Page 23 - Venture - Program Preview

Praise and Celebrate
God’s Word, speaking with God, and dining at God’s table?
7. What Are the Sacraments of Healing?
The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (or Confession) and the Anointing of the Sick continue Jesus’ work of healing and saving the world through the power of the Holy Spirit.
8. What Happens in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation?
You will recall that Baptism forgives all sin. But what can a person who commits sin after being baptized do? That person can seek forgiveness
in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, also called Confession. The Lord has provided this sacrament as a way for people to return to
God and the Church whenever they have failed to keep their baptismal promises.
Those receiving this sacrament must take four steps. First, they must be sincerely sorry for their sins and have the firm purpose of sinning no more. Second, they must confess their sins to a priest. Third, they
must be willing to make amends for harm caused by the sins committed.
Fourth, they must receive absolution, or forgiveness, from the priest. In
the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the priest forgives sins in the name and person of Christ himself, just as the priest who consecrates the bread and wine at Mass does so through the power of Christ.
A person prepares mentally and spiritually for this sacrament just as an athlete prepares physically for a game. To get ready for confession, a person examines his or her conscience. That means to recall all the sins committed since his or her last confession. In doing so, the person must take special notice of any mortal sins because these must be confessed to the priest.
A mortal sin is any serious sin committed while knowing how wrong the sin is. An obvious example of
a mortal sin is intentionally killing someone, although other mortal sins include lying about another in court or stealing all the money another has to live on. Less serious offenses are called venial sins. These might include such things as hitting someone in anger, lying about something small, or stealing a small sum of money.
The Church recommends, but does not demand, that venial sins also be confessed.
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