Chapter
13

Sacraments of Healing

In This Chapter

The meaning of the sacrament of reconciliation

Is a priest really necessary to forgive sins?

How to make a “good” confession

Anointing of the sick, and who can receive it

The sacrament of reconciliation, also known as the sacrament of penance (or sometimes simply called “confession”), and the sacrament of the anointing of the sick are the two sacraments of healing. They have been instituted by Christ and committed to the Church as ways to restore strength of spirit to those who are suffering due to sin or weakness, in the case of reconciliation, as well as illness or old age, in the case of anointing.

The Catechism calls Jesus the “physician of our souls and bodies” (1421) and explains that these two sacraments pick up where the previous three left off. The sacraments of initiation give Catholics a new life in Christ and in the Christian community. But we are human, and so we are likely to face either spiritual or physical sickness—or both. The sacraments of healing enable the Church to continue the healing and salvation that Jesus Christ brought to others, and they give believers a way to renew their faith within the Church.

In this chapter, we will put these two sacraments under the microscope. We will explore the finer points of reconciliation—from confession and penance to sin and forgiveness, and we will look at the ins and outs of anointing of the sick, which is not reserved only for those who are dying.

Understanding Confession

The sacrament of reconciliation often raises a lot of questions for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Why do Catholics have to confess to a priest? How can another human forgive someone’s sins? What’s with all the secrecy? Does anybody even go to confession anymore?

This sacrament is about pardon, mercy, and second chances. This is the place where Catholics go when they want to wipe the slate clean and start over again with sinless souls, as they did the day they were baptized.

When Catholics are baptized, original sin and any other sins they might have committed are washed away. So why is reconciliation even necessary, then, if baptism takes care of everything? Well, while baptism offers forgiveness for all previous sins, it does not provide blanket protection from future sins committed over the course of a lifetime, and it does not remove the human inclination to sin.

Church Speak

To be contrite means to be repentant or sorry. In Catholic terms, it means to be sorry for your sins. When Catholics pray an Act of Contrition, they not only express sorrow for the sins they have committed but also promise to try to avoid sin in the future.

The Church teaches that Jesus’ “call to conversion,” which begins at baptism, is an ongoing part of the life of individual believers and the Church as a whole. Through confession and penance and renewal, a Catholic with a “contrite heart” can be purified and drawn closer to God and to the Church. (1428) So it’s not enough to go to confession; you have to be truly sorry for what you’ve done, and you have to have every intention of avoiding the sin down the road.

Penance Is Not Punishment

Penance is not only a name for this sacrament, but is also the word used to describe an action performed to make reparation for a sin. Whenever you go to confession, you receive a penance, which is usually a few particular prayers or actions that must be completed as a way to aid the conversion process. Even more, penance, if it is more than an empty gesture, presupposes penitence, or repentance.

Penance is not about punishment. The Catechism explains that Jesus’ calls for conversion were not about public displays of suffering and fasting but about an interior penance that would produce a “conversion of the heart.” The Catechism refers to this interior penance as a “radical reorientation of our whole life.” (1430–1431)

So the sacrament of reconciliation is not just about spilling your sins to a stranger behind a screen or sitting across from you, but is instead about reforming your life, turning away from sin, expressing sorrow, and vowing to try to live a life with God at its center.

That’s not to say that concrete forms of penance don’t have their place in a life bent on conversion. They do. In fact, interior penance leads to more visible signs of penance, such as fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. (1434)

This conversion, the Catechism explains, can be further carried out in a Catholic’s daily activities, such as caring for the poor, receiving the Eucharist, going to confession, reading Scripture, giving things up as a means of self-denial, and providing for others through charitable works. (1434–1439)

Teachable Moment

In the Scripture story of the Prodigal Son, a father gives his two sons their share of his inheritance. One stays home and saves his money and continues to help his father. The other son spends the money on wild living until there’s nothing left and he has to take a job feeding pigs. He realizes the error of his ways and returns to his father, begging for mercy. His father welcomes him and gives him a feast fit for a king. (Luke 15:11–32) So what’s the moral of this story? The depth of God’s love runs so deep that no matter what we do, we will be forgiven if we repent and return home to him.

How to Repent

Now we get down to the basics of the actual sacrament of reconciliation. It consists in its most “fundamental structure” of two “equally essential” actions: The sinner’s conversion through “the action of the Holy Spirit,” and God’s action through the intervention of the Church, who, through its bishops and priests, forgives sins in the name of Jesus Christ. (1448)

Let’s break that down into even simpler terms. The sacrament of reconciliation requires a person who, responding to God’s grace, is truly sorry for what he or she has done wrong and now wants to make amends and be reconciled with God. It also requires a priest or bishop, who will pray for this person, give this person a penance, and absolve, or forgive, this person’s sins in the name of Jesus Christ.

You’re Absolved If …

Your image of confession may be from movies that always portray Catholics kneeling inside pitch-black confessionals whispering to a priest behind a screen. Although Catholics can and do use confessionals, they are really the product of an earlier era. While they have a right to confess from behind a screen, these days, more often than not, Catholics go to confession face to face. They simply sit opposite the priest in a room or quiet corner of a church and talk just as they would to a friend.

Here’s how an actual experience of this sacrament would unfold. If you wanted to make a confession, this is what you would do:

Prior to going to confession, you would spend time making an “examination of conscience.” This means you would reflect on what you’ve done since your last confession and would think about the mistakes you’ve made or the problems you are trying to overcome.

After you have pulled up your sins on the screen of your conscience, you don’t simply look at them; you need to be truly sorry for them.

Next, you would either kneel down in a confessional or sit opposite a priest, make the Sign of the Cross, and say the following words: “Bless me, father, for I have sinned. It has been [however long] since my last confession. These are my sins.”

Here’s the hard part. Now you have to tell the priest your sins. You’re supposed to tell him all of your serious sins, not just the ones you don’t feel too embarrassed about.

Finally, the priest will give you a penance, which is also called “satisfaction.” He may tell you to say three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys, or maybe to do something nice for your wife, or to spend some time in prayer each day. There is no set penance for particular sins or sinners.

After this, the priest will usually offer some counsel. Then he will pray over you and give you absolution. He may ask you to recite the Act of Contrition out loud.

Church Speak

Absolution refers to the essential part of the sacrament of reconciliation or confession, when the priest or bishop, through the power entrusted to him by Jesus Christ, pardons the sins of the person confessing. At the end of the confession the priest or bishop will pray over the penitent, saying, “God, the Father of mercies, through the death and the resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Let’s back up a minute and talk about sin. There are two basic kinds of sins: mortal and venial. We’re going to get into the specifics of these sins in greater detail in Chapter 15, but we will cover some of the basics now.

A mortal sin is a “grave” sin, something big and bad, and something you knew full well was wrong when you decided to go ahead and do it anyway. Any major violation of one of the Ten Commandments, for instance, would qualify as a mortal sin. Cheating on a spouse, stealing all a person had to survive on, deliberately killing another person. Those are a few examples of mortal sins.

A venial sin, on the other hand, is a lesser sin, something that’s not very nice but is probably an everyday kind of mistake or fault, say, yelling at the kids or fighting with your husband.

You must confess all mortal sins when you go to confession. You don’t have to confess venial sins, but it’s recommended. In fact, the Church teaches that by going to confession regularly, we end up with better-formed consciences and are more likely to be able to withstand the temptations of sin. (1456–1458)

The Church requires all Catholics who have reached the “age of discretion” to go to confession at least once a year, preferably during the Easter season. In addition, if you know you’ve committed a mortal sin, you cannot receive Communion without first going to the sacrament of reconciliation. (1457)

True Confessions

The Catechism’s section on confession omits an important line that exists in the Code of Canon Law, which is the law of the Catholic Church. The Catechism says if you know you are in a state of mortal sin, you cannot receive Communion without confession first unless there is a “grave reason” and you have absolutely no chance of going to confession. The Code of Canon Law (Canon 916) says the same thing except that at the end of that instruction it adds that you must remember that you are required to make a perfect Act of Contrition, which includes the commitment of going to confession as soon as possible. Canon law trumps Catechism.

Of course, all of this confessing has to be done before a priest. Why? Well, the Church teaches that Jesus Christ entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to his apostles when he gave them the faculty to forgive sins in his name through the power of the Holy Spirit.

“Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” (John 20:21–23)

Remember, the Twelve Apostles are the original “permanent assem-bly” that now has its successors in the Church’s college of bishops. So the Church teaches that Jesus granted the power to forgive sins to the apostles and their direct successors. The bishops and their “collaborators,” the Church’s priests, continue the ministry of forgiving sins in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. (1461)

The Catechism explains priests “must encourage the faithful to come to the sacrament of penance,” and must make themselves available to celebrate the sacrament when asked. (1463) The priest, when he administers the sacrament, is considered a “sign and instrument of God’s merciful love for the sinner.” (1465)

Teachable Moment

The sacramental seal of confession means that a priest is bound “under very severe penalties” to keep secret everything he hears in confession. There are no exceptions. (1467) What happens in confession, stays in confession.

Forgiveness Rules!

So what is the point of confession? Couldn’t you just whisper a quiet, “I’m sorry,” to God and get the same effect? Not exactly. The Church teaches that the sacrament of reconciliation, when the penitent is truly sorry, brings about a “spiritual resurrection” as well as a sense of “peace and serenity.” (1468) But even more, it brings about reconciliation with the People of God, the Church, restoring a communion with fellow Christians that had been broken by sin. (1469)

Although confessional experiences may vary from priest to priest, the overall experience of confession should be one of serenity and joy, not shame and fear.

Church Speak

An indulgence is a release from “temporal punishment” for sins that have been forgiven. (1471) The sacrament of reconciliation forgives “eternal punishment” but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have to do a little time for the consequences of your sins. Through reconciliation or particular prayers or actions (indulgences), you can reduce the punishment due you. On top of that, if you’re feeling generous, you can offer particular prayers or actions on behalf of someone else and reduce their punishment.

The sacrament of penance, as it is one of the seven sacraments of the Church, is always a community action. Despite the communal aspect of the sacrament, however, the Church requires that Catholics ordinarily confess their sins individually to a priest, after which the priest imparts absolution. Even at a “communal” celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation, individual confession and absolution are “inserted” into the community celebration. (1482) Only in cases of “grave necessity” is it possible to offer general absolution to a group without prior individual confession. Even in cases of “general absolution,” those who receive it must intend to confess the absolved sins individually for absolution to stick. (1483)

There are “profound reasons” for individual confession, the Catechism explains, and chief among them is the fact that Jesus Christ “addresses every sinner” individually and “reintegrates them” into communion with the Church. “Personal confession is thus the form most expressive of reconciliation with God and with the Church.” (1484)

Anointing of the Sick

Few of us escape serious illness over the course of our lifetimes. Whether we suffer from physical or mental sicknesses or the debilitating effects of old age, we all eventually have to deal with things that slow us down, crush our spirits, or make us wonder why suffering is a normal part of life.

The Church offers the second sacrament of healing, anointing of the sick, as a way to bring spiritual comfort and strength to those who have attained the “use of reason” and are in danger due to sickness or old age. This is not a sacrament restricted only to the dying, and it is not a sacrament that can be received only once. Anointing of the sick is designed to shore up those who are losing spiritual and physical strength.

Spiritual Care of the Suffering

The Church looks to Jesus Christ in his role as “physician” and healer of bodies and souls when discussing this sacrament. Jesus had a special closeness with the sick and suffering, offering them hope and a healing touch. When he says, “I was ill and you cared for me” (Matthew 25:36), he identifies himself with the sick and reminds Christians of their call to reach out to those who are suffering from illness. (1503)

This deep connection between Jesus Christ the healer and those in need of healing serves as the foundation for the sacrament of anointing of the sick. Although sometimes this sacrament may result in physical healing, that’s not what it is all about. Jesus did not cure all illness or remove all suffering. Rather, he taught his disciples that, because of his bringing God’s kingdom, sickness does not own us. “By his Passion and death on the cross Christ has given a new meaning to suffering: it can henceforth configure us to him and unite us with his redemptive Passion.” (1505)

You’re Absolved If …

You may think of this sacrament as “last rites,” which was never the name of a sacrament but a term that applied to three particular sacraments offered to a dying person: anointing of the sick, penance, and Communion. Although they are not known as last rites anymore, those three remain the “last sacraments” a dying person receives.

The Who and Why of Anointing

The specific rite for anointing can be traced back to the Letter of St. James:

Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the Church, and they should pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. (James 5:14)

This gives us the starting point for talking about the details of anointing of the sick. First of all, as we discussed earlier, the sacrament of anointing of the sick is exactly that: it is for the sick, not just for the dying. It doesn’t matter how old you are or how young you are (as long as you have attained the use of reason), or what your particular illness might be. If you are seriously ill, you can receive anointing. (1514)

And you are not limited to only one anointing in a lifetime. If you receive anointing of the sick and then recover, you may receive the sacrament again if you become gravely ill or close to death due to old age. Even if you aren’t healed, you may receive the sacrament again if your condition worsens. You may receive it before surgery, for mental or physical suffering, or for any condition that weakens your body or spirit. (1515)

Only priests and bishops can be ministers of anointing of the sick, which can be administered in a church, a hospital, or a family home, for one person or a group of people. (1517)

Typically preceded by an “act of repentance” and the reading of Scripture, the essential rite of anointing of the sick includes the laying on of hands with the recitation of a prayer by the priest. The core action of the sacrament is the anointing of the sick person’s forehead and hands with oil blessed by a bishop or blessed by a priest during the actual celebration of the sacrament. (1518–1519)

Through this anointing, the believer receives strength, peace, and courage “to overcome the difficulties that go with the condition of serious illness or the frailty of old age.” (1520) This does not mean there will be physical healing, although that is possible. Rather, it’s about healing the soul, including the forgiveness of sins. In addition, this sacrament is meant to help sick people link their suffering with the Passion of Jesus Christ. (1521)

Church Speak

Viaticum is the final Communion, or Eucharist, given to a dying person in conjunction with the sacraments of reconciliation and anointing. Given just prior to the moment of “passing over,” the Eucharist takes on increased significance as it prepares the dying person for his or her journey into the next life. (1524)

Finally, anointing of the sick prepares the believer for the next life and completes the journey that began at baptism. The Catechism explains that just as baptism prepares us for new life and confirmation strengthens us for the “combat of this life,” anointing “fortifies” us at the end of our journey. (1523)

The Least You Need to Know

The sacrament of reconciliation and the sacrament of anointing of the sick are known as the sacraments of healing.

The sacrament of reconciliation, also called the sacrament of penance or simply confession, is a way for Catholics to receive forgiveness for their post-baptismal sins.

When you go to confession, you receive a penance, which is usually a series of prayers or actions to help make up for the things done wrong and to re-establish habits befitting a disciple of Christ.

The sacrament of anointing of the sick is for those who are dying as well as those who are suffering either physically or mentally due to serious illness or old age.

Anointing of the sick, which can be received more than once, provides forgiveness of sins, and, when received at the end of life with reconciliation and Eucharist, prepares a Catholic for the journey to the Father.