The Saint

By Catholic Editor, Faith Addington

In the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, there are two sacraments of healing: the sacrament of penance and reconciliation and the sacrament of anointing of the sick. The first sacrament of healing – penance and reconciliation – treats the spiritual health of the soul. Looking back to Original Sin in the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and thus brought Original Sin upon humanity. Among the many implications of Original Sin, one of the greatest was the schism between Creator and Creation. Through this division, men lost communion with God which led to disordered thoughts and actions and an inclination to sin. Whenever an individual sins, this leads to a further break in relationship with God, hence the need for penance and reconciliation. 

This sacrament is received through the confession of sins to a priest in order to obtain absolution of the sins. While many protestant churches rebuke the idea of confession to a priest, the Catholic Church strongly encourages regular confession to a priest for three reasons. 

1. Regular confession helps the individual fight the temptations that are commonly faced and recognize patterns in behavior. 
2. By confessing the sins to another person, the individual is bringing their sins into the light and will be more fully repentant. In 1 John 1:5-12, it is said that an individual must walk in the light in order to be in fellowship with God. By hiding sins and temptations from those around, one is walking in the darkness and therefore not truly repentant. However, “if we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Ultimately, the individual made the choice to fall into that temptation and to be truly repentant, must be willing to bring that sin into the light. 
3. In the book of Mark, it is revealed that God and the Son of Man have the power to forgive sins (Mk. 2:5-12). Later on in the book of John, Christ gives this power to his disciples to exercise in his name (Jn. 20:22-23). Therefore, as priests and bishops are spiritual successors of the apostles, they have the power to forgive all sins in the name of the Holy Trinity (CCC 1462). 

The sacrament of penance and reconciliation is a gift of mercy from God to bring an individual into closer communion with Him and stay close to the one, full truth. In this communion, one is able to better embody the fruits of his spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.