Penance: What Does It Mean in 1999?
by Father John McCloskey
Surely one of the most riveting images of this century was the encounter between Pope John Paul II and Mehmet Ali Agca in Agca's jail cell, between a Catholic and a Muslim, between an assassin and his target. We do not know what transpired in their brief conversation, but we can be sure that the Pope offered his personal forgiveness and that of the Lord who is "Rich in Mercy" to the assassin who we hope both asked for and accepted it. The meeting underscores the Holy Father's commitment on the deepest personal level to a pastoral ministry of reconciliation.
It calls up another photographic image of the Pope sitting patiently in one of the confessionals in the Basilica of St. Peter's as he does each year on Good Friday. There he listens to the sins in many languages of the several dozen who are able to confess to the Vicar of Christ. His example is much more powerful than simple words. He is telling us that God's mercy is unconditional and super-abundant and that it is most available to us as Catholics through the sincere confession of our sins in the Sacrament of Penance.
In this final year of preparation for the Jubilee Year 2000, the Holy Father in his Apostolic Letter, "As the Third Millennium Draws Near" asks us to "make a journey of authentic conversion," beginning with "a renewed appreciation and more intense celebration of the Sacrament of Penance." His call is particularly important in contemporary society, "where the very foundations of an ethically correct vision of human existence often seem to have been lost." The Pope's words strike a deep chord within us Americans. There are many signs of the need for conversion and an almost desperate search for forgiveness. One is the tens of thousands of "forgiveness practitioners" who charge hundreds of dollars an hour to offer to those seeking forgiveness what can be received for free from Christ through His Church. The decay in both public and private morality, which have intersected at the highest levels of our government, reflects a society that has lost its ethical bearings and has serious difficulty in recognizing and acknowledging its sins. The decay is most evident in issues concerning the foundations of any healthy society–marriage, family, and education. Restoration and renewal for our society in the next century ultimately can only come from a decision to convert and do penance. Through the frequent practice of the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist, Catholic Americans will be enabled to build "the civilization of love and truth" that the Holy Father foresees.
Some question the need for a Sacrament of penance today. With all the 'advances' in psychology and psychiatry does sin still exist? Is being sorry for our sins simply enough, or is more required of us? The answer to all the questions is an emphatic Yes. From the first cry of John the Baptist–"Repent and be baptized!"–the Church has always primarily been about conversion, and penance leading to forgiveness of sin and union with God.
The Catechism tells us that "sin is before all else an offense against God, a rupture of communion with him which damages communion with the Church." Our serious or mortal sins normally can be forgiven in the Church's Sacrament of Penance, the sacrament Christ instituted precisely for this purpose.
As the Catechism explains, "Only God forgives sin. Since he is the Son of God, Jesus says of himself, "The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins." Further, by virtue of his divine authority he gives this power to men to exercise in his name: "'As the Father has sent me, so I send you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.'" It is significant that this act is one of the very first that our Lord performs after His Resurrection. It is as if to say he knew that his children in the Church, while called to be saints, would remain sinners always in need of his mercy and the assurance that they were truly forgiven. He has made sure ever since during two thousand years that through his Church priests will always be available for this life-restoring Sacrament.
John Paul II's most often repeated and presumably favorite stories in the Gospel are those with the rich young man and the prodigal son. The rich young man shows a sincere capability and interest in living the moral law as expressed in the Commandments, but not in converting fully to Christ when he receives the instruction to sell all his possessions, give them to the poor, and follow Him.
The prodigal son, a fictional character in the parable, sinks to the depths of degradation through serious habitual sin, but nonetheless is forgiven when he approaches his father, confesses his sin, and asks for forgiveness. It is important to note that the father, who represents God the Father, comes out to meet him and rejoices wonderfully, showering his son with gifts and affection. This is how we as Catholics should view the Sacrament of Penance, a joyful opportunity to convert through confessing our sins, expressing sincere contrition, doing penance, and preparing to unite ourselves more closely to Christ through the sacraments, primarily the Eucharist and prayer.
From the very beginning of the history of the Church it was recognized that a serious sin could only be forgiven by going to the Bishop or priest, confessing one's sin, and receiving a penance to perform. In the early centuries the penance was public and often required years before the penitent received reconciliation, in some places only once in a lifetime.
During the seventh century Irish missionaries, inspired by the Eastern monastic tradition, took to continental Europe the "private" practice of penance. From that time on, the sacrament has been performed in secret between penitent and priest. The penitent confesses his serious sins by name and number, anonymously if he so desires. The priest, who maintains secrecy under pain of excommunication, listens as judge and doctor, offers advice, imposes a penance to be performed, and gives sacramental absolution. Thus it has been to this day. Today the Church highly encourages frequent confession as means not only of achieving forgiveness, but also of facilitating spiritual direction and growth in the virtues of humility and self-knowledge. Confession is perhaps the most effective way for a Catholic to recover the lost sheep all around him, the millions of erring Catholics, your relatives and friends who are normally only one good confession away from reconciliation with Christ and the Church. You can be the instrument of God to bring them back; they will be eternally grateful. Start accepting yourself this great gift from God that is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The priest at your local parish is waiting for you as patiently as the patron saint of secular priests, the Holy Cure of Ars did in the last century.
First published in the Columbia Magazine of the Knights of Columbus in the April 1999 issue.
