The Catholic News

Many Catholics go for the Sacrament of Reconciliation only twice in a year – during Advent and during Lent. But is the sacrament more than just about confessing our sins? Joyce Gan finds out

WHILE IT IS not unusual to hear that the Sacrament of Reconciliation celebrated during Lent is an obligatory one for a Catholic, Father Ignatius Huan (inset) corrects, what a Catholic is really obliged to do, is “to receive communion once during Easter”.

Hence, the Sacrament of Reconciliation sets us straight and prepares us to receive communion in a state of grace, come Easter.

Lent being a time that calls for a continual repentance through fasting, almsgiving and prayer, to move towards a renewal of our baptismal promises which we celebrate on Easter, therefore also makes the Sacrament of Reconciliation an integral part of it.

The tradition of having this sacrament central to Lent arose from the Order of Penitents, a movement that goes back to the fourth century. Penitents – or those who have committed serious sins – are expected to make their confessions to a bishop or the bishop’s representative, who then hands them a penance to be carried out over time.

While working out their penances, penitents had to wear special garments as indication of their status. And like the catechumens preparing for baptism, penitents were dismissed during Sunday Mass after the Liturgy of the Word.

In fact, the entire process of the Order of Penitents was modelled after the conversion journey of catechumens, as the Church saw the penitent as one who has not truly been converted. Penance was the second attempt at conversion, and the early Church considered penance a “second baptism”.

Once the penitent had carried out his penance, he was then reconciled in the midst of the community by a prayer of absolution. Reconciliation was then often celebrated on Holy Thursday so the newly reconciled could share in the liturgies of the Easter triduum.

By the Middle Ages, the catechumenate and eventually, the Order of Penitents disappeared from the Church’s life and people’s understanding of Lent changed too. The emphasis then was no longer baptismal but shifted to the passion and death of Christ.

Lent came to be seen as a time to acknowledge our guilt for sins that led to Christ’s passion and death; repentance was a way to avoid punishment for our sin, rather than as a renewal of our baptismal promises.

Even the text of Ash Wednesday’s imposition of ashes reflected this sentiment, with the words “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return” The focus was on our mortality as an incentive to take repentance seriously.

Father Huan explained, “In the days of old, it is a very serious thing to have committed mortal sin. [It was thought that] if you die with that sin in your soul, you go to hell.”

But Vatican II restored the catechumenate, the renewal of Lent and recovered its ancient baptismal character. Now the Ash Wednesday text reads “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel” – recalling our baptismal promises to reject sin and profess faith, a clear call to conversion.

“Today, we understand our life’s fundamental option. Each of us has to take an option – for God or against God. If we ask God to get out of our life, then we are already against God, and in a state of mortal sin. It’s not just one single act,” said Father Huan.

“Therefore, this sacrament [of reconciliation] is a powerful means to bring about ongoing renewal and conversion,” he said. “The purpose of the sacrament is not just about forgiveness but healing and empowerment too.”

Penitential services, therefore, are meant to help the faithful prepare for this sacrament of reconciliation.

In Singapore, penitential services are held in churches during Lent.

Father Huan says the church provides this penitential service “as an opportunity to encourage those who don’t come regularly for the sacrament, to come for this communal reconciliation” but adds, “It is not helpful to do things because you ‘have’ to. I must emphasise, if you see things as obligatory, you are already missing the spirit.”

He encourages the faithful to “understand the sacrament”.

“In the past, the Church calls the sacrament a ‘confession’. Today, we prefer to call it the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or penance. Confession is just one part of that sacrament and focuses on the forgiveness of sins,” he explained. “There is a broader understanding of the sacrament, which is not only to be forgiven but also as a healing sacrament.”

“Don’t just confess but ask God to heal us,” he said, “because another dimension of the sacrament is empowerment. God’s grace will help us overcome our weakness,” he stressed.

“We’re encouraged to see this sacrament as part of our Lenten practice – a renewal – because the sacrament is a powerful means to bring about ongoing renewal and conversion. Unfortunately, we only see the sacrament as a confession.” 

By Joyce Gan
joycegan@catholic.org.sg

Others share...

HONESTLY, I PREFER to go for the mass Penitential service than to go for one-to-one confession with a priest. Penitential services make me feel less alienated as a sinner, seeing so many others around me [being in the same state]. What I dislike about Penitential services is how it seems almost like a factory line, how we all queue up, get ushered into line for our confessions, receive absolution and off we go!
- Michael Lim

Penitential services, to me, doesn’t seem to take the Sacrament of Confession seriously. I come because it’s compulsory, I sit there and I admit that I’m not altogether focused on the whole Examination of Conscience bit, because I find it distracting that there are so many people around me. Then I queue up, and get impatient along the way so I’m not sure how that’s supposed to help. Having said that, I guess it is nice of the church to provide this one week a year for us to come for our annual confessions.
- Roy T.

Usually, I attend penitential services with my church friends whom I serve [in ministry] with. I do enjoy the whole community aspect of sitting in the pews – all of us sinners alike, but each with our own considerations – it definitely makes me very much aware of how we are also children of God.

The ambience is usually quite solemn, sometimes, our church dims its lights and that helps put us in a more reflective mood. It almost feels sad, as I kneel on the pews recalling how much I have sinned against God, or when I come back from making my confession and doing my penance and watching others around me. But when the penitential service ends, there is a certain feeling of triumph, especially when the lights come back on!

It also moves me to see so many Catholics coming together for one night of penitential service, taking seriously that Lent is the season for us to repent.
- Mary Goh