Lesson 21 - Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick

(Lesson 21)

Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick

“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven…” John 20:23

Discussion Guide:

The primary reason for the sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) is the forgiveness of sins that are committed after baptism. Jesus Christ has the power to forgive sins because he is God. He entrusted a visible sacrament to his Church for the benefit of all believers. It is Jesus who grants absolution through the priest. The sacrament is necessary for the forgiveness of mortal sins. It restores a person to the state of grace. No matter how serious the sin, if the penitent is contrite and has sincerely repented, forgiveness will be obtained in Confession. It is of great value to the spiritual life of a Christian to confess all venial sins as well. (There is a guide for Confession at the end of this lesson)

Confession should always be humble, devout, and as thorough as possible. If a mortal sin is purposely withheld, the entire sacrament is invalid. The sin of sacrilege is committed. If a person sincerely forgets to tell a sin, it is still forgiven. The person should confess it the next time. Although there are strong psychological benefits to verbal confession, penitents must remember that the sacrament is not a therapy session. Sins should be told briefly and clearly without too much embellishment or analysis. If a person wants extensive counseling from their parish priest, they should make a separate appointment. Frequent confession is a sure way to advance in the spiritual life.

Anointing of the Sick used to be called Last Rites. It was usually given to people who were near death. In reality, there are many circumstances in which a person may receive this sacrament. If a person has a serious health condition, is very old, or is going in for surgery, the sacrament is appropriate. The priest uses Oil of the Sick for anointing. The sacrament is to offer prayers for the physical and spiritual recovery of the sick person. Sins are also remitted in this sacrament. If a person is unable to speak, the sacrament forgives the sins that the person would have confessed if they were able to.

Discussion Points:

· Confession and Anointing of the Sick can only be administered by a priest

· The precepts of the Church require us to confess at least once a year (CCC 2042)

· Mortal sins must be confessed inside the sacrament of Reconciliation

· A priest must never reveal the sins of a penitent under penalty of excommunication.

· There is no sin that the priest has not heard before so do not be embarrassed

· The priest will always help the penitent along during Confession

· Anointing of the Sick is not only for people who are near death

· Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament for the forgiveness of sins and sometimes the restoration of physical heath

Reconciliation and Penance

The Loss of the Sense of Sin

Apostolic Exhortation of Pope John Paul II Dec. 2, 1984

18. Over the course of generations, the Christian mind has gained from the Gospel as it is read in the ecclesial community a fine sensitivity and an acute perception of the seeds of death contained in sin, as well as a sensitivity and an acuteness of perception for identifying them in the thousand guises under which sin shows itself. This is what is commonly called the sense of sin. This sense is rooted in man's moral conscience and is as it were its thermometer. It is linked to the sense of God, since it derives from man's conscious relationship with God as his Creator, Lord and Father. Hence, just as it is impossible to eradicate completely the sense of God or to silence the conscience completely, so the sense of sin is never completely eliminated.

Nevertheless, it happens not infrequently in history, for more or less lengthy periods and under the influence of many different factors, that the moral conscience of many people becomes seriously clouded. "Have we the right idea of conscience?"-I asked two years ago in an address to the faithful" Is it not true that modern man is threatened by an eclipse of conscience? By a deformation of conscience? By a numbness or 'deadening' of conscience," Too many signs indicate that such an eclipse exists in our time. This is all the more disturbing in that conscience, defined by the council as "the most secret core and sanctuary of a man, is "strictly related to human freedom.... For this reason conscience, to a great extent, constitutes the basis of man's interior dignity and, at the same time, of his relationship to God." It is inevitable therefore that in this situation there is an obscuring also of the sense of sin, which is closely connected with the moral conscience, the search for truth and the desire to make a responsible use of freedom. When the conscience is weakened the sense of God is also obscured, and as a result, with the loss of this decisive inner point of reference, the sense of sin is lost. This explains why my predecessor Pius XI, one day declared, in words that have almost become proverbial, that "the sin of the century is the loss of the sense of sin."….

"Secularism" is by nature and definition a movement of ideas and behavior which advocates a humanism totally without God, completely centered upon the cult of action and production and caught up in the heady enthusiasm of consumerism and pleasure seeking, unconcerned with the danger of "losing one's soul." This secularism cannot but undermine the sense of sin. At the very most, sin will be reduced to what offends man. But it is precisely here that we are faced with the bitter experience which I already alluded to in my first encyclical namely, that man can build a world without God, but this world will end by turning against him." In fact, God is the origin and the supreme end of man, and man carries in himself a divine seed. Hence it is the reality of God that reveals and illustrates the mystery of man. It is therefore vain to hope that there will take root a sense of sin against man and against human values, if there is no sense of offense against God, namely the true sense of sin.

Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick

“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven…” John 20:23

Opening Prayer:

Father of heaven and earth, hear our prayer. Help us to recognize our faults and to seek forgiveness for our sins. Help us to forgive our neighbor as You forgive us. Open our hearts to hear the sound of Your voice. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

Theme:

The sacraments of Reconciliation (Confession) and Anointing of the Sick are sacraments of healing. There is no limit to how often they can be repeated. The sacrament of Reconciliation is the ordinary way to obtain the forgiveness of sins committed after baptism. Anointing of the Sick is usually given in old age, in serious illness, or when there is a possibility of imminent death.

Bible Readings:

John 20:19-23 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." And when he had said this, 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."

James 5:14-16 Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.

Explanation of the Bible readings: The Church has always interpreted John 20:23 as the moment when Jesus conferred the authority to forgive sins to his apostles. It is closely connected to the authority given to “bind and loose” (CCC 553). The breathing of the Holy Spirit onto the apostles confers a special anointing upon both them and their successors in the Church. The fact that Jesus gives the authority to “retain the sins of any” is very significant. This eliminates the possibility that Jesus was only speaking about forgiving each other in an ordinary human sense. This scripture passage only makes sense if it is understood as Jesus giving a participation in the ministry of God’s forgiveness to the apostles. The second reading is a clear demonstration of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick being taught in the early Church. The elements of anointing with oil, prayers, and the forgiveness of sins are all explicitly described.

2 Corinthians 5:20 Priests are ambassadors for Christ
Mark 2:7 Who can forgive sins but God alone?
Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick…cast out demons

Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Reconciliation

1486 The forgiveness of sins committed after Baptism is conferred by a particular sacrament called the sacrament of conversion, confession, penance, or reconciliation.

1495 Only priests who have received the faculty of absolving from the authority of the Church can forgive sins in the name of Christ.

1488 To the eyes of faith no evil is graver than sin and nothing has worse consequences for sinners themselves, for the Church, and for the whole world.

1426 ……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. This is the struggle of conversion directed toward holiness and eternal life to which the Lord never ceases to call us.

1492 Repentance (also called contrition) must be inspired by motives that arise from faith. If repentance arises from love of charity for God, it is called "perfect" contrition; if it is founded on other motives, it is called "imperfect."

1493 One who desires to obtain reconciliation with God and with the Church, must confess to a priest all the unconfessed grave sins he remembers after having carefully examined his conscience. The confession of venial faults, without being necessary in itself, is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church.

1494 The confessor proposes the performance of certain acts of "satisfaction" or "penance" to be performed by the penitent in order to repair the harm caused by sin and to re-establish habits befitting a disciple of Christ.

1496 The spiritual effects of the sacrament of Penance are:

· Reconciliation with God by which the penitent recovers grace

· Reconciliation with the Church

· Remission of the eternal punishment incurred by mortal sins

· Remission, at least in part, of temporal punishments resulting from sin

· Peace and serenity of conscience, and spiritual consolation

· An increase of spiritual strength for the Christian battle

1455 The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others….

1456 Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: "All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly."

1457 According to the Church's command, "after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year." Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unless he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to confession. Children must go to the sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time.

1484 "Individual, integral confession and absolution remain the only ordinary way for the faithful to reconcile themselves with God and the Church, unless physical or moral impossibility excuses from this kind of confession."….

Anointing of the Sick

1527 The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick has as its purpose the conferral of a special grace on the Christian experiencing the difficulties inherent in the condition of grave illness or old age.

1528 The proper time for receiving this holy anointing has certainly arrived when the believer begins to be in danger of death because of illness or old age.

1529 Each time a Christian falls seriously ill, he may receive the Anointing of the Sick, and also when, after he has received it, the illness worsens.

1530 Only priests (presbyters and bishops) can give the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, using oil blessed by the bishop, or if necessary by the celebrating presbyter himself.

1531 The celebration of the Anointing of the Sick consists essentially in the anointing of the forehead and hands of the sick person (in the Roman Rite) or of other parts of the body (in the Eastern rite), the anointing being accompanied by the liturgical prayer of the celebrant asking for the special grace of this sacrament.

The special grace of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick has as its effects:
the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his own good and that of the whole Church

the strengthening, peace, and courage to endure in a Christian manner the sufferings of illness or old age

the forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the sacrament of Penance

the restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of his soul
the preparation for passing over to eternal life

1524 In addition to the Anointing of the Sick, the Church offers those who are about to leave this life the Eucharist as viaticum. Communion in the body and blood of Christ, received at this moment of "passing over" to the Father, has a particular significance and importance….

Faith words:

Anointing: The act of applying oil for the purpose of physical and spiritual healing

Contrition: A feeling of repentance for sin accompanied by an intention to turn from sin

Reconciliation: Bring together again in love or friendship

Sacrilege: Any transgression against the virtue of religion. Irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things

Reflection Questions:

Does the sacrament of Reconciliation make you nervous? Discuss.





Name a few of the benefits of Reconciliation. (Feel free to include psychological ones)





Why is Anointing of the Sick no longer associated only with imminent death?

A Guide for Confession

The basic requirement for a good confession is to have the intention of returning to God like the "prodigal son" and to acknowledge our sins with true sorrow before the priest.

Sin in my Life

Modern society has lost a sense of sin. As a Catholic follower of Christ, I must make an effort to recognize sin in my daily actions, words and omissions.
The Gospels show how important is the forgiveness of our sins. Lives of saints prove that the person who grows in holiness has a stronger sense of sin, sorrow for sins, and a need for the Sacrament of Penance or Confession.

The Differences in Sins

As a result of Original Sin, human nature is weakened. Baptism, by imparting the life of Christ’s grace, takes away Original Sin, and turns us back toward God. The consequences of this weakness and the inclination to evil persist, and we often commit personal or actual sin.

Actual sin is sin which people commit. There are two kinds of actual sin, mortal and venial.

Mortal sin is a deadly offense against God, so horrible that it destroys the life of grace in the soul. Three simultaneous conditions must be fulfilled for a mortal sin: 1) the act must be something very serious; 2) the person must have sufficient understanding of what is being done; 3) the person must have sufficient freedom of the will.

If you need help–especially if you have been away for some time–simply ask the priest and he will help you by "walking" you through the steps to make a good confession.

Before Confession

Be truly sorry for your sins. The essential act of Penance, on the part of the penitent, is contrition, a clear and decisive rejection of the sin committed, together with a resolution not to commit it again, out of the love one has for God and which is reborn with repentance. The resolution to avoid committing these sins in the future (amendment) is a sure sign that your sorrow is genuine and authentic. This does not mean that a promise never to fall again into sin is necessary. A resolution to try to avoid the near occasions of sin suffices for true repentance. God’s grace in cooperation with the intention to rectify your life will give you the strength to resist and overcome temptation in the future.

Examination of Conscience

Before going to Confession you should make a review of mortal and venial sins since your last sacramental confession, and should express sorrow for sins, hatred for sins and a firm resolution not to sin again.

A helpful pattern for examination of conscience is to review the Commandments of God and the Precepts of the Church:

1. Have God and the pursuit of sanctity in Christ been the goal of my life? Have I denied my faith? Have I placed my trust in false teachings or substitutes for God? Did I despair of God’s mercy?

2. Have I avoided the profane use of God’s name in my speech? Have I broken a solemn vow or promise?

3. Have I honored every Sunday by avoiding unnecessary work, celebrating the Mass (also holydays)? Was I inattentive at, or unnecessarily late for Mass, or did I leave early? Have I neglected prayer for a long time?

4. Have I shown Christlike respect to parents, spouse, and family members, legitimate authorities? Have I been attentive to the religious education and formation of my children?

5. Have I cared for the bodily health and safety of myself and all others? Did I abuse drugs or alcohol? Have I supported in any way abortion, "mercy killing," or suicide?

6. Was I impatient, angry, envious, proud, jealous, revengeful, lazy? Have I forgiven others?

7. Have I been just in my responsibilities to employer and employees? Have I discriminated against others because of race or other reasons?

8. Have I been chaste in thought and word? Have I used sex only within marriage and while open to procreating life? Have I given myself sexual gratification? Did I deliberately look at impure TV, pictures, reading?

9. Have I stolen anything from another, from my employer, from government? If so, am I ready to repay it? Did I fulfill my contracts? Did I rashly gamble, depriving my family of necessities?

10. Have I spoken ill of any other person? Have I always told the truth? Have I kept secrets and confidences?

11. Have I permitted sexual thoughts about someone to whom I am not married?

12. Have I desired what belongs to other people? Have I wished ill on another?

13. Have I been faithful to sacramental living (Holy Communion and Penance)?

14. Have I helped make my parish community stronger and holier? Have I contributed to the support of the Church?

15. Have I done penance by abstaining and fasting on obligatory days? Have I fasted before receiving communion?

16. Have I been mindful of the poor? Do I accept God’s will for me?

During Confession

After examining your conscience and telling God of your sorrow, go into the confessional. You may kneel at the screen or sit to talk face-to-face with the priest.

Begin your confession with the sign of the cross, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. My last confession was _________ weeks (months, years) ago."
The priest may read a passage from holy Scripture.
Say the sins that you remember. Start with the one(s) that is most difficult to say. (In order to make a good confession the faithful must confess all mortal sins, according to kind and number.) After confessing all the sins you remember since your last good confession, you may conclude by saying, "I am sorry for these and all the sins of my past life."

Listen to the words of the priest. He will assign you some penance. Doing the penance will diminish the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven. When invited, express some prayer of sorrow or Act of Contrition such as:

An Act of Contrition

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell. But most of all because I have offended you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. Amen.

At the End of Confession

Listen to the words of absolution, the sacramental forgiveness of the Church through the ordained priest. As you listen to the words of forgiveness you may make the sign of the cross with the priest. If he closes by saying, "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good," answer, "For His mercy endures forever."

After Confession

Give thanks to God for forgiving you again. If you recall some serious sin you forgot to tell, rest assured that it has been forgiven with the others, but be sure to confess it in your next Confession.

Do your assigned Penance. Resolve to return to the Sacrament of Reconciliation often. We Catholics are fortunate to have the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It is the ordinary way for us to have our sins forgiven. This sacrament is a powerful help to get rid of our weaknesses, grow in holiness, and lead a balanced and virtuous life.

Imprimatur

Justin Rigali Archbishop of St. Louis
August 15, 1999
© 1999 Archdiocese of St. Louis

Millennium Jubilee Committee Confession Guide

Excerpt from: John Paul II at the Ceremony of the Anointing of the Sick

Southwark’s Cathedral Friday 28 May 1982

1. Praised be Jesus Christ! Praised be Jesus Christ who invites us to share in his life through our Baptism. Praised be Jesus Christ who calls us to unite our sufferings to his so that we may be one with him in giving glory to the Father in heaven. Today I greet you in the name of Jesus. I thank all of you for the welcome you have given me. I want you to know how I have looked forward to this meeting with you, especially with those of you who are sick, disabled or infirm. I myself have had a share in suffering and I have known the physical weakness that comes with injury and sickness.

2. It is precisely because I have experienced suffering that I am able to affirm with ever greater convinction what Saint Paul says in the second reading: “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8, 38-39). Dear friends, there is no force or power that can block God’s love for you. Sickness and suffering seem to contradict all that is worthy, all that is desired by man. And yet no disease, no injury, no infirmity can ever deprive you of your dignity as children of God, as brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.

3. By his dying on the Cross, Christ shows us how to make sense of our suffering. In his Passion we find the inspiration and strength of turn away from any temptation to resentment and grow through pain into new life. Suffering is an invitation to be more like the Son in doing the Father’s will. It offers us an opportunity to imitate Christ who died to redeem mankind from sin. Thus the Father has disposed that suffering can enrich the individual and the whole Church.

4. We acknowledge that the Anointing of the Sick is for the benefit of the whole person. We find this point demonstrated in the liturgical texts of the sacramental celebration: “Make this oil a remedy for all who are anointed with it; heal them in body, in soul and in spirit, and deliver them from every affliction.” The anointing is therefore a source of strength for both the soul and the body. The prayer of the Church asks that sin and the remnants of sin be taken away (Cfr. DENZ.-SCHÖN., 1969). It also implores a restoration of health, but always in order that bodily healing may bring greater union with God through the increase of grace. In her teaching on this sacrament, the Church passes on the truth contained in our first reading from Saint James: “Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the Church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (Iac. 5, 14-15).

5. This sacrament should be approached in a spirit of great confidence, like the leper in the Gospel that has just been proclaimed. Even the desperateness of the man’s condition did not stop him from approaching Jesus with trust. We too must believe in Christ’s healing love and reaffirm that nothing will separate us from that love. Surely Jesus wishes to say: “I will; be clean” (Matth. 8, 3); be healed; be strong; be saved. My dear brothers and sisters, as you live the Passion of Christ you strengthen the Church by the witness of your faith. You proclaim by your patience, your endurance and your joy the mystery of Christ’s redeeming power. You will find the crucified Lord in the midst of your sickness and suffering.

6. As Veronica ministered to Christ on his way to Calvary, so Christians have accepted the care of those in pain and sorrow as privileged opportunities to minister to Christ himself. I commend and bless all those who work for the sick in hospitals, residential homes and centres of care for the dying. I would like to say to you doctors, nurses, chaplains and all other hospital staff: Yours is a noble vocation. Remember it is Christ to whom you minister in the sufferings of your brothers and sisters.

7. I support with all my heart those who recognize and defend the law of God which governs human life. We must never forget that every person, from the moment of conception to the last breath, is a unique child of God and has a right to life………