Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
My dear Parishioners,
Peace! There are twenty-three (23) In Brief passages in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and five (5) canons in the Code of Canon Law which can help us to appreciate the Sacrament of Penance. The following is a reflection on CCC, 1490.
Six important aspects of the Sacrament of Penance which are especially worthy of our consideration. The first aspect to consider is conversion. Without the grace of God there is no conversion. We can and should dispose ourselves to receive the grace of God. We should likewise pray for others to be open to and to receive God’s grace, especially the grace of conversion, which is a turning away from sin and a turning toward God.
A second aspect of the Sacrament of Penance which we should consider is repentance. In the Gospels, the Lord Jesus constantly calls us to repentance (cf. Matthew 21:32; Mark 1:15; Luke 17:4). Several words used in Sacred Scripture are at the root of our English word “repent.” The Hebrew word naham implies difficulty in breathing, as in to groan, sigh, pant, as occurs with lament and grieving. Another Hebrew word, shubh, expresses the idea of genuine repentance and expresses the idea of a radical change in our attitude toward sin and God (cf. Deuteronomy 4:30; Nehemiah 1:9; Psalm 7:12; Jeremiah 3:14). The Greek word metaneo signifies turning or changing of mind and opinion with regard to sin (e.g. Matthew 3:2; Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38). The Greek word metamelomai signifies the regret, concern and care (e.g. Matthew 21:29, 32; 27:3).
A third consideration when thinking about the Sacrament of Penance is sorrow for sins committed (contrition). It is common to identify two sorts of sorrow: perfect and imperfect contrition. Perfect contrition is motivated by the pure love for God whom we have offended by our sin(s). Imperfect contrition is motivated by the noble desire to not suffer eternally in Hell as a sad consequence of unrepented, unconfessed mortal sins. God does not will the death of the sinner, but that we be converted and live (cf. Ezekiel 18:23), so imperfect contrition is only imperfect in us, since there is no imperfection in God.
Fourthly, aversion for sins committed is a significant aspect of the Sacrament of Penance. We should have a strong dislike and disinclination for sin based not only on the sad and eternal consequences of unrepented sin(s), but also because they disfigure us and our neighbors.
As the Act of Contrition reminds us, a firm purpose to sin no more, is also a major part of the Sacrament of Penance. Sacramental Penance rejects sin, even as our sins reject God. God’s grace helps make this purpose firm.
Finally, the past, present and future are all tied together in the Sacrament of Penance. In the here and now we repent past sins committed in view of receiving grace here and now and life on high forever in the next life.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr