228 JESUS HAS GIVEN PRIESTS THE AUTHORITY TO FORGIVE SINS

YOUCAT Lesson 228

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

228  Who can forgive sins?

God alone can forgive sins.  Jesus could say “Your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5) only because he is the Son of God.  And priests can forgive sins in Jesus’ place only because Jesus has given them that authority.  [1441-144]

Woodcut: …..At Capernaum, Jesus forgives the sins of a paralyzed man. ….. by Bernhard Rode 1780…..228

Many people say, “I can go directly to God; why do I need a priest?”  God, though, wants it otherwise.  We rationalize our sins away and like to sweep things under the rug.  That is why God wants us to tell our sins and to acknowledge them in a personal encounter.  Therefore, the following words from the Gospel are true of priests: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:23).

The Healing of a Paralytic...... When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home.  Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them.  They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.  Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.  When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.”  Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves,  “Why does this man speak that way?  He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?”  Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”—he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.”  He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”..... Mark 2:1-12

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION

Only God forgives sin

…….1441   Only God forgives sins.(compare Mark 2:7.)³⁹    Since he is the Son of God, Jesus says of himself, "The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" and exercises this divine power: "Your sins are forgiven."(Mark 2:5,10; Luke 7:48.)⁴⁰    Further, by virtue of his divine authority he gives this power to men to exercise in his name.(compare John 20:21-23.)⁴¹ –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

…….1442   Christ has willed that in her prayer and life and action his whole Church should be the sign and instrument of the forgiveness and reconciliation that he acquired for us at the price of his blood. But he entrusted the exercise of the power of absolution to the apostolic ministry which he charged with the "ministry of reconciliation." (2Corinthians 5:18.)⁴²    The apostle is sent out "on behalf of Christ" with "God making his appeal" through him and pleading: "Be reconciled to God."(2 Corinthians 5:20.)⁴³ --CCC

227 JESUS INSTITUTES THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE

YOUCAT Lesson 227

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

227  Who instituted the sacrament of Penance?

Jesus himself instituted the sacrament of Penance when he showed himself to his apostles on  Easter day and commanded them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:22a-23).  [1439, 1485]

…….Illustration above: …..John 20:19-20  Appearance to the Disciples.^*   On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”  When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.  The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. …..227

Nowhere did Jesus express more beautifully what happens in the sacrament of Penance than in the parable of the Prodigal Son: We go astray, we are lost and can no longer cope.  Yet our Father waits for us with great, indeed, infinite longing; he forgives us when we come back; he takes us again, forgives our sins.  Jesus himself forgave the sins of many individuals; it was more important to him than working miracles.  He regarded this as the great sign of the dawning of the kingdom of God, in which all wounds are healed and all tears are wiped away.  Jesus forgave sins in the power of the Holy Spirit, and he handed that power on to his apostles.  We fall into the arms of our heavenly Father when we go to a priest and confess.  314, 524

“What is repentance?  A great sorrow over the fact that we are the way we are.”  Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830-1916, Austrian writer)

THE MANY FORMS OF PENANCE IN CHRISTIAN LIFE

…….1439   The process of conversion and repentance was described by Jesus in the parable of the prodigal son, the center of which is the merciful father(compare Luke 15:11-24.)³⁷   the fascination of illusory freedom, the abandonment of the father's house; the extreme misery in which the son finds himself after squandering his fortune; his deep humiliation at finding himself obliged to feed swine, and still worse, at wanting to feed on the husks the pigs ate; his reflection on all he has lost; his repentance and decision to declare himself guilty before his father; the journey back; the father's generous welcome; the father's joy - all these are characteristic of the process of conversion. The beautiful robe, the ring, and the festive banquet are symbols of that new life - pure worthy, and joyful - of anyone who returns to God and to the bosom of his family, which is the Church. Only the heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father's love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way. –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

IN BRIEF

.......1485 "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week," Jesus showed himself to his apostles. "He breathed on them, and said to them: 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained"' (Jn 20:19, 22-23).

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 5, 2016

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 5, 2016
Lectionary: 73

  

The first reading is from Isaiah 58:7-10

  

Thus says the LORD:  Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own.  Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.  Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!  If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday.

  

Responsorial Psalm 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (4a) The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.

Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice.

R. The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.

He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.

R. The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.

His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
His justice shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.

R. The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.

  

The second reading is from 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.  I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation
were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of Spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

  

Allelluia: John 8:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

  

The Gospel of St. Mathew 5:13-16

Jesus said to his disciples:  "You are the salt of the earth.  But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?  It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.  You are the light of the world.  A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.  Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father."

226 THE CALL TO HOLINESS IN THE CHURCH

YOUCAT Lesson 226

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

226  But we have Baptism, which reconciles us with God; why then do we need a special sacrament of Reconciliation?

Baptism does snatch us from the power of sin and death and brings us into the new life of the children of God, but it does not free us from human weakness and the inclination to sin.  That is why we need a place where we can be reconciled with God again and again.  That place is confession.  [1425-1426]

 

Art: …..The repentant  Mary Magdaline is traditionally depicted with a vessel of ointment, in reference to the Anointing of Jesus.  Art by Jan van Scorel. …..226

It does not seem like a modern thing to go to confession; it can be difficult and may cost a great deal of effort at first.  But it is one of the greatest graces that we can receive again and again in our life—it truly renews the soul, completely unburdens it, leaving it without the debts of the past, accepted in love and equipped with new strength.  God is merciful, and he desires nothing more earnestly than for us, too, to lay claim to his mercy.  Someone who has gone to confession turns a clean, new page in the book of his life.  67-70

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”  1 John 1:8

And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”  But the father said to his servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put in on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.”  Luke 15:21-22

WHY A SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION AFTER BAPTISM?

…….1425   "You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."(1 Corinthians 6:11.)⁹    One must appreciate the magnitude of the gift God has given us in the sacraments of Christian initiation in order to grasp the degree to which sin is excluded for him who has "put on Christ."(Galatians 3:27.)¹⁰    But the apostle John also says: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."(1 John 1:8.)¹¹    And the Lord himself taught us to pray: "Forgive us our trespasses," (compare Luke 11:4; Matthew 6:12 )¹²   linking our forgiveness of one another's offenses to the forgiveness of our sins that God will grant us. –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

…….1426   Conversion to Christ, the new birth of Baptism, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the Body and Blood of Christ received as food have made us "holy and without blemish," just as the Church herself, the Bride of Christ, is "holy and without blemish."(compare Ephsians 1:4; Eph 5:27.)¹³    Nevertheless the new life received in Christian initiation has not abolished the frailty and weakness of human nature, nor the inclination to sin that tradition calls concupiscence, which remains in the baptized such that with the help of the grace of Christ they may prove themselves in the struggle of Christian life.(compare Council of Trent (1546): Denzinger-Schönmetzer 1515.)¹⁴    This is the struggle of conversion directed toward holiness and eternal life to which the Lord never ceases to call us.(compare Council of Trent (1547): Denzinger-Schönmetzer 1545; Lumen Gentium 40.)¹⁵ --CCC

LUMEN GENTIUM   Chapter V  

THE UNIVERSAL CALL TO HOLINESS IN THE CHURCH

40. The Lord Jesus, the divine Teacher and Model of all perfection, preached holiness of life to each and everyone of His disciples of every condition. He Himself stands as the author and consumator of this holiness of life: "Be you therefore perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect".(216)(2*) Indeed He sent the Holy Spirit upon all men that He might move them inwardly to love God with their whole heart and their whole soul, with all their mind and all their strength(217) and that they might love each other as Christ loves them.(218) The followers of Christ are called by God, not because of their works, but according to His own purpose and grace. They are justified in the Lord Jesus, because in the baptism of faith they truly become sons of God and sharers in the divine nature. In this way they are really made holy. Then too, by God's gift, they must hold on to and complete in their lives this holiness they have received. They are warned by the Apostle to live "as becomes saints",(219) and to put on "as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, patience",(220) and to possess the fruit of the Spirit in holiness.(221) Since truly we all offend in many things (222) we all need God's mercies continually and we all must daily pray: "Forgive us our debts"(223)(3*)

MY CATHOLIC ROOTS

LUMEN GENTIUM     

THE UNIVERSAL CALL TO HOLINESS IN THE CHURCH  by  Pope Paul VI, November 21, 1964

Chapter 5 section 40. The Lord Jesus, the divine Teacher and Model of all perfection, preached holiness of life to each and everyone of His disciples of every condition. He Himself stands as the author and consumator of this holiness of life: "Be you therefore perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect".(Matthew 5:48)    Indeed He sent the Holy Spirit upon all men that He might move them inwardly to love God with their whole heart and their whole soul, with all their mind and all their strength(Matthew 22:35–40 and Mark 12:30 .) and that they might love each other as Christ loves them.( compare John 13.34; Jn 15:12.) The followers of Christ are called by God, not because of their works, but according to His own purpose and grace. They are justified in the Lord Jesus, because in the baptism of faith they truly become sons of God and sharers in the divine nature. In this way they are really made holy. Then too, by God's gift, they must hold on to and complete in their lives this holiness they have received. They are warned by the Apostle to live "as becomes saints",(Ephesians 5:3) and to put on "as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, patience",(Colossians 3:12.) and to possess the fruit of the Spirit in holiness.( compare Galatians 5:22; Romans 6:22.) Since truly we all offend in many things (compare James. 3:2.) we all need God's mercies continually and we all must daily pray: "Forgive us our debts"(Matthew 6:12.)( Romans 8:29.*)

Dedicated to my grandmother Sarah Cordelia Talmadge Bragg born 1860 became a Catholic at age 16 in 1876,  To you I owe my faith.  Don L. Bragg

225 RECONCILATION, FORGIVENESS, CONVERSION, CONFESSION

YOUCAT Lesson 225

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

225  What names are there for the sacrament of Penance?

The sacrament of Penance is also called the sacrament of Reconciliation, of forgiveness, of conversion, or confession.  [1422-1424]  67

…….Painting: …..The Meal at the House of Simon the Pharisee, c. 15th century. .....225

The Pardon of the Sinful Woman.

 Luke  7: 48       He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”  The others at table said to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”  But he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous but sinners.”  Mark 2:17

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION

…..1422   "Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion."(Lumen Gentium 11 § 2.)⁴ –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

WHAT IS THIS SACRAMENT CALLED?

……..1423   It is called the sacrament of conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father(compare Mark 1:15; Luke 15:18.)⁵   from whom one has strayed by sin.

It is called the sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian sinner's personal and ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction. --CCC

…..1424   It is called the sacrament of confession, since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a "confession" - acknowledgment and praise - of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man.--CCC