(To SBCA Yr. 4 students: you must have a hard copy of this handout as one of the sources of our lesson on the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation. Other parts of these copies are supplemental readings but focus on what we discuss in the class or to be pointed as reviewer.) THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. THE MEANING OF SIN AND CONVERSION; THE VIRTUE OF PENANCE AS A DYNAMIC FORCE IN CHRISTIAN LIFE; THE NATURE OF THE SACRAMENT, AND ITS ADMINISTRATION TODAY. I. THE MEANING OF SIN: A. In Revela ti on 1. In the Old Testament – in general, the offense against God is presented as an ingratitude to God, injustice and unfaithfulness to the alliance with God. Hence an affirmation of sin implies a call to repentance an d to conversion. CHARACTERISTICS: a) More co llect ive rat her th an personal in nature; due to t he fact that Go d had his alliance with the nation of Israel than an individual, a transgression ofwhich necessarily reflects on the Jewish nation. b) Sin is t he cause of ph ysic al evil ; moral evil; the cause for physic al evil . c) Sin is a n externa l offen se: The st rict obs ervance of the law is to fulf ill all the pre-requisites of salvation; hence, any non-observance would mean a transgression of that alliance: this constitute a sin. d) The OT ess enti al notion s of sin: On the super natur al level , sin is a re fusal of God; in the natural level; it is the perversion of man. 2. In the New Testament: a) Sin is an internal offense (against God) – as contrasted to the old pharisaical conscience. b) sin is an obstacle to salvation c) sin is a betrayal of God’s love d) But can be forgiven by the mercy of God 3. In St. Paul a) The universality of si n the fir st one to de scribe our condition as sinner; also the existence of original sin. b) The soci al chara cter of si n: “we ar e one body, on e baptis m, one fai th,” “we all parts of one Body”. c) The vict ory of Chr ist ove r sin: “ we all nee d to belie ve in his vi ctory ov ersin” (Rom 10:9) the death of Christ destroys sin Note: for St. Paul sin is slavery
4. In St. Johna) Sin is darkness (the refusal of the commandment of love is to live in
darkness) and death (sin is death, redemption is life)
b) Sin is an obstacle to salvation. Sin is the refusal of the greatcommandment of love; sin is unbelief
c) Christ is the savior who came to take away the sins of the world.
B. St. Augustine:1. Sin is a “disordered love”; it is the corruption of the soul.
2. Ontologically – a rupture of love
Psychologically – the anguish of man
Theologically – disordered love
C. Vatican II1. Of the 16 documents of the Vatican II, 12 at least mentioned sin, notably
among which are Gaudium et Spes and Lumen Gentium.
2. Sin in the Church: Sin is not merely a personal offense against God; it also
possesses communitarian dimensions (LG, 11). The sinner remains in theChurch, but is on the way to damnation. (LG, 14)
3. Sin in Man – the dignity of man and the indignity of sin (GS, 13); Sin debases
man and impedes him to attain his own fullness (GS, 13b); in favor of socialdimension of justice and charity, it speaks against individualistic ethics (GS,
30). One of the great errors of our times is the divorce between faith and daily
life (GS, 43).
II. THE THEOLOGY OF SIN
A. Theological Considerations
The theology of St. Thomas is still considered as the basis for a catholic theology
of Sin (cf. S.T. I-II, q. 81, ea. 1-6). Art. 1 gives the difference of vice and virtue; art. 2explains how virtue is “secundum naturam hominis”, and vice as “contra naturam
hominis”. Art. 6 speaks of sin simply as “actus humanus malus” (humanus because it is a
voluntary act and malus because it is without due order.).
The definition of sin is analogous,in the sense that it applies to grave sin, that is,
sin which is committed over grave matter, with the advertence of the intellect and the
perfect consent of the free will. The Church Magisterium teaches the essential difference
of mortal sin and venial sin (St. Thomas has this distinction of sin in I-II q. 72 aa I to 9.
Faith opens our hearts to the call of God in Christ, a revelation of God’sloving intention for us; ipso facto once we become aware of this we also
become aware of our state of alienation and of the need for a radical
change. How? We have to relinquish our old ways, to lay off the old man,
and to follow Christ, to put on the new man, in order to enter the kingdomof God.
This conversion involves two things:
1) Terminus ad Quem – Man’s calling to the Kingdom of God. The Kingdomof God is not a utopia which will never come; it is the establishment and
the gradual acceptance of God’s rule – the saving love manifest in Christ
and the Church to which He sent His Spirit. Those who belong to Christ,the Truth, the Way and the Life, belong to the New Order, but can still
lose it.
2) Terminus ad Quo – Man’s alienation from God. Man’s situation of being
without God is tragic, because he is aware of it as something wrong butgives him the feeling of guilt and the desire to straighten out, yet he is
powerless in himself, then he becomes implicated in the affairs of this
world, contributing to his mistakes, incurring personal guilt in as much ashe fails in the exercise of his freedom. This can only be resolved by thegratuitous grace extended or given by God to give the necessary impulse
for him to repent, to change his ways and ultimately be forgiven, thus
attaining salvation.
B. Repentance in the Old Testament
Repentance in the Old Testament implies a change of heart thus,
conversion. This is expressed in Isaiah 1:16-17:
“Take your wrongdoing out of my sight, cease to do evil, learn to do
good.”
And in Amos 5:14:
“Seek good and not evil, so that you may live, and that Yahweh, God of Sabaoth, as you claim he is; hate evil and love good.”
The nature and manner of this conversion depends on:
Definition: The virtue of Penance is a supernatural habit infused by
God whereby man readily includes both (1) to sorrow for sins in as
much as they offend God and (2) to a firm purpose of amendment.
a) It is a supernatural virtue because to grief over one’s sins or the
commission of it with one’s natural powers and for purelynatural reasons is not a perfect virtue nor is it able to remove
the stain of sin.
b) The grief over one’s sins can only be a virtue when sin is hated
precisely because it is an offense against God; not every form
of sorrow for sin is a virtue of penance.
c) Since true sorrow is accompanied by a firm purpose of amendment, it follows that the three elicited acts of this virtue
are: (1) sorrow for sins committed (2) detestation of sin and
(3) the resolution not to sin again.
• Proximate subject of the virtue of penance; the will,hence, the faithful is not to be worried if he does not
have the sensible feeling of sorrow for sin.
• Remote subject of the virtue – any man guilty of sin or
at least capable of sin.
• Material object – any personal sin (not original sin)
• Formal object – the offense against God must be
expiated or the injured rights f God for which
reparation must be made through satisfaction.
The virtue of penance is a NECESSARY MEANS OF SALVATION for
all sinners and is also commanded. (note the necessity of means and thenecessity of precept. The Council of Trent says, “Penance has been
necessary at all times for all men who have stained themselves with mortal
sin, in order to attain grace and justification”: Christ said, “you will all perish as they did, if you do not repent” (Lk 13:5). Ecclesiastical law also
commands the virtue of Penance by enjoining confession at least once a
year.
Theologians do not agree as to the time when the precept of
penance is an obligation, but the general admission is as follows:
