And miles to go

by Bishop John C. Nienstedt

The auspicious date of February 13 (no, not a Friday!) marks this year’s Ash Wednesday and the beginning of our Lenten Season. While I already shared some thoughts with you last November on the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation, my experience with celebrations of Form II during Advent suggest I answer a few questions that have come up:

1) Why do we confess to a priest?

The issue of auricular (spoken) confession of sin is a matter of faith. Only God can forgive sin and Jesus, as the Son of God, applies that power to himself: "The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." (Lk 7:48 and Mark 2:10) After his Resurrection, Jesus bestowed the power to forgive sins on the apostles, the first bishops in the church (Jn 20:21-23). Specifically he gave them the power to forgive and retain sins. This latter aspect implies that the apostle would know a person’s sins, for how else would he be able to decide what would be forgiven and what would be retained? Hence, oral confession is by necessity required. It has been argued that Jesus could have chosen another method to pass on the power to forgive sins, but the fact is he did not. From the earliest centuries of the church, auricular confession for serious sin has been verified; see Didache (around 70 A.D.), Tertullian (around 203 A.D.), Hippolytus (around 215 A.D.) and St. John Chrysostom (around 387 A.D.).

2. Is there confusion today about the meaning of sin?

I answer, "Absolutely!" When I was a boy, everything seemed to be sinful. In the 1970s, nothing was sinful! An excellent study appeared at that time with the focused title: Whatever Happened to Sin?

St. John describes sin as "lawlessness" (1Jn 3:4). The Catechism defines sin as "an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is a failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods" (#1849).

The Pope reminds us that "sins do not exist in the abstract, but are the consequences of personal acts." (Ecclesia in America) Serious sin involves grave matter (Ten Commandments, Beatitudes, Precepts of the Church) as well as full knowledge (I know this is wrong and I will do it anyhow) and complete consent (I deliberately will to do it). Venial sin, as St. Thomas Aquinas tells us, is sin by analogy. It is a disordering of the moral law, but not of a serious nature. Yet, venial sin impedes spiritual growth and the exercise of virtue. Venial sin may also involve grave matter, but is committed without full knowledge or consent.

I find it helpful to see sin as the opposite of virtue. Virtue builds on good works. It develops an integral, healthy relationship with oneself, God and neighbor. Sin is the opposite in that it unravels or weakens those relationships. Sin and virtue always involve relationships, not mere rules or laws. Because of this, sin is always personal.

3) Why do we celebrate Communal Penance while including Individual Confession and Absolution?

While the same components are present for the Rite of Reconciliation of Individual Penitent (Form I) and the Rite of Several Penitents with Individual Confession and Absolution (Form II), there is a basic difference. Form II emphasizes the ecclesial nature of the sacrament, which is to say that in one way or another the whole church shares in the work of reconciliation given it by Jesus. The whole church and each of its members are instruments of conversion.

Therefore, in Form II the church gathers to pray together, to hear God’s Word from Sacred Scripture, to join in an examination of conscience and in a collective expression of sorrow. This is very similar to what we do at the Eucharist and, just as at the Eucharist, the penitent comes forward personally to confess his/her own particular sins and to receive a personal penance and then individual absolution. Obviously, the latter encounter takes longer than the reception of Holy Communion, but the same dynamic of "communal" vis a vis "individual" is there.

In this context, as he/she comes to confess all serious sins, the penitent does not ask for a blessing, offer an Act of Contrition (that has already been done) or expect substantial counsel (the homily should serve as inspiration). (If the penitent wishes to engage a confessor in dialogue, he/she should use Form I for the celebration). The emphasis here is on the communal participation of the individual in the social dimension of sin. This Rite attempts to balance the individual emphasis of Form I while maintaining the integrity of personal responsibility for specific sins and the individual absolving of those sins in the name of Jesus Christ. There is a delicate balance here that needs to be reflected upon thoughtfully.

4) Why is General Absolution not permitted?

The new Rite of Penance upholds the age-old teaching of the church that an individual, complete auricular confession is the ordinary, hence normal, means of forgiving serious sin and, therefore, being reconciled with the church.

General Absolution is an exception, reserved for "impossible" situations. The first of these involves the danger of death and the second involves one being forced to go without the benefit of the sacrament "for a long time". Fifteen years ago, the bishops of this country ruled "a long time" to be the period of one month. Therefore, if at a particular Communal Penance Service all the penitents are not heard in a given evening, they still have the opportunity for confession later that week or within that month. Thus, the exception of General Absolution cannot and may not be legitimately invoked.

5) Do we need further catechesis on this Sacrament?

I believe we do. As human beings, we can often rationalize what we do and why we do it. We do not like to admit we have been wrong or ask to be forgiven. Yet, doing so can be extremely therapeutic and life giving. Doing so within the Sacrament of Jesus’ love and forgiveness not only provides spiritual healing, but also places us in direct contact with Christ’s Divine Mercy, which recreates sinful humanity through the power of the Holy Spirit. That contact is the heart of our faith in Jesus Christ and the reason we have been reborn to eternal life.

I pray that your participation in this penitential season of Lent be a tremendous source of spiritual growth for you. God love you!

Falta Mucho por Recorrer

Por el obispo John C. Nienstedt

El día próspero del 13 de Febrero (no, no es un viernes) es el miercoles de ceniza y el comienzo de nuestra Temporada de Cuaresma. El pasado mes de Noviembre tuve la oportunidad de compartir algunos pensamientos con ustedes sobre el Sacramento de Penitencia/Reconciliación, mi experiencia con las celebraciones de la segunda forma durante el Adviento sugiere que conteste algunas preguntas:

1) ¿Creé que hay confusión hoy en día sobre lo que significa el pecado?

"Absolutamente! " Cuando era muchacho, todo parecía ser pecado. ¡Por los años setenta, nada era pecado! En ese momento un estudio excelente apareció con el título: ¿Que Ocurrió con el Pecado?

San Juan describe el pecado como "sin leyes" (1Jn 3:4) El Catecismo define el pecado como "una falta contra la razón, la verdad, y la conciencia recta; es faltar al verdadero para con Dios y para con el prójimo, a causa de un apego perverso a ciertos bienes." (#1849)

El Papa nos recuerda que "Los pecados no existen en lo abstracto, pero mas bien son las consecuencias de acciones personales." (Ecclesia in América) el pecado serio implica un asunto grave (Los Diez Mandamientos, Las Bienaventuranzas, Los Mandatos de la Iglesia) así como el total conocimiento (yo sé que esto está mal pero lo hago de todas maneras) y el completo concentimiento (Lo hago deliberadamente). Segun Santo Tomás Aquino, el pecado venial es pecado por analogía. Es un desorden de la ley moral, pero no de naturaleza seria. Aun así, el pecado venial impide el crecimiento espíritual y la práctica de la virtud. El pecado venial puede también implicar un asunto grave, pero es cometido sin el total conocimiento y consentimiento.

Lo encuentro útil ver el pecado como lo contrario a la virtud. La virtud construye trabajos buenos. Desarrolla una relación saludable e integral con sí mismo, con Dios y con el prójimo. El pecado en su contrario desenreda o debilita esas relaciones. El pecado y la virtud siempre involucran relaciones, no solamente reglas o leyes. Debido a esto, el pecado es siempre un pecado personal.

2) ¿Por qué la Absolución General no está permitido?

El nuevo Rito de Penitencia mantiene que la enseñanza historica de la Iglesia dice que una confesión auricular, individual y completa es ordinario, por lo tanto es normal, significa perdonar pecados serios y por consiguiente ser reconciliados con la Iglesia.

La Absolución General es una excepción, y esta reservada para situaciones "imposibles." La primera involucra el peligro de muerte y el segundo lo obligan a ir sin el beneficio de hacer el sacramento "por mucho tiempo." Hace quince años, los obispos de este país gobernaron "mucho tiempo" por el período de un mes. Por consiguiente, si en un Servicio de Penitencia Comunal no se escuchan a todos los penitentes en una noche dada, ellos tienen la oportunidad para confesarse esa semana o tienen un mes para hacerlo. Así, la excepción de la Absolución General no se puede invocar legítimamente.

3) ¿Necesitamos catequesis adicional en este Sacramento?

Yo creo que si. Como seres humanos, a menudo podemos racionalizar que es lo que hacemos y porqué lo hacemos. No nos gusta admitir que nos hemos equivocado o pedir ser perdonados. Aun, al hacerlo puede ser sumamente terapéutico. Pero si se hace dentro del Sacramento del amor de Jesús y el perdón no sólo proporcionarán una curación espíritual, pero también nos pone en el contacto directo con el Divino Cristo de Misericordia que recrea a la humanidad pecadora a través del poder del Espíritu Santo. Ese contacto es el corazón de nuestra fe en Cristo Jesús y la razón por la cual hemos renacido a la vida eterna.

Oro para que su participación en esta Temporada de Cuaresma sea de abundante crecimiento espíritual para ustedes. ¡Dios los Ame!