Catechism Corner

What the Church teaches about confession

Lent is a penitential liturgical season in the life of the Church. It is a time when the faithful are often invited to make use of the sacrament of reconciliation.

Here are some brief excerpts from the catechism’s teachings on confession:

The Catechism of the Catholic Church discusses the sacrament of reconciliation at length and in depth in #1422 to #1498.

“#1446 Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion.

“It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as ‘the second plank [of salvation] after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace’ (Tertullian, De paenitentia, 4, 2; Council of Trent 1547, DS 1673).

“#1448 Beneath the changes in discipline and celebration that this sacrament has undergone over the centuries, the same fundamental structure is to be discerned. It comprises two equally essential elements: on the one hand, the acts of the man who undergoes conversion through the action of the Holy Spirit: namely, contrition, confession, and satisfaction; on the other, God’s action through the intervention of the Church.

“The Church, who through the bishop and his priests forgives sins in the name of Jesus Christ and determines the manner of satisfaction, also prays for the sinner and does penance with him. Thus, the sinner is healed and re-established in ecclesial communion.

“#1468 ‘The whole power of the sacrament of penance consists in restoring us to God’s grace and joining us with him in an intimate friendship’ (Roman Catechism, II, V, 18).

“Reconciliation with God is thus the purpose and effect of this sacrament. For those who receive the sacrament of Penance with contrite heart and religious disposition, reconciliation ‘is usually followed by peace and serenity of conscience with strong spiritual consolation’ (Council of Trent 1551: DS 1674). …

“#1469 This sacrament reconciles us with the Church. Sin damages or even breaks fraternal communion. The sacrament of penance repairs or restores it. In this sense, it does not simply heal the one restored to ecclesial communion, but has also a revitalizing effect on the life of the Church which suffered from the sin of one of her members (cf. 1 Cor 12:26). …

“It must be recalled that … this reconciliation with God leads, as it were, to other reconciliations, which repair the other breaches caused by sin. The forgiven penitent is reconciled with himself in his inmost being, where he regains his innermost truth. He is reconciled with his brethren whom he has in some way offended and wounded. He is reconciled with the Church. He is reconciled with all creation” (John Paul II, Reconciliatio et Paenitentia 31, 5). †