Confessing the mercy of God

My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord:

This month of March, as I continue my catechesis on the sacraments and developing a "culture of vocation" in the archdiocese, I want to reflect on the sacrament of penance. This month we are celebrating the season of Lent, a premier opportunity to experience God's mercy through the sacrament of penance.

What shall we call it?
There are many names for this sacrament. Most of us older than 50 generally refer to it as "confession," thus emphasizing our human act of telling our sins before experiencing God's forgiveness through absolution from the priest. Since the time of Vatican II, the official name of the sacrament is "the sacrament of penance." In their teachings on the Church, several times the council fathers of Vatican II proclaimed that as followers of Christ, we are called to constant conversion and renewal through prayer and penance. Penance, in this sense, is not so much a momentary expression of sorrow and amendment, but a lifetime endeavor, a commitment to let God's love take ever-greater hold of our mind and heart.

Many also speak of this sacrament by another very beautiful word — "reconciliation." "Reconciliation" reminds us that we are celebrating a process that begins with God's initiative of compassion and mercy; when we confess our sins we are accepting the gift that He is offering, His saving mercy. And part of that acceptance is not only receiving absolution, but also making a pledge to be a minister of that same reconciling and healing love for others.

Our need for experiencing forgiveness
By whichever name we choose to refer to this sacrament, it is important that we appreciate the necessity of celebrating the sacrament on a regular basis in our lives … even if we are not in serious sin.

Theologically, the Church teaches that all forgiveness of sins comes through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, the Jewish people continually sought the saving mercy of God; they had many different rituals of atonement and sacrifice. The New Testament clearly teaches that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our sins have been forgiven "once and for all" (Hebrews 10:10). We experience that forgiveness in and through the sacrament of baptism and when we celebrate the Holy Eucharist; in these sacraments we enter into the mystery of Christ's death-resurrection and experience reconciliation with God and one another.

In her wisdom and experience, the Church recognizes that we are weak and fragile, needing ongoing assistance to strengthen and renew the life of grace within us. Even though we have been saved by the Lord through the waters of baptism, we need a "second experience" of that healing again and again as we come to terms with our failure to be open to the gifts and grace of God in our daily lives. The sacrament of penance allows us such an avenue.

Obstacles to the celebrationof the sacrament
Why is it that most of us do not rush to take advantage of this great sacrament? First of all, it is never easy to look in the mirror and recognize our own sinfulness. It is very challenging and humbling to tell our sins and faults to another person. Ironically, many people spend a great deal of time and money pouring out their innermost fears and struggles to therapists. While counseling is helpful for our human and spiritual growth, we also need to remember that many of the things with which we struggle are truly sins and need to be acknowledged as such; they are not just psychological shortcomings.

To recognize sin, we need to be people of prayer, people who examine our lives and our motivation on a regular basis. Unless we are people open to growth and change, the sacrament will not be able to work its full power within us and for us. One of the great paradoxes of the spiritual journey is the fact that the closer we draw to God, the more aware we are of our own sinfulness; as we feel the warmth and light of His love, we recognize all the more powerfully our own stubbornness and hardness of heart.

Many people find it awkward to confess to a priest and believe they can simply tell God they are sorry in their own heart. While it is true that perfect contrition brings forgiveness of sin, on the other hand, since we all have a difficult time being perfectly sorry for what we have done, we need the gift and extra help of the sacrament of penance. The priest represents Christ and the Church and when the priest speaks, we know that we have been heard; through his reassuring voice, we know we have been received back with open arms into the community of the faithful. The face-to-face encounter with a priest is a special blessing we can enjoy if we so choose; otherwise, we can preserve anonymity by speaking through a grill or veil. In either case, the sacrament provides an opportunity for a true dialogue of pilgrims reflecting together on God's grace.

Most of us do not relish going to the doctor for a check up and yet we go because we know it is necessary for our physical well-being. Early detection can often prevent a disease and the doctor's careful monitoring of the situation can help us improve our own health condition. Why not do the same spiritually? When we come before the priest, we are truly laying our soul before the Lord, allowing His gentle and consoling grace to touch and heal us, recognizing ways that we can grow into greater spiritual freedom.

How and why we 'celebrate' penance
Note that I have titled this month's column "Confessing the Mercy of God." Usually when we hear the word "confess," we think in terms of admitting a fault or a mistake. But in its Latin origin, "confessio," actually means to profess or to acclaim what we believe. For instance, the "Confessions" of St. Augustine are not so much the story of his sinful past and conversion, but rather, a proclamation of the great mercies he had experienced in his life, a thanksgiving for the ways the gentle hand of God had guided him even in times of darkness, loss, confusion, and sin.

The most important thing about celebrating the sacrament is to remember that it is a celebration — a coming home to the embrace of a loving Father. God wants us to be honest with ourselves and with Him; we will never be at peace until we do so. It is His grace within us that draws us and calls us to want to experience the sacrament. When we meet with the priest, God's love is already at work in our minds and hearts, the love that brought us to confession in the first place.

How to prepare
How should we prepare to celebrate the sacrament? One simple way is to spend some time each day looking back at the gifts and graces of God, asking ourselves whether we have cooperated with all that He has offered us. Specifically, it is often helpful to consider the two-fold command of the Lord Jesus — to love God and to love neighbor. It also is very appropriate to reflect on each of the Ten Commandments and consider how we have been living up to our baptismal commitment to follow them.

Still another way is to consider whether or not we have been developing all our gifts and talents, sharing them with and for others. After all, sin is not only about what we have done wrong, but quite often, it is about what we have failed to do. For instance, for many of us, our sins are very likely the fact that we have not been generous to the poor or have been apathetic and not taken initiative in reaching out to those who are suffering in body or spirit. For most of us, sin has to do with being centered on ourselves, not being fully open to the gift and grace of God's presence — especially in the least of our brothers and sisters.

Deciding to confess
Examination of conscience, as I have briefly outlined above, should be part of our daily prayer life. Then, when we feel called or moved by the Spirit, we should take the initiative to seek out the sacrament of penance so we can take our new insights and convictions to the next level. As we celebrate the sacrament, through the dialogue with the priest, we can see our life in the context of grace and better understand what God might be asking of us at this point in our lives — what new conversion He might be suggesting for the sake of our own growth in freedom, peace and joy.

When to confess?
How often should we celebrate the sacrament? Church law and discipline require us to celebrate this sacrament if we believe we are in a state of serious or mortal sin. Fulfilling our "Easter duty" requires receiving holy Communion during the Easter season; to do so worthily, one needs to be in "the state of grace" or free from serious sin. Because of this connection, many people avail themselves of the sacrament of reconciliation sometime during Lent. But nonetheless it is still healthy, appropriate, and helpful to celebrate the sacrament at least once or twice a year.

Many people who are truly serious about developing and deepening their relationship with the Lord make the effort to celebrate the sacrament on a more frequent basis — perhaps even monthly; this practice is called "devotional confession." Even though there may be no particular serious sins to confess, it can still be a celebration and experience of the gift of the Holy Spirit and God's saving grace, a means of spiritual growth and deepening our lifelong journey of conversion. People who see a priest spiritual director often celebrate the sacrament as part of their monthly review of life. Whatever the frequency, we all need to confess and experience healing and the gift of a new beginning, especially as we go through certain transitions in our lives.

Celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation is really intended for those times and occasions when a person is taking stock of his or her life and trying to work on particular issues, striving to develop and grow in virtue. Unfortunately, some people battle with scrupulosity and feel an urgent need to celebrate the sacrament every time they are aware of any form of sin in their life or because they are plagued with doubts about sins from their past. It is helpful to remember that because of His merciful love, God forgives our sins and transgressions. Our confession is an active response to God's invitation to forgiveness. As in all sacraments, God's grace invites us to a deeper relationship; however, we need to respond to that invitation as a way of acknowledging God's good work in us. So when we confess our sins, we acknowledge that God has forgiven us and we offer praise and thanks for having received the gift of reconciliation. As St. Paul notes, "Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more." In other words, because of the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, sin no longer has power. When we turn to God with true contrition of heart and confess our sins, God extends to us His loving hand of mercy and forgiveness.

As I mentioned in earlier columns for 2006, our general theme for the year is developing a "culture of vocation" — that is, coming to a deeper appreciation of how each of us live out our calling as disciples in and through the circumstances of our particular state of life — as priests or religious, married or single. Preparing for and celebrating regularly the sacrament of penance is a wonderful tool for understanding our relationship with God and others. As we deal with the interplay of sin and grace in our own life circumstances, we can begin to appreciate more deeply how God is using us in our particular life circumstances. Ideally, confession should help us to grow stronger and more confident about God's goodness within us and through us. Even though we are conscious of faults and shortcomings, the overall picture should be one of gratitude for all that God has been accomplishing. As St. Paul put it so simply, yet eloquently, a number of times in his Epistles, when we are weak, it is then that we are strong; in our human frailty, we come to know that strength which is from God alone.

The four moments ofreconciliation
The first and most important act of the penitent is contrition or genuine heartfelt sorrow for sin. Secondly, as an expression of that contrition, the penitent confesses his or her sins; part of such confession is an openness to the spiritual wisdom of the priest confessor. In the third moment, the priest assigns an act of penance, a particular prayer of action to help the penitent implement a new pattern of living; this penance is also a sign of gratitude for God's mercy. Finally, there is the graced moment of absolution when God grants His loving pardon to the sinner and sends us on our way.

Ways of celebrating thesacrament in the Church today
The normal pattern for celebrating the sacrament of penance is through Rite 1, the Rite for Reconciliation of Individual Penitents, the form with which most of us have been raised and are most familiar. Since Vatican II, we also have a Rite of Reconciliation of Many Penitents with Individual Confession and Absolution, often referred to as Rite 2. These communal celebrations remind us of the ecclesial nature of sin and grace. The whole Church has a role in ministering the gift of God's saving mercy and the presence of others visibly reminds us of the social impact of our most private sins.

In the rite of reconciliation for several penitents, there is one or more Scripture readings, a homily, examination of conscience, and opportunity for individual confession of sin with individual absolution. In the ritual of the Church there is also the possibility of "general confession and general absolution" but this is allowed only under extraordinary circumstances. Here in the archdiocese, continuing the policy of my predecessor, Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka, I see no reason for the use of general absolution at any time. We have more than enough priests and parishes for a person to have access to the sacrament — even during the hectic and very busy days before Christmas and Easter.

As a further complement to the sacrament of penance, some parishes occasionally have penitential celebrations. These gatherings usually include Scripture readings, music, and periods of silence, along with homiletic reflections and examination of conscience. Please note that such penitential services are not the actual celebration of the sacrament. Hopefully, they will inspire a person to celebrate the Sacrament at a later date. Such services also help to develop a spirit of penance within the community and remind us all of the importance of conscience formation.

Some historical context for the sacrament
Before concluding this column, I would like to reflect briefly on the history of the sacrament of penance. The sacrament evolved gradually and originally. From the beginning of the Church, there was a firm belief that Jesus Christ had granted to His apostles the power to forgive sins in His name; the question was how such forgiveness was to be granted. In the early centuries of the Church, forgiveness of serious sins was celebrated in a public way and once-in-a-lifetime. This ritual usually took place during the season of Lent with penitents literally wearing sackcloth and ashes until they were received back into full communion with the Church by the bishop on Holy Thursday evening. Some parishes in our archdiocese observe a contemporary version of this ancient Rite of Penitents during the Lenten season.

Thanks to Irish monks in the 6th century and following, the practice of repeated individual confession began to develop and the sacrament often became a vehicle for spiritual development, healing, and growth in spiritual maturity. In this form, most of the time penances were simply some particular form of prayer, commensurate with the seriousness of the sins confessed.

At the time of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s, the Catholic Church reaffirmed the importance and necessity of the sacrament of penance as necessary for all serious sins committed after baptism. And as mentioned above, the Church has always encouraged devotional confession. Happily, in more recent decades, we have come to appreciate more and more the communal quality of sin and grace. Even when the sacrament is celebrated by one penitent with the priest, it truly has an effect on the whole Body of Christ.

Although the sacrament has changed in various ways over the years, God's forgiveness remains a constant point of reference. It is important for us to have a healthy perspective and see this sacrament as an opportunity for spiritual growth. It is not so much about just receiving absolution for sins committed; it is truly about celebrating an ever-deepening, committed relationship with the Lord Jesus and His whole Body, the Church. It is a means for deepening and renewing our Christian vocation, thereby building up the whole Church. This month of March, I invite you to join with me in "confessing the mercy of God!"

Thank you to priest confessors
Before closing this column, I wanted to say a few words about the sacrament from the point of view of the priest. Having heard confessions myself for almost half a century, having spoken with good priest friends over the years, I can assure you that hearing confessions is one of the most edifying parts of a priest's life. There is great fulfillment and joy in welcoming someone back to the active practice of their faith. There is also much consolation in knowing that we have given a good Christian encouragement and affirmation in the midst of a particular struggle. It is truly humbling to hear the story of other peoples' lives placed ever so gently into our hands. Thanks to the grace of God and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we trust that God is speaking through us for the good of those we serve; please know that whatever advice we give comes from hearts that are fully aware of our own struggles with sin and grace. As I write this column, in your name, I want to publicly thank all the priests of our archdiocese who have been patient and generous in giving of their time for a prayerful and meaningful celebration of this sacrament in so many different settings — parish churches, hospitals and nursing homes, and at special retreats, conferences and workshops.

Sincerely in the Lord,
†Adam Cardinal Maida