PENANCE

THE NATURE OF PENANCE

The word penance is used by
theologian in three different senses,
either:
1. for the moral virtue of penance; or
2. for the Sacrament of Penance; or
3.
for that part of the sacrament of
Penance which is known also as
satisfaction.

The Virtue of Penance

The

virtue of penance is a
supernatural habit infused by God
whereby man readily inclines both to
sorrow for sins committed inasmuch
as they offend God and to a firm
purpose of amendment

THE VIRTUE OF PENANCE

Penance

is a supernatural habit
because although it is true that one
may grieve over the commission of
sin with ones natural powers and for
purely natural reasons, such penance
is not a perfect virtue nor does it
remove the stain of sin.

THE VIRTUE OF PENANCE

The

virtue readily inclines man to

prompt sorrow for sin inasmuch as it
is an offense against God. Therefore
not every form of sorrow for sin (e.g.
sorrow because of the natural
distressing consequences of sin) is an
act of the virtue of penance, but only
when sin is hated precisely as an
offence against God.

THE VIRTUE OF PENANCE

This

sorrow must be accompanied by

a purpose of amendment, since true
sorrow must always include such
resolution. - It follows from what has
been said that there are three elicited
acts of the virtue of penance: 1.
sorrow for sin committed ; 2.
detestation of sin; 3. resolution not to
sin again.

THE VIRTUE OF PENANCE

The

proximate SUBJECT of the virtue

of penance is the will. Therefore the
faithful are not to be worried because
they lack any sensible feeling of
sorrow for sin. The remote subject of
the virtue is any man guilty of sin or at
least capable of sin.

THE VIRTUE OF PENANCE

The

proximate SUBJECT of the

virtue of penance is the will.
Therefore the faithful are not to be
worried because they lack any
sensible feeling of sorrow for sin. The
remote subject of the virtue is any
man guilty of sin or at least capable of
sin.

THE VIRTUE OF PENANCE

The

material OBJECT of the virtue is

any personal sin (not original sin);
the formal object if the offence against
God which must be expiated, or the
injured rights of God for which
reparation must be made through
satisfaction.

THE VIRTUE OF PENANCE

The

virtue of penance is a
NECESSARY
MEANS
OF
SALVATION for all sinners and is also
commanded. The Council of Trent has
defined:
Penance
has
been
necessary at all times for all men who
have stained themselves with mortal
sin, in order to obtain grace and
justification.

THE VIRTUE OF PENANCE

And

Christ Himself said: You will all

perish as they did, if you do not
repent. Ecclesiastical law also
commands the virtue of penance by
enjoining confession once a year.

The Sacrament of Penance:

Its Nature and its Effects
The

Sacrament of Penance is a
sacrament of the New Law instituted by
Christ in the form of a judgement for the
remission
through
sacramental
absolution of sins committed after
Baptism, granted to a contrite person
confessing those sins.

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE: ITS NATURE AND ITS EFFECTS

The

Sacrament of Penance is a
sacrament of the New Law instituted by
Christ in the form of a judgement for the
remission
through
sacramental
absolution of sins committed after
Baptism, granted to a contrite person
confessing those sins.

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE: ITS NATURE AND ITS EFFECTS

Christ

seems to have instituted this

sacrament after His resurrection when
He breathed on His Apostles and said:
Receive the Holy Spirit; when you
forgive mens sins they are forgiven,
when you hold them bound, they are
held bound (John xx, 22).

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE: ITS NATURE AND ITS EFFECTS

The

sacrament has been instituted in

the form of a judgment (cf.c. 870) in
which the penitent is at once the
accused, the witness and the accuser,
while the priest is the judge who
generally absolves and does not
condemn the guilty sinner.

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE: ITS NATURE AND ITS EFFECTS

The sacrament has been instituted in the form

of a judgment
(cf.c. 870) in which the
penitent is at once the accused, the witness
and the accuser, while the priest is the judge
who generally absolves and does not
condemn the guilty sinner. Only sins
committed after Baptism are forgiven in this
sacrament and these therefore constitute the
remote matter of the sacrament.

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE: ITS NATURE AND ITS EFFECTS

By the words: granted to a contrite person

confessing sin: is indicated the proximate matter,
while the form of the sacrament is signified by
the words: through sacramental absolution.
Special consideration must be given to:
1). the remote matter of the sacrament;
2). the proximate matter;
3). the form;
4). the effects.

The Remote Matter of the Sacrament

The

remote matter- or, more correctly,

the matter to be removed- are all sins
committed after Baptism, and such
matter is:
1. either necessary or free;
2. either certain or doubtful;
3. either sufficient or insufficient.

THE REMOTE MATTER OF THE SACRAMENT

NECESSARY
MATTER
for
the
sacrament of Penance is all mortal sins
committed since Baptism and not yet
revealed in confession nor directly
remitted by sacramental absolution. All
such sins must be confessed.

THE REMOTE MATTER OF THE SACRAMENT

FREE MATTER for the sacrament comprises:

a.) venial sins committed since Baptism;
b.) all mortal and venial sins already remitted
since Baptism by sacramental absolution.
Therefore these sins may be confessed but
there is no obligation to do so.
CERTAIN MATTER is every genuine and
certain sin whether mortal or venial.

THE REMOTE MATTER OF THE SACRAMENT

DOUBTFUL MATTER includes all doubtful sins,

i.e. sins which probably were not committed.
SUFFICIENT MATTER is that which suffices for
the valid reception of sacramental absolution, i.e.
certain matter whether necessary or free.
INSUFFICIENT MATTER is doubtful matter or
anything which is not genuinely sinful, such as
so-called imperfections.

THE REMOTE MATTER OF THE SACRAMENT

. SCHOLIUM.
Generic Confession. The essence of the
sacrament of Penance consists in the fact that it is a
judgment, as we have stated already. But a judge is
unable to pass judgment unless he has knowledge
of the crimes committed by the criminal. Since in the
judicial court of Penance God Himself- the searcher
of hearts-is the principal judge, and the purpose of
this judgment is to reconcile and free the sinner, it is
not necessary that the confessor himself be
perfectly aware of the sins of the penitent.

THE REMOTE MATTER OF THE SACRAMENT

Therefore in a case of extreme necessity

either a generic accusation or no accusation
whatsoever is sufficient for receiving
absolution. Apart from such cases of extreme
need, generic confession is never permissible;
if the matter is necessary both the species
and number of sins must be confessed, and if
the matter is free it is both necessary and
sufficient that the accusation mentions the
virtue or commandment violated.

The Proximate Matter of the Sacrament

The proximate matter of the sacrament of

Penance comprises the three acts of the
penitent, viz. contrition, confession, satisfaction.

This is the most common opinion, denied by a

few theologians who regard the act of absolution
as the proximate matter of the sacrament in so
far as it is an external ceremony, whereas the
same act considered as a sign is considered to
be the form of the sacrament.

The Proximate Matter of the Sacrament

Contrition must be present either actually or

at least virtually. Sometimes it is sufficient
for the validity of the sacrament if only the
desire for confession and satisfaction is
present, since these are then considered to
be included implicitly in the act of contrition.
We shall return later to a detailed
consideration of each of these three acts of
the penitent.

The Form of the Sacrament

The essential form of the sacrament of

Confession is the words: Deinde ego te
absolvo a peccatis tuis in nomine Patris et
Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Everyone admits that the priest validly
absolves if he uses these words only:
Absolvo te a peccatis tuis. The following
forms are likewise probably valid: Absolvo
te and absolvo a peccatis tuis.

THE FORM OF THE SACRAMENT

But it is not lawful to use such forms, and

no reasonable excuse ever exists for
permitting the use of forms which are no
more than probably valid. In cases of
necessity, as in a shipwreck, it would be
quite valid and lawful to give absolution to
several persons at the same time, using
this form: Ego vos absolvo a peccatis
vestris in nomine Patrisetc.

THE FORM OF THE SACRAMENT

Obligation of using the prescribed ceremonies.

a.) The raising of the priests hand from the
beginning of the prayer Indulgentiam until the
signing with the cross during the act of absolution
is not of strict obligation but it is most praiseworthy.
b.) The prayers: Misereatur, Indulgentiam, Passio:
are not to be omitted except for a just cause, such
as a great number of penitents.

THE FORM OF THE SACRAMENT

c.) It would not be grievously sinful to

omit the absolution from censures if
the confessor were morally certain
that the penitent had not incurred any
censure.
d.) External ceremonies, such as the
place to be used for hearing the
confessions of women, must be
carefully observed.

THE FORM OF THE SACRAMENT

MANNER OF GIVING ABSOLUTION

1. Absolution must be given orally, and
therefore written absolution handed to
a penitent is invalid.

THE FORM OF THE SACRAMENT

Absolution must be given by the priest while the

penitent is morally present. Since absolution
must be given orally it cannot be given to any
penitent who is unable to hear the words or to
whom the priest is unable to speak. In cases of
extreme necessity this presence is to be
interpreted widely, so that everyone- even
those far distant from the priest- can be
absolved, provided that in some sense of the
word they can be perceived. However it seems
probable that absolution is invalid if given over
the telephone or by other forms of long-distance
communication. In real necessity absolution
could be given in this way conditionally.

THE FORM OF THE SACRAMENT

PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS.
If the penitent leaves the confessional
before receiving absolution, the
following procedure is to be adopted:
a.) if they can be recalled easily, the
priest should do so;

THE FORM OF THE SACRAMENT

b.) if they cannot be recalled without

causing inconvenience or surprise,
the priest should pronounce the
essential words of absolution before
the penitent has departed more than
twenty paces from the confessional; it
is not necessary that the confessor be
able to hear or see the penitent,
provided that the latter is in close
proximity to the confessional;

THE FORM OF THE SACRAMENT

c.) if the penitent has gone some

distance and cannot be recalled and
will not return to the same confessor,
there is nothing to be done except to
commend him to the mercy of God;
d.) if the penitent returns later to the
same confessor he should be
informed of the previous lack of
absolution and then absolved.

THE FORM OF THE SACRAMENT

Absolution must be given absolutely, not

conditionally nor in the form of a wish. The
act of absolution is a judicial sentence
which cannot be conditional nor expressed
in the form of a wish.

Absolution given in the latter way- unless

the wish is equivalently an indication of the
priests judgement- is not only unlawful but
also probably invalid.-

THE FORM OF THE SACRAMENT

Conditional absolution in which the

condition regards the future, such as:
I absolve you if you make restitution: is
certainly invalid; absolution given
conditionally on some present event is
valid and lawful as often as the
sacrament might be invalid if given
absolutely, or some notable spiritual
harm would ensue to the penitent if
absolution were refused.

THE FORM OF THE SACRAMENT

The chief causes permitting conditional absolution are:

1. doubt whether the penitent is alive or dead;
2. doubt whether the penitent has sufficient use of
reason;
3. doubt whether absolution was given correctly;
4. doubt whether the penitent is morally present;
5. doubt concerning the jurisdiction of the confessor;
6. doubt whether the penitent has sufficient sorrow and
purpose of amendment and there is danger of
greater harm resulting from any postponement of
absolution.

THE FORM OF THE SACRAMENT

SCHOLIUM.
REPITITION OF ABSOLUTION.
If the penitent has already received absolution
and then mentions some serious sin which he had
forgotten or some grave circumstance affecting
his sins or the number of times when grave sin
was committed differing substantially from that
mentioned previously, the confessor must repeat
absolution; otherwise the penitent would be
obliged to confess those sins again in his next
confession.

The Effects of the Sacrament

The sacrament of Penance duly received has

the following effects:
1. the remission of all sin and eternal
punishment;
2. the infusion (or increase) of sanctifying grace,
the virtues and the gifts of the Holy Ghost;
3. the revival of all merits previously acquired in
the state of grace.- Theologians are not agreed
regarding the manner and extent of this revival
of merit