Catholic Kernel of Truth - Confession
Introducing 'Catholic Kernel of Truth' from TruthPop! Dive into short, digestible, and catechetical knowledge that will help you learn and grow in your Catholic faith. Learn about the 'Confession' in this CKoT. Jesus Christ is the divine physician of our bodies as well as our souls. In addition to the Anointing of the Sick, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is the other sacrament under the category of healing. James 5:16 states: “Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.” The CCC states that although Christians were washed, sanctified, and justified through Baptism, humans have an inclination to sin tradition calls concupiscence and therefore we are in need of continuing conversion and purification. Jesus instituted the sacrament when he showed himself to his apostles on Easter when He breathed on them and said “receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any they are retained. Since Christ entrusted his apostles the ministry of reconciliation, bishops who are their successors, and priests, bishops’ collaborators, continue to exercise this ministry. By virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, priests and bishops have the power to forgive all sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. CCC 1461 Prior to receiving this sacrament, the penitent must make examination of conscience in the light of the word of God. The passages best suited to this can be found in the Ten Commandments, moral catechesis of the Gospels, and apostolic Letters such as the Sermon on the Mount. CCC 1454 The structure of the Sacrament of Reconciliation are first a greeting and blessing from the priest, the confession of sins to the priest, the acceptance of a penance, the absolution given by the priest, and a prayer of thanksgiving and dismissal. CCC 1480 All mortal sins of which the penitent is conscious of must be recounted. Confession of every day faults, also called venial sins, are strongly recommended to be confessed. This helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ, and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving the sacrament more frequently we are spurred to be merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful. CCC 1458 Each one of the faithful is bound by an obligation to confess sins in the sacrament at least once a year. Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion without having first received sacramental absolution unless he has a grave reason and there is no possibility of going to confession. CCC 1457 "Priests who hear the confessions are bound under very severe penalties to keep absolute secrecy regarding the sins that his penitents have confessed. This is called the sacramental seal because it must remain sealed by the sacrament." CCC 1467 “The spiritual effects of the sacrament of Penance are reconciliation with God, reconciliation with the Church, remission of the eternal punishment incurred by mortal sins, remission at least in part of temporal punishments resulting from sin, peace and serenity of conscience, spiritual consolation, and an increase of spiritual strength for the Christian battle. “ CCC 1496 Confession not only reconciles us to God it reconciles us to the Church. If you or a loved one is away from the faith, the sacrament of reconciliation is an opportunity to come back into the family of God, the Church. You are never too far gone and Jesus’ mercy will always be greater and more powerful than your sins. Some people may say, why can’t I just confess my sins directly to God?” In the sacrament of reconciliation the priest is Persona Christi and you are confessing your sins directly to Jesus. Many people have found that saying their sins out loud and hearing the absolution from the priest helps relieve the burden of shame and guilt and find true freedom. Go to confession and go often because heaven would not be the same without you. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "music by audionautix.com" Adventures by A Himitsu https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8
