History of the Sacrament of Reconciliation: Part 3

What about cases where general confession and absolution are offered in parishes?  Are they valid?  Yes, without a doubt, these confessions affect what they signify - provided those who are in mortal sin go to individual confession shortly after the time of general absolution. Is the sacrament of reconciliation using the third rite fruitful? Yes it is, provided the person who attends is at least attrite upon arrival and contrite upon leaving - satisfying his collective penance and confessing his or her mortal sins, if any, as soon as possible. However, there is more to a sacrament than validity and fruitfulness, there is the whole question of liceity, that is, the lawfulness of what is being done. It is the bishop’s privilege to decide what is best for the spiritual welfare of his diocese. It is the decision of our Bishop that general confession and absolution not be administered in the Diocese of Metuchen, except in emergency situations.

As a theologian, however, I would like to provide some insights on why we should seek out Reconciliation as God’s Vehicle of Mercy. If we look at St. Paul’s letters, we immediately sense that the reconciliation of which he speaks and which Christ effects for us through the Cross and Resurrection refers to the Sacrament of Baptism. No scholar disputes this. Paul also instructs the faithful that Christ is Head of the Church, which is his Body. Whatever offends the Head, therefore, offends the Body. Well, this is quite a theological statement. To the question, why can’t I confess my sins directly to God without a priest, one answer is the preceding conclusion. We need to be reconciled not only with our God but with our faith community which we also offended by our sins. After all, through Baptism, we made vows of fidelity to creeds and moral codes of that community. So, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are restored to communion with God and his Church.

St. Thomas Aquinas provides us with a very pastoral response to reconciliation. He says that if we love someone, we want to do that which our beloved desires of us. Christ instituted the sacrament of Reconciliation. It is his will that we should be reconciled to the Father and the Church through this channel of grace. It follows then that we should cooperate with Christ’s will. St. Thomas Aquinas, in response to the dispute of whether one can be reconciled to God without sacramental confession, answer “yes,” provided one has “perfect contrition.”  Well, the problem with this answer is how can we know if we have perfect sorrow for our sins out of our love of God? St. Robert Bellarmine took up this question in the 16th century. He said that we cannot have moral certitude about being in grace. Therefore, we cannot be sure that we have perfect contrition, which is indeed a grace. Instead, we can only have conjectural certitude, which is to say, we hope that we are or are not in the state of sin. Through individual confession and absolution, we enter the confessional perhaps somewhat doubtful of the gravity of our sins, but we confess whatever comes to mind, regardless of whether they seem mortal or venial to us. We enter the Confessional in quest of God’s Vehicle of Mercy. There, we lay bare our sins. We hear counsel from the priest who is acting in Persona Christi. Having received a penance and absolution, we leave the Sacrament confident of Christ’s forgiveness. Please God, having viewed Reconciliation from the perspective of the Deposit of Faith, from magisterial teaching and praxis and, as a Catholic priest, it is my hope that you will all avail yourselves of this gift, the Sacrament of Reconciliation: God’s Vehicle of Mercy.

Father Comandini is managing editor of “The Catholic Spirit.”