**The Machinery of Forgiveness**

**The Machinery of Forgiveness**

Rev. Jerry J. Pokorsky

In the military, the changing of the guard illustrates an essential purpose of ritual. The routine ensures a seamless and orderly transition of responsibility, from soldier to soldier. The rituals of the Mass and the sacraments serve similar purposes.

The Church provides us with liturgical rituals to guide us in sacramental celebrations and gives us confidence that we are worshiping God with integrity and according to His will. So it is useful to honor the machinery of rituals to assure us that our encounter with the risen Lord is spiritually profitable.

The Sacrament of Penance enshrines the machinery of biblical repentance and forgiveness. When we confess our sins to a priest, we seek forgiveness for our sins against God and man -- and God and man are reconciled. Indeed, the Sacrament of Penance is the synthesis of all Scriptural teaching on mercy and forgiveness.

During His public ministry, Jesus heals the sick and forgive sins. Forgiveness, for purposes of our salvation, forms the foundation of His sacred ministry. During the Last Supper, Jesus consecrates the wine at the first Mass, forever linking the Mass to forgiveness: “And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (Matthew 26:27-28)

Jesus institutes the Sacrament of Penance during His first reported encounter with the Apostles after the Resurrection: “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 20:21-22). Implicit in these words, of course, is the need to confess our sins to a priest.

Sin is the deliberate violation of God’s law. It is difficult to tame self-will and a rebellious spirit, and it is humbling to acknowledge God’s sovereignty in our lives. So conversion can be unpleasant. Although God’s law is always reasonable, repentance is not about “becoming the best version of ourselves,” nor is it a “self-help process.” We need not even grasp the reason for God’s law. But we must strive to live God’s law. Repentance brings about the reconciliation of God and man -- and peace of soul -- on God’s terms.

Sin disfigures our souls with evil. Guilty, we can expect God's just punishments. Our repentance -- and God's forgiveness -- eliminates guilt and diminishes punishment (above all, the fires of hell). But a residual of punishment remains for reparation. When somebody robs a bank, he becomes a thief, and when he repents and makes restitution, he regains his innocence before God. But justice continues to require jail time to set the scales aright, at least to some extent. (If he has already spent the money, restitution remains an obligation, unless the bank forgives the debt, which is akin to an indulgence.)

Confession can be intimidating, but anxiety should not discourage us. For the sake of our health, we reveal our lifestyle habits to our doctors. We report the details of our income to the IRS. Some people even undergo lie detector tests that ask the most intimate of questions to obtain national security jobs. But Jesus merely requires the confession of the nature and number of sins and an expression of sorrow.

Sins are actions: thoughts, words, and deeds that violate the Ten Commandments as fulfilled in Jesus and presented to us in the traditional teachings of the Church. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

Sins are not feelings, although uncontrolled emotions may lead us to sinful actions. We are accountable for sins when we realize the choices are wrong, and we freely consent to them. Our sinful choices are either venial or mortal. Venial sin tarnishes and weakens the soul. Mortal sin kills the soul and deprives us of the graces for salvation.

Authentic sorrow for sin does not require that we not lie to ourselves about sinful emotional and physical pleasures. Illicit pleasures can be powerful motivators for evil. God accepts regret that acknowledges that 1) the actions were contrary to His will, 2) we repent of our disobedience, 3) we resolve to do penance in satisfaction for our sins, and 4) avoid sin in the future.

“Imperfect contrition” fears God’s just punishments. Such sorrow is holy but falls short of full spiritual maturity. According to Saint Thomas Aquinas, imperfect contrition alone is insufficient to attain forgiveness for mortal sins.

Saint Thomas teaches God forgives mortal sins with “perfect contrition.” Perfect contrition is sorrow because we have offended God, “Who are all good and deserving of all my love” (see complete prayer below). It is spiritually mature because it goes beyond servile fear of the Lord. Hence, it is worthwhile to attempt to “make a perfect Act of Contrition” as a devotional practice before retiring in the evening. But inevitable questions of certainty are resolved in the Sacrament of Penance.

It is natural to fear punishment. But a confident awareness of perfect contrition is spiritually and psychologically complicated. Are we sorry because we offended God, or merely fear His punishment? The machinery of the Sacrament of Penance raises imperfect contrition to perfection and provides the blessed confidence of pardon. Certainty – or reasonable certainty – of forgiveness, is a great consolation.

Before entering the confessional, we prepare for a good Confession by carefully examining our consciences. Here are a few typical examples of venial sin: acts of impatience, bearing grudges, light gossip, uncharitable comments, impure glances, rudeness, wasting time or even hyperactivity when we should be relaxing, and disobedience to lawful authorities.

Examples of mortal sin include idol worship, missing Mass on Sunday without sufficient reason, acts of hatred, unworthily receiving Communion, participating in or encouraging an abortion, grave slander or detraction, grievous lies, shoplifting, viewing pornography, and the external sins against chastity.

The Church encourages anonymity and security in the confessional. Under ordinary circumstances, the priest cannot see us, and we can only see his shadow behind the screen. We begin with the Sign of the Cross. We tell the priest when we last confessed our sins. It is also useful for purposes of context to acknowledge one’s “state of life” (e.g., “I am married” or “I am single”).

Every good confession includes, to the best of one’s ability, all of the mortal sins – nature and number -- leaving the details to God. (If a penitent forgets a mortal sin in good faith, the absolution forgives the sin. But the penitent should confess the forgotten transgression without drama next time.)

The priest represents Jesus Himself and holds a person’s confession in the strictest of confidence. The Church binds the priest with the inviolable Seal of Confession. The seal protects the identity of penitents, under pain of ex-communication.

A confession that does not include mortal sins is “devotional.” It may comprise of a “laundry list” of venial sins or a focus on a vice (we need not confess all venial sins). Here is an example: “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. My last confession was one month ago. Here are my sins: I was sinfully argumentative with my spouse. For these and all my sins, I am truly sorry.”

Most confessions are brief. The priest usually responds with spiritual soundbites of encouragement for consideration. Within reason, one may take the opportunity to ask for spiritual advice. Time constraints may require the priest to request a conversation outside of the confessional (without obligation on the part of the penitent).

The priest usually assigns a practical penance for recitation afterward: the Our Father, a handful of Hail Mary’s, a rosary, etc. Penance not only acknowledges the need to make amends, but it is also a sign of a willingness to make further reparation as necessary.

A mob hitman once explained that he murdered 20 people. He joked that when he went to Confession in prison, the priest just assigned a rosary. But he misunderstood the symbolic purpose of the designated penance. Assigned penances remind us to spiritualize all of our sufferings in reparation for our sins.

The penitent responds with the recitation of the Act of Contrition (there are several forms). The traditional Act expresses every Scriptural theme involving sin and conversion:

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

The Confession concludes with the all-important prayer of absolution by the priest that the Church requires for the validity of the Sacrament. As the penitent makes the Sign of the Cross, the priest concludes the absolution with these essential words: “…I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (“Ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.”) When repentance meets these words from the hands of even the most unworthy of priests, Jesus forgives the greatest of sins.

We cannot avoid suffering in a tumultuous world. But peace of soul can be ours when we seek, with His grace, reconciliation with God. After a good Confession, we have the consoling hope and assurance that if we die today, heavenly glory will be ours.

Working the machinery of the Sacrament of Penance provides the basis for the profound gratitude we express to God when we offer Mass.