The Sacrament of Reconciliation

This sacrament has many other names: the Sacrament of Conversion, the Sacrament of Penance or simply Confession. Conversion is the sorrow we express for our sins when we hear Christ calling us and take the first step back to the Father. Penance is the effort we make to heal the wounds our sins have inflicted.  Confession is the  disclosure of our sins to the priest.  What do we mean when we speak of “reconciliation”?

The word has two Latin roots: re (again) and concilium (meeting). Serious sin interrupts our meeting or conversation with God and our community. Reconciliation re-establishes trust and friendship and re-opens the dialogue. Through the Rite of Reconciliation the Christian community reconciles the sinner to God and to the church.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation developed in two stages. In the early Church those who committed notoriously public sins were admitted to the Order of Penitents. There they did penance, sometimes for  years,  before  fully  rejoining  the community. The Catechism notes that few people made use of this ritual. The vast majority of Christians found forgiveness by prayer, fasting, works of mercy and through the Eucharist.

In the sixth century Irish monks introduced the second stage of the sacrament with their practice of discussing their sins with a spiritual guide. This developed into the rite of private confession and in 1215 the Fourth Lateran Council gave it official recognition.

Penance figured prominently in both stages of the sacrament's development.  In the early church people were penalized for public sins like murder. They might do penance for years before being allowed to rejoin the Community. In later centuries, the priest assigned a less drastic penance. Both recognized that sin leaves addictive traces in our lives that can be healed by prayer, fasting and almsgiving. 

The Church encourages both  public and private forms of Reconciliation. Our Communal Penance Services remind us that sin impacts the entire community. Private confession responds to our deeply felt need for personal contact. Together they reconcile us to God and one another.  
                                                                               Rev. George Dyer