Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 30th 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 CIC ‘83 canon 914.

Four considerations are worth examining in canon 914:
First, when children are preparing for their first Confession those who are responsible for the task include the parents (including foster or adoptive parents) and the parish priest. If the parents never go to the Sacrament of Penance, there is little chance their children will go. If the parents are faithful to the Sacrament of Penance there is every hope that their children will be faithful similarly. Blessed John Paul II as both priest and bishop (including Bishop of Rome) is said to have approached the Sacrament of Penance each week to confess his sins.

Second, the timing for the first Confession is based, in part, upon the use of reason. Sin is an offense against reason (cf. CCC, 1894). If due to mental incapacity we are not able to discern right from wrong, good from evil, then we also are unable to discern ordinary food from extraordinary food, bread from the Eucharist. In order to well receive Holy Communion we must be able to both discern the Body of the Lord as well as our need for His grace and mercy received in the Sacrament of Penance (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:27–29). The Greek words dokimazo and diakrino used by Saint Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, mean to test, discern, examine, to separate thoroughly, to discriminate, judge. When we receive the Sacrament of Penance we test our consciences against the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the Works of Mercy, the Virtues (and the vices). With the help of the priest confessor we discern and examine our lives before the Cross of Christ and His great mercy and justice.
Third, while a good Confession is part of the proper preparation for first Holy Communion, a good Confession also prepares us for a worthy Holy Communion for those times when we are conscious of any serious / mortal / grave sin(s). In the Lord’s Prayer we are able to recognize the link between Eucharist and Penance: “give us this day our daily bread… forgive us our trespasses…” (cf. Matthew 6:9–13). We should approach the Sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time or any subsequent Holy Communions whenever we are conscious of serious / mortal / grave sin(s).

Fourth, the parish priest, through an act of pastoral judgment, must ensure that only those who have reached the use of reason and who are properly disposed receive Holy Communion. While the parents, of course, play a key role in the admission to the sacraments, so too our spiritual Fathers, the priests. The Confessions I have heard in our Catholic Schools for at least eleven years have all been very fruitful.

God bless you!

Father John Arthur Orr