The Sacrament of PENANCE in the New Millennium
This article, written by Tom Elich, first appeared many years ago in Liturgy News.
Still in 2023, it has deep relevance and prompts new thinking about the Sacrament of Penance
and the various ways in which the Church's life and liturgy provide opportunities for repentance and forgiveness.
Australian Ad Limina 1998
At the conclusion of the ad limina visit of the Australian bishops, Pope John Paul II offered some very hard hitting comments on the Australian Church. He suggested that perhaps the momentum of growth has slackened, and called for careful discernment on the part of bishops and a confident and committed response on the part of all Catholics.
The underlying question concerns the relationship between the Church and the world. This question was fundamental to the Second Vatican Council and it remains
fundamental to the life of the Church more than thirty years later. The answer we give to this question will determine the answer we give to a range of other important and practical questions. The advanced secularisation of society brings with it a tendency to blur the boundaries between the Church and the world. Certain aspects of the prevailing culture are allowed to condition the Christian community in ways which the Gospel does not permit. There is sometimes an unwillingness to challenge cultural assumptions as the Gospel demands. This often goes hand in hand with an uncritical approach to the problem of moral evil, and a reluctance to recognise the reality of sin and the need for forgiveness. This attitude embodies a too optimistic view of modernity, together with an uneasiness about the Cross and its implications for Christian living. The past is too easily dismissed, and the horizontal is so stressed that the sense of the supernatural grows weak. A distorted respect for pluralism leads to a relativism which questions the truths taught by faith and accessible to human reason; and this in tum leads to confusion about what constitutes true freedom. All this causes uncertainty about the distinctive contribution which the Church is called to make in the world.
At the conclusion of the ad limina visit of the Australian bishops, Pope John Paul II offered some very hard hitting comments on the Australian Church. He suggested that perhaps the momentum of growth has slackened, and called for careful discernment on the part of bishops and a confident and committed response on the part of all Catholics.
The underlying question concerns the relationship between the Church and the world. This question was fundamental to the Second Vatican Council and it remains
fundamental to the life of the Church more than thirty years later. The answer we give to this question will determine the answer we give to a range of other important and practical questions. The advanced secularisation of society brings with it a tendency to blur the boundaries between the Church and the world. Certain aspects of the prevailing culture are allowed to condition the Christian community in ways which the Gospel does not permit. There is sometimes an unwillingness to challenge cultural assumptions as the Gospel demands. This often goes hand in hand with an uncritical approach to the problem of moral evil, and a reluctance to recognise the reality of sin and the need for forgiveness. This attitude embodies a too optimistic view of modernity, together with an uneasiness about the Cross and its implications for Christian living. The past is too easily dismissed, and the horizontal is so stressed that the sense of the supernatural grows weak. A distorted respect for pluralism leads to a relativism which questions the truths taught by faith and accessible to human reason; and this in tum leads to confusion about what constitutes true freedom. All this causes uncertainty about the distinctive contribution which the Church is called to make in the world.
The pope here is describing an extreme situation; he challenges us to consider the extent to which Australia fits this model. It is in the Paschal Mystery, he said, that we discover the absolute and universal truth.
Following on from an issue identified earlier in the ad limina visit - namely, a decline in the sense of sin, stemming from the deeper reality of a crisis of faith - the pope went on to highlight the use we make of the sacrament of penance. The Great Jubilee, he said, is a time of conversion and reconciliation.
The Church in Australia should invite Catholics to encounter anew the saving mystery of the Father's love and mercy through that uniquely profound and transforming human experience that is individual, integral confession and absolution... The personal nature of sin, conversion, forgiveness and reconciliation is the reason why the second rite of penance demands the personal confession of sins and individual absolution. It is for this same reason that general confession and general absol ution are appropriate only in cases of grave necessity, clearly determined by liturgical and canonical norms.
This whole message is challenging and disturbing stuff! It is not just a matter of changing this or that practice. It is rather a question of embarking on a collective process of soul-searching and continuing dialogue. It calls for prayerful contemplation and discernment over months and years, not instant knee-jerk reactions in the secular press. Headlines such as Priest Defies Pope's Ban will only mask the real issues that confront the Church in Australia today.
Following on from an issue identified earlier in the ad limina visit - namely, a decline in the sense of sin, stemming from the deeper reality of a crisis of faith - the pope went on to highlight the use we make of the sacrament of penance. The Great Jubilee, he said, is a time of conversion and reconciliation.
The Church in Australia should invite Catholics to encounter anew the saving mystery of the Father's love and mercy through that uniquely profound and transforming human experience that is individual, integral confession and absolution... The personal nature of sin, conversion, forgiveness and reconciliation is the reason why the second rite of penance demands the personal confession of sins and individual absolution. It is for this same reason that general confession and general absol ution are appropriate only in cases of grave necessity, clearly determined by liturgical and canonical norms.
This whole message is challenging and disturbing stuff! It is not just a matter of changing this or that practice. It is rather a question of embarking on a collective process of soul-searching and continuing dialogue. It calls for prayerful contemplation and discernment over months and years, not instant knee-jerk reactions in the secular press. Headlines such as Priest Defies Pope's Ban will only mask the real issues that confront the Church in Australia today.
Penance and the Year of the Father
This third and final year of preparation for the Great Jubilee of 2000 is a good year to undertake a reflection on the sacrament of penance and its place in the Australian Church. The Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennia Adveniente states:
In this third year the sense of being on a Journey to the Father' should encourage everyone to undertake, by holding fast to Christ the Redeemer ..., a journey of
authentic conversion. This includes both a 'negative ' aspect, that of liberation from sin, and a 'positive' aspect, that of choosing good, accepting the ethical values
expressed in the natural law, which is confirmed and deepened by the gospel. This is the proper context for a renewed appreciation and more intense celebration of the sacrament of penance in its most profound meaning. The call to conversion as the indispensable condition of Christian love is particularly important in contemporary society, where the very foundations of an ethically correct vision of human existence often seem to have been lost (TMA 50).
We recognise here some of the same themes that occur in the pope's ad limina address to the Australian bishops.
They are general issues for all the world to consider, but we can use them as a key with which to examine Australia.
The reflection could include not only the prayerful celebration of the sacrament of penance, but also some parish education on the place of the sacrament in the Christian life. Pastors and parish liturgy committees would do well to re-read carefully the pastoral introduction to the Rite of Penance. Then Sunday homilies, parish discussion groups, information evenings, handouts with the Sunday bulletin could be used to share the insights with the rest of the parish; the opportunities are numerous.
This third and final year of preparation for the Great Jubilee of 2000 is a good year to undertake a reflection on the sacrament of penance and its place in the Australian Church. The Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennia Adveniente states:
In this third year the sense of being on a Journey to the Father' should encourage everyone to undertake, by holding fast to Christ the Redeemer ..., a journey of
authentic conversion. This includes both a 'negative ' aspect, that of liberation from sin, and a 'positive' aspect, that of choosing good, accepting the ethical values
expressed in the natural law, which is confirmed and deepened by the gospel. This is the proper context for a renewed appreciation and more intense celebration of the sacrament of penance in its most profound meaning. The call to conversion as the indispensable condition of Christian love is particularly important in contemporary society, where the very foundations of an ethically correct vision of human existence often seem to have been lost (TMA 50).
We recognise here some of the same themes that occur in the pope's ad limina address to the Australian bishops.
They are general issues for all the world to consider, but we can use them as a key with which to examine Australia.
The reflection could include not only the prayerful celebration of the sacrament of penance, but also some parish education on the place of the sacrament in the Christian life. Pastors and parish liturgy committees would do well to re-read carefully the pastoral introduction to the Rite of Penance. Then Sunday homilies, parish discussion groups, information evenings, handouts with the Sunday bulletin could be used to share the insights with the rest of the parish; the opportunities are numerous.
Within the life and liturgy of the Church, the sacrament of penance occurs within the context of many different acts which express repentance and forgiveness. Giving some attention to the many ways of being reconciled will help people to focus on the constant need for conversion and the ubiquity of God's offer of forgiveness.
Christians can become a sign of conversion in the world
In a liturgical setting, people confess their sinfulness and seek forgiveness
This year may be a good time to introduce people to some of the new translations of Prayers in Common Use.
Many prayers seek the forgiveness of sins - the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary, the Confession of Sin (confiteor), the Act of Contrition , the Anima Christi.
Christians can become a sign of conversion in the world
- by forgiving one another as soon as a quarrel begins (Col 3:13),
- by enduring their own difficulties in union with the sufferings of Christ,
- by carrying out works of mercy and charity,
- and by adopting more fully the outlook of the gospel (Rite of Penance 4).
In a liturgical setting, people confess their sinfulness and seek forgiveness
- in (non-sacramental) penitential services,
- in hearing and responding to the word of God proclaimed ,
- in the penitential parts of the liturgy of the eucharist,
- and in prayers (RP 4).
This year may be a good time to introduce people to some of the new translations of Prayers in Common Use.
Many prayers seek the forgiveness of sins - the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary, the Confession of Sin (confiteor), the Act of Contrition , the Anima Christi.
All the sacraments have the dimension of forgiving sin because all of them lead us into the saving work of Christ in his death and resurrection.
These other sacraments, various prayers and Scripture texts, the penitential season of Lent, works of mercy and penitential practices, all provide the context in which the sacrament of penance exists. As one of our Eucharistic Prayers says, God is always ready to forgive. The sacrament of penance provides no exclusive access to God's forgiveness.
- The first and most fundamental conversion is our BAPTISM. Repent, says Peter on Pentecost day, and let every one of you be baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). We are baptised into the death and resurrection of Christ. In the Nicene Creed, the Church proclaims one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and, in its baptismal liturgy, it mentions the forgiveness of sins at the anointings, the prayer of exorcism and the blessing of the water.
- By the gift of the Holy Spirit, CONFIRMATION seals the baptismal conversion. At the laying on of hands, the bishop prays to God the Father who, by water and the Holy Spirit, has freed his sons and daughters from sin and given them new life (RC 25).
- The EUCHARIST is our on-going participation in the sacrifice of the cross. Sacramentally, through bread and wine, we join Christ's offering of himself to his Father on the cross and we participate in his passage from death to life. The liturgy of the Mass is filled with rites and prayers seeking the forgiveness of sins: the Penitential Rite, the Gloria, the Eucharistic Prayer (especially the words of institution over the cup), the Lord's Prayer, the Sign of Peace and the Lamb of God. In addition we have two Eucharistic Prayers for Reconciliation and a special Mass for the Forgiveness of Sins ( Sacramentary, p. 924).
- The ANOINTING OF THE SICK continues the ministry of Jesus who healed the sick to offer a sign of his power to forgive sin. For example, in the healing of the paralytic, Jesus responds to the scribes saying, Which is easier: to say 'Your sins are forgiven', or to say 'Get up and walk'? (Mt (9:1-8). When the Church celebrates the anointing of the sick, we always hear the words of the apostle James urging the sick to call the priests to pray over them and anoint them. The prayer of faith will save the sick persons and the Lord will raise them up, and if they have commit ted any sins, their sins will be forgiven them (Jam 5:14-15).
These other sacraments, various prayers and Scripture texts, the penitential season of Lent, works of mercy and penitential practices, all provide the context in which the sacrament of penance exists. As one of our Eucharistic Prayers says, God is always ready to forgive. The sacrament of penance provides no exclusive access to God's forgiveness.
In celebrating the sacrament of penance, the Church opens up a special space for Christ to act; in the Church's ritual, Christ forgives the sinner and reconciles the estranged. The action of the Church formally continues the saving ministry of Christ. The particular grace of this sacrament restores the sinner to baptismal innocence, the life of the Spirit and the eucharistic fellowship. That is why the liturgical celebration of the sacrament of penance comprises three rites of reconciliation.
The First Rite of Reconciliation
I believe we have quite an amount of work to do on the first rite of reconciliation in our parishes. The catechumenate presents a good model of how the sacrament of penance might work. The Christian initiation of adults process, not just a single event. Individual attention is given to catechumens through sponsors and catechists but in the context of the Church community. The liturgical rites are only one aspect of the journey of conversion. What we have
accepted with the catechumenate, we are reluctant to recognise with the sacrament of penance.
Sometimes the first rite has been likened to forms of spiritual direction, pastoral guidance or counselling. Such activities may lead to the rite and flow from it, but they are not the essence of the rite. Often we expect this liturgical rite to do everything, whereas it is better seen as a ritual moment in an on-going process of conversion. So, for example, someone who has had an abortion or someone who is responsible for domestic violence will benefit from a range of pastoral care strategies both individual and communal. At the appropriate moment in the healing process, the sacrament of penance is celebrated to restore the relationships with God and Church which have been ruptured through sin.
Celebrating the first rite of penance is therefore primarily a moment of worship. It is liturgy. As with all our rites, it includes the proclamation of the
word of God, it includes prayer and the symbolic gesture of laying on hands. If this is to happen well, most parishes wilI need to give attention to their confessional space. It is a chapel for the celebration of a sacred rite, not a store room. It is furnished, for example, with upright chairs and a kneeler, a crucifix, candle, and an open copy of the Scriptures with suitable passages marked.
The priest, as presider over a liturgical rite, needs to take charge of the shape of the liturgy and direct its flow. Instead of letting the penitent rush in with the formula, bless me, father, for I have sinned... he should try to low the structure of the rite:
Reception of the Penitent: The priest welcomes the penitent warmly and invites the penitent to have trust in God. Reading of the Word of God: The priest (or penitent) may read a text or say one from memory. Confession of Sins: The penitent confesses and the priest gives suitable counsel if necessary; he invites the penitent to join Christ in dying and rising and proposes an act of penance. Prayer of the Penitent and Absolution: The penitent prays a prayer of sorrow and the priest extends his hands over the penitent's head as he declares the absolution. Proclamation of Praise of God and Dismissal: After a brief formula of thanksgiving, the penitent is sent forth, Go in peace! This approach will take the first rite of reconciliation beyond any pointless perfunctory formula, will help uncover for people a sense of the seriousness of sin in human life, and will direct the course of their conversion to Christ. |
The Second Rite of Reconciliation
Liturgical services are not private functions but are celebrations belonging to the Church ... Whenever rites, according to their specific nature,. make provision for communal celebration involving the presence and active participation of the faithful, it is to be stressed that this way of celebrating them is to be preferred , as far as possible, to a celebration that is individual and , so to speak, private (SC 26-27).
For the last twenty-five years in the Archdiocese of Brisbane and in many other Australian dioceses, we have had rich experiences of the communal celebration of the sacrament of penance. It should continue to play a significant part in the way our Catholic people respond to the Lenten call to repent and to the Advent cry to stay awake. The communal celebration of the sacrament of penance could become a more regular occurrence in parish life. The hour usually set aside in each parish for the celebration of penance could become a fortnightly or even weekly second rite of reconciliation.
Imagine, for example, the following scenario. A parish sets aside an hour on Friday evening for the celebration of the sacrament of penance and announces that this will take the form of a weekly communal rite. Readers , musicians, and ministers of hospitality are rostered for the liturgy. Everyone in the parish is invited to come, for Friday is a day of penance (and, on Friday, the celebration is not squeezed between a wedding and preparations for the Saturday evening Mass). There is no expectation that everyone would seek sacramental reconciliation on a weekly basis; most of the assembly would take part in a penitential service - which is structured in just the same way as the second rite (see RP 36). Provision is also made for sacramental absolution. While those who seek to confess their sins and receive absolution go forward to the priest, the rest of the assembly offers them the support of prayer and song. Such an approach in a parish would facilitate a worthy celebration of the liturgical rite.
If there were more than a handful who desired sacramental reconciliation, the priest could remain behind afterwards for individual confession
and absolution. When this occurred on a regular basis, the priest should adapt the rite accordingly (RP 40a). In effect, this might produce a pattern of communal penitential service followed by abbreviated individual confession and absolution. After celebrating a penitential service together, one could move straight into the actual confession and conclude with the absolution.
Liturgical services are not private functions but are celebrations belonging to the Church ... Whenever rites, according to their specific nature,. make provision for communal celebration involving the presence and active participation of the faithful, it is to be stressed that this way of celebrating them is to be preferred , as far as possible, to a celebration that is individual and , so to speak, private (SC 26-27).
For the last twenty-five years in the Archdiocese of Brisbane and in many other Australian dioceses, we have had rich experiences of the communal celebration of the sacrament of penance. It should continue to play a significant part in the way our Catholic people respond to the Lenten call to repent and to the Advent cry to stay awake. The communal celebration of the sacrament of penance could become a more regular occurrence in parish life. The hour usually set aside in each parish for the celebration of penance could become a fortnightly or even weekly second rite of reconciliation.
Imagine, for example, the following scenario. A parish sets aside an hour on Friday evening for the celebration of the sacrament of penance and announces that this will take the form of a weekly communal rite. Readers , musicians, and ministers of hospitality are rostered for the liturgy. Everyone in the parish is invited to come, for Friday is a day of penance (and, on Friday, the celebration is not squeezed between a wedding and preparations for the Saturday evening Mass). There is no expectation that everyone would seek sacramental reconciliation on a weekly basis; most of the assembly would take part in a penitential service - which is structured in just the same way as the second rite (see RP 36). Provision is also made for sacramental absolution. While those who seek to confess their sins and receive absolution go forward to the priest, the rest of the assembly offers them the support of prayer and song. Such an approach in a parish would facilitate a worthy celebration of the liturgical rite.
If there were more than a handful who desired sacramental reconciliation, the priest could remain behind afterwards for individual confession
and absolution. When this occurred on a regular basis, the priest should adapt the rite accordingly (RP 40a). In effect, this might produce a pattern of communal penitential service followed by abbreviated individual confession and absolution. After celebrating a penitential service together, one could move straight into the actual confession and conclude with the absolution.
The second rite is widely regarded as impractical and indeed it is if there are many people wishing to receive sacramental absolution. The waiting time for people is drawn out unreasonably and the liturgical celebration loses its shape and continuity. It can be used with small groups - on retreat days and the like - or , as I have suggested above, it could be scheduled more frequently. Some solutions are not envisaged by the rite. We are not entitled to instruct people to mention just one sin in their confession - the rite presumes the possibility of an integral confession. The confession of sins, the imposition of a penance and the entire form of the absolution need to be done individually with each penitent.
It is not necessary to go to a separate chapel or confessional for this part of the rite; it can take place in the sanctuary. Some places have encouraged people to make their confession in writing on the grounds that it is quicker for the priest to read it than to listen to it; the piece of paper is then symbolically burnt. The pastor would need to discern whether the gain here was worthwhile. Some areas will be able to organise the second rite in clusters of parishes or in deaneries during Lent and Advent. This is sometimes feasible, especially if there is a monastery of priests close by. However priests will often be overtaxed in their own parish and unable to devote time to such regional cooperative ventures.
It is not necessary to go to a separate chapel or confessional for this part of the rite; it can take place in the sanctuary. Some places have encouraged people to make their confession in writing on the grounds that it is quicker for the priest to read it than to listen to it; the piece of paper is then symbolically burnt. The pastor would need to discern whether the gain here was worthwhile. Some areas will be able to organise the second rite in clusters of parishes or in deaneries during Lent and Advent. This is sometimes feasible, especially if there is a monastery of priests close by. However priests will often be overtaxed in their own parish and unable to devote time to such regional cooperative ventures.
The Third Rite of Reconciliation
The Rite of Penance promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1973 also contains a rite for the reconciliation of several penitents with general confession and absolution. Newspaper reports notwithstanding, there can be no question of banning the third rite.
The rite is included in the Roman Ritual and is promulgated by papal authority. The issue concerns the way in which the bishop is to judge the conditions justifying its use.
The occasions when the rite can be used are outlined in the introduction to the Rite of Penance (31-35). These conditions were originally derived from a 1972 set of pastoral norms issued by the . Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In 1983, after a decade of using the Rite of Penance, the Code of Canon Law (960-963) established more restrictive provisions for the use of the third rite and, as a consequence, the introduction to the official Rite of Penance was rewritten. The conditions under which the third rite may be used are interpreted strictly by the Roman authorities; some dioceses in Australia, while accepting the discipline in full, have been taking a softer interpretation.
In the present circumstances, these dioceses are constrained to judge the circumstances more strictly than they have grown used to in the past twenty five years. Last year, in connection with the ad limina visits to Rome, the Australian bishops agreed to exercise renewed vigilance on any illegitimate use of general absolution. Consequently, we must re-examine the pastoral situations which genuinely necessitate the use of general confession and absolution. There may occasionally be situations in a diocese where the use of the third rite will be necessary, perhaps in an isolated area, perhaps in special circumstances before Easter or Christmas. However it is only when individual confession and absolution is physically or morally impossible that the option of general confession and absolution may be considered.
The Rite of Penance promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1973 also contains a rite for the reconciliation of several penitents with general confession and absolution. Newspaper reports notwithstanding, there can be no question of banning the third rite.
The rite is included in the Roman Ritual and is promulgated by papal authority. The issue concerns the way in which the bishop is to judge the conditions justifying its use.
The occasions when the rite can be used are outlined in the introduction to the Rite of Penance (31-35). These conditions were originally derived from a 1972 set of pastoral norms issued by the . Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In 1983, after a decade of using the Rite of Penance, the Code of Canon Law (960-963) established more restrictive provisions for the use of the third rite and, as a consequence, the introduction to the official Rite of Penance was rewritten. The conditions under which the third rite may be used are interpreted strictly by the Roman authorities; some dioceses in Australia, while accepting the discipline in full, have been taking a softer interpretation.
In the present circumstances, these dioceses are constrained to judge the circumstances more strictly than they have grown used to in the past twenty five years. Last year, in connection with the ad limina visits to Rome, the Australian bishops agreed to exercise renewed vigilance on any illegitimate use of general absolution. Consequently, we must re-examine the pastoral situations which genuinely necessitate the use of general confession and absolution. There may occasionally be situations in a diocese where the use of the third rite will be necessary, perhaps in an isolated area, perhaps in special circumstances before Easter or Christmas. However it is only when individual confession and absolution is physically or morally impossible that the option of general confession and absolution may be considered.
The law allows for the use of general absolution without prior individual confession in situations of grave necessity (CCL 961: 1.2) or serious need (RP 31b). A bishop may give permission for a celebration of the third rite in a parish of the diocese when it is demonstrated that, given the number of penitents , there are not enough confessors available to hear the individual confessions property within a reasonable time, with the result that through no fault of their own, the faithful would be forced to be for a long time without the grace of the sacrament or without communion (RP 31; CCL 961). All these conditions must be verified before permission can be given for a legitimate celebration to take place.
Given the number of penitents . Permission cannot be given for the opportunistic use of the third rite when the non-availability of confessors is based solely on there being a large number of penitents, such as may be the case at some great festival or pilgrimage (CCL 961: 1.2 and RP 31b). The fact of large numbers, however, is only one of the conditions which must be fulfilled.
Not enough confessors available . Some parishes will usually have sufficient confessors available. But in view of their excessive workload, many priests in Australian parishes would not normally and regularly be able to make themselves available for celebrating the sacrament of penance in neighbouring parishes, especially in the days before Easter and Christmas .
Hear individual confessions property. The adverb in Latin rite not only means 'properly' but also 'according to the rite', that is, with due religious observance as outlined in the sections above.
Within a reasonable time. This, like several of the criteria, is relative. Many factors - age and health, distance and isolation, other pastoral demands - will determine what is 'reasonable' .
Through no fault of their own. This underlines the exceptional nature of general absolution. People are not entitled to delay the celebration of individual confession and reconciliation to create a situation deliberately which would require general absolution. In any case they cannot avoid the individual rite for they must take the next opportunity after general absolution to make an individual confession of serious sin.
Forced to be without the grace of the sacrament. While penitential services have a certain spiritual value, without absolution, penitents are clearly deprived of the grace of the sacrament. Sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who opportunely ask for them, are property disposed and are not prohibited by law from receiving them (CCL 843: 1).
For a long time. There is no objective standard for what constitutes a 'long time'. In some situations and for some people, it may be several months, while in other circumstances even a couple of days may be a very long time.
Given the number of penitents . Permission cannot be given for the opportunistic use of the third rite when the non-availability of confessors is based solely on there being a large number of penitents, such as may be the case at some great festival or pilgrimage (CCL 961: 1.2 and RP 31b). The fact of large numbers, however, is only one of the conditions which must be fulfilled.
Not enough confessors available . Some parishes will usually have sufficient confessors available. But in view of their excessive workload, many priests in Australian parishes would not normally and regularly be able to make themselves available for celebrating the sacrament of penance in neighbouring parishes, especially in the days before Easter and Christmas .
Hear individual confessions property. The adverb in Latin rite not only means 'properly' but also 'according to the rite', that is, with due religious observance as outlined in the sections above.
Within a reasonable time. This, like several of the criteria, is relative. Many factors - age and health, distance and isolation, other pastoral demands - will determine what is 'reasonable' .
Through no fault of their own. This underlines the exceptional nature of general absolution. People are not entitled to delay the celebration of individual confession and reconciliation to create a situation deliberately which would require general absolution. In any case they cannot avoid the individual rite for they must take the next opportunity after general absolution to make an individual confession of serious sin.
Forced to be without the grace of the sacrament. While penitential services have a certain spiritual value, without absolution, penitents are clearly deprived of the grace of the sacrament. Sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who opportunely ask for them, are property disposed and are not prohibited by law from receiving them (CCL 843: 1).
For a long time. There is no objective standard for what constitutes a 'long time'. In some situations and for some people, it may be several months, while in other circumstances even a couple of days may be a very long time.
Under a strict interpretation of the conditions which legitimise the use of general absolution, could it in fact ever be used in the average Australian parish? Obviously a large group of passengers on the deck of the Titanic would qualify for the use of the third rite, but how far can this be extended? Would the following scenario be possible for example? A parish has scheduled regular celebrations of the second rite during Lent and extra sessions for the first rite. As Lent progresses and people respond to the call to conversion, increasing numbers seek sacramental absolution in preparation for their celebration of the Triduum with their Easter communion and the renewal of their baptismal promises. In the final weeks of ent, perhaps people have been turned away from the individual rite for lack of time and confessors. Could one not then say that a grave necessity exists? To deprive people of the grace of sacramental absolution over the days of the Easter Triduum would indeed be too long a time. Perhaps the people could seek the sacrament of penance at the cathedral or another church, but this may only shift the problem, not solve it.
In summary, the sole ordinary way to celebrate the sacrament of penance is through individual confession and personal absolution. The communal dimension of sin and reconciliation is recognised in the second rite of reconciliation. It is only when individual confession and absolution is physically or morally impossible that the option of general confession and absolution may be considered.
In summary, the sole ordinary way to celebrate the sacrament of penance is through individual confession and personal absolution. The communal dimension of sin and reconciliation is recognised in the second rite of reconciliation. It is only when individual confession and absolution is physically or morally impossible that the option of general confession and absolution may be considered.
Penitential Services
Finally the Rite of Penance contains a forgotten appendix which may prove useful in the present circumstances. It concerns penitential services. With a renewed emphasis on the first rite of reconciliation, penitential services may help parishes to safeguard some of the communal dimension of sin and forgiveness which, in recent decades, has been so valuable a pastoral experience in the celebration of the sacrament. The appendix sets out in full nine penitential services: two for Lent, one for Advent, several common services and one each for children, young people and the sick. They follow a similar pattern to the communal celebration of the sacrament of penance:
Liturgical gestures are incorporated: sprinkling with water, venerating the cross, lighting candles. Local adaptation is encouraged.
The introduction says that these services are beneficial in fostering a spirit of penance and in preparing for the more fruitful celebration of the sacrament, but warns against confusing these rites with the celebration of the sacrament itself (RP 37 and Appendix 11.1 ). Notably absent from the models given is any text which might be construed as a kind of absolution - for example, the text from the penitential rite at Mass (May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins ...) is not used.
There is however a second danger for a parish moving from the use of the third rite of reconciliation to penitential services. It too is mentioned in the introduction: Penitential services .. . are very useful in places where no priest is available to give sacramental absolution (RP 37). The introduction continues that the faithful receive God's grace through a desire for the sacrament of penance in the future. The danger is that once again, as for communion services instead of Mass, the sacramental nature of the Catholic Church is compromised. These rites are better seen therefore as a preparation for the sacrament, not as a substitute for it.
Finally the Rite of Penance contains a forgotten appendix which may prove useful in the present circumstances. It concerns penitential services. With a renewed emphasis on the first rite of reconciliation, penitential services may help parishes to safeguard some of the communal dimension of sin and forgiveness which, in recent decades, has been so valuable a pastoral experience in the celebration of the sacrament. The appendix sets out in full nine penitential services: two for Lent, one for Advent, several common services and one each for children, young people and the sick. They follow a similar pattern to the communal celebration of the sacrament of penance:
- song, greeting and introduction
- prayer
- readings and homily
- examination of conscience
- act of repentance
- song and dismissal.
Liturgical gestures are incorporated: sprinkling with water, venerating the cross, lighting candles. Local adaptation is encouraged.
The introduction says that these services are beneficial in fostering a spirit of penance and in preparing for the more fruitful celebration of the sacrament, but warns against confusing these rites with the celebration of the sacrament itself (RP 37 and Appendix 11.1 ). Notably absent from the models given is any text which might be construed as a kind of absolution - for example, the text from the penitential rite at Mass (May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins ...) is not used.
There is however a second danger for a parish moving from the use of the third rite of reconciliation to penitential services. It too is mentioned in the introduction: Penitential services .. . are very useful in places where no priest is available to give sacramental absolution (RP 37). The introduction continues that the faithful receive God's grace through a desire for the sacrament of penance in the future. The danger is that once again, as for communion services instead of Mass, the sacramental nature of the Catholic Church is compromised. These rites are better seen therefore as a preparation for the sacrament, not as a substitute for it.
© Liturgy News - published in March 1999
At the time of writing, Tom Elich was director of The Liturgical Commission and executive secretary of the National Liturgical Commission.
Images from Unsplash and Pixabay. Used under license/with permission.
At the time of writing, Tom Elich was director of The Liturgical Commission and executive secretary of the National Liturgical Commission.
Images from Unsplash and Pixabay. Used under license/with permission.