvation. Its importance in the Church arises from the very fact that it is a special sacrament of healing through which God gives back life to Christians whose life had been cut short by the evil of sin. Initially, at baptism, Christians receive the grace of sanctification and the new life of the Spirit. But the circumstances of life and the attractions of the world can take the Christian away from the arena of grace in such a way that he/she looses that unity with God and the life that comes as a result of this unity. When this happens, the Christians is not altogether hopeless; there is a place of healing the sacrament of reconciliation. On this throne of mercy, unmerited new life is created and given back to Christians free of charge. Inner peace and joy are reclaimed once more. Because it is an indispensable sacrament of the dead, the Church has never toiled with this sacrament over the centuries. Unfortunately, it is the experience of modern life and contemporary Christian praxis that so many Christians do no longer attach grave importance to this sacrament. This laissez-faire attitude comes out in the low number of people who make use of this sacrament and in the level of unpreparedness and nonchalance with which people attend to it. Not many really know or even care to know the procedure for a good confession. What of the rampant manner in which people repeat the confession of the same sins on weekly basis? Confessions, these days have nearly become an ordinary place where people just go to be relieved of the shame of not receiving Holy Communion the next Sunday. As a matter of fact, it must be said without fear of error that every true confession is meant to change the penitent for the better. As the Christian goes to confession often, he/she is supposed to be maturing in virtue and moving beyond certain sins. Good confessions should make Christians inaugurate the movement from

mortal sins to venial sins and to imperfections and to real life of virtue. The problem is that Christian penitents do not really take what happens at the confessional very seriously these days. And this is really very regrettable. As a result of this, as we approach the great events of our redemption at Easter, it is good that we reflect once more on the roles that should be played by a penitent who wants to be reconciled with God through the sacrament of reconciliation. In the theology of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Church teaches that there are three major acts of a penitent. These include: contrition, confession and satisfaction (normally called penance). 1 Contrition: This is the first act of every penitent who wants to make use of the sacrament of reconciliation. It is wrong for a Christian who never prepared for confession to just join the queue just because there is a priest around. Confessions should be prepared for. Unfortunately, it is because people no longer prepare for confessions through contrition that they go back to the same sins. The first character of contrition is that it is a moment of genuine compunction and self accusation. The Christian here admits sin and its responsibility, feels sorry and contrite for it and asks for divine pardon. It is at this stage that the Christian determines the facts of his/her sin, that is whether they are mortal or venial; whether they are commissions or omissions, whether they are sins of thought or action etc. The Christian understands well the genus and specie of his/her sin and recalls the number of the occurrence of the particular sin. All these will help the sinners contrition because being sure of the data of sins informs the sinner how far he/she has wandered off from the path of virtue. It also reveals to him/her how genuine and strong-willed his efforts had been. There is a very important aspect of contrition which no Christian who intends to use the sacrament of penance should ever forget. This aspect is called resolution. It is a firm decision that reveals the sinners firm purpose of amendment. The Christian takes a decision in contrition that he/she will not fall into same sins again. This resolution must be firm, true and genuine. What it means is that it must include removing all possible means and accessories to the sin in question and a commitment to every other action or withdrawal that will aid the non-repetition of such sins. A Christian who goes to confession, while still retaining the means or an accessory to the sin

in question has not gone for a good confession but has merely decided to clear the room in order to continue from where he/she had stopped. This can be an act of grave irreverence to God and the Churchs sacrament. 2 Confession: This is the second act of the penitent in the sacrament of reconciliation. When the Christian must have prepared him/herself through contrition, he/she then approaches the confessional to meet the priest there. At the confessional, the Christian confesses his or her sins specifying the number of the sins and specifying the sins specie and genus. For example, sexual relations between a man and a woman can be either fornication or adultery. The sinner needs to be specific in order to help the priest who is a judge at the confessional to understand and also to help and enlighten and counsel the sinner. The sinner needs to say the number of the committal of a particular sin to help the priest know how strong or weak the sinner is in the struggle against sin. Apart from this, the sinner should tell the priest the last time he/she went to confession. Then the penitent concludes with asking forgiveness for the sins confessed and those unknowingly forgotten. It must be said here that the confessional is not the place for self justification; rather it is a place of self-accusation. So many go to the confessional to tell the priest how free they are from the sins they have come to confess. It is also not a place of long stories. Confessions must be simple and straight to the point. Penitents must know that they are not allowed to use vulgar words at confessions as they are expected to be prudent in speaking about their sins. They are also expected to keep secret whatever transpires at confession. The priest has the right to ask basic questions in order to gain more insights into the sin of the penitent (even though this does not include asking the sinner to reveal the third party to his/her sin) and to advise properly. The penitent must make sure that he/she hears the penance given to him/her by the priest and should not presume anything before going. If in case the penitent has not heard what the pried had said, he/she has the right to clarify before leaving the confessional. 3 Satisfaction: This is the third act of the penitent at the sacrament of reconciliation. Every sin leaves an injury on the soul of the sinner. The satisfaction is to heal the injury caused by sin. The priest at the confessional gives the sinner certain prayers or

commits him/her to certain acts of charity in order to repair the damage caused by sins. This satisfaction (or penance) should be done with every sense of devotion and reparation. Christians should not be careless with the acts of satisfaction. In fact, in the life of every Christian, there is need for constant reparation for sins through prayers and acts of charity. Charity, they say covers a multitude of sins. Moment spent with Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament can be a wonderful way of reparation. Within satisfaction, the Christian recalls his/her resolution never to go back to sin and recommits him/herself to the promises already made. Then the penitent asks for the grace of God in the struggle against sin Conclusion: Christians are therefore advised to reclaim the beauty of the Sacramental confession. Why sacraments do not change us is that we bring nothing to them. Every sacrament of the Church has the power to change people for good and bring salvation to their steps. Every sacrament is a door to the sacred. Let us use the opportunity God gives us in the Sacrament of reconciliation well. May God bless us in this gracious season.