The sacrament of reconciliation

by Gabriele Cantaluppi

In 1989, with the letter Aspects of Christian Meditation, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith warned of the difficulty of standardizing Christian and non-Christian styles of meditation. Again in 2003, in A Christian reflection on the “New Age”, the Pontifical Council for Culture recalled that «the Church avoids any concept that is similar to those of the New Age». Ultimately, you warn yourself against the temptation, however tempting, to go directly to God, giving yourself spiritual journey programs in a purely subjective way, without comparing yourself with anyone. The individual claims to be a priest of himself, to have knowledge that he has of God and to save himself by dint of concentration, rituals and good feelings. Saint Paul had already had to remind the Christians of the Colossi community on this aspect, in the letter written during his imprisonment in Rome. Even writing to Timothy "There is only one God, and there is only one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus", he states categorically, definitively setting aside any mythical conception of religion.

Inviting us to welcome God's mercy, Pope Francis recently recalled that the forgiveness of sins is not "the fruit of our efforts, but a gift of the Holy Spirit, who heals us". In the Gospel, forgiveness and healing from infirmities always imply physical contact with Jesus and he wanted the Apostles, to whom he entrusted his powers, to do the same. They take his place, to maintain his contact with man, so that grace can really touch us and not just mentally: "Receive the Holy Spirit: whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven, and whose sins you will not forgive." it is necessary, it is always Pope Francis, to "touch the greatness of mercy". Claiming to receive forgiveness "directly", without the direct path of the sacraments to meet Christ, is in reality forgiving oneself, believing one can justify oneself by trusting in the good thoughts or good feelings one may have, without objective guarantee. Certainly these are important, as they were for those who threw themselves at the feet of Jesus, but what is essential for them and for us is the encounter, getting on our knees and letting Christ say: "I forgive you", through the voice of those who have received this power from him. Surely the starting point towards the sacrament of reconciliation is to mature repentance. But the meeting is essential, getting on your knees and letting Christ tell me: "I forgive you". Zacchaeus changed and felt forgiven the moment Jesus entered his house. And it is also an unfair claim. The Pope recalls again: «One can say: I confess only to God. Yes, you can say to God 'forgive me'... but our sins are also against our brothers, against the Church. For this reason it is necessary to ask forgiveness from the Church, from the brothers, in the person of the priest." The priest is not there to carry out an investigation into our sins, but to tell us to what extent God loves us, to concretely help us recover and find the means not to fall back. Jesus, the only Mediator between God and men, showed that with his coming the reconciliation of sinners with God is no longer a celestial and inaccessible reality, but has become an event in history, because "the Son of Man has the power to forgive sins." The priests almost "embody" him, because, by becoming man, the risen Christ does not want to give up this contact between man and man. Approaching the Sacrament of Reconciliation implies feeling a certain shame: but «Shame is also good, it is healthy to have a little shame... Shame is good, because it makes us more humble». «There is no sin that God cannot forgive – continues Pope Francis. – Only those who have withdrawn from divine mercy cannot be forgiven, just as those who withdraw from the sun cannot be enlightened or warmed." Indeed, he does more: «With his love he tells us that precisely when we recognize our sins and ask for forgiveness, there is celebration in Heaven. Jesus celebrates: this is his mercy." The sacrament of Confession is a hand extended to the brother to accompany him in his conformity to Christ: «Neither the wide-sleeved confessor nor a rigid confessor is merciful. The first, because he says: “Go ahead, this is not a sin, go, go!”. The other because he says: “No, the law says…”. But neither of them treats the penitent as a brother, takes him by the hand and accompanies him on his conversion journey! Mercy means taking care of your brother or sister and helping them to walk." For this reason, Pope Francis invites confessors to consider sinners "sacred land... to be cultivated", respectful of the dignity and personal history of each one, ensuring that "everyone should leave the confessional with happiness in their hearts, with a face radiant with hope". Our Don Guanella echoes him: «The priest confessor gives him two looks of ineffable sweetness and says: "I absolve you of your sins".