Weaponizing the Sacrament of Reconciliation

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I was reflecting on Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians (5:14-21) and I had a thought.  

This section is about reconciliation.  God has reconciled us to himself through Jesus, "entrusting to us the message of reconciliation . . . so we are ambassadors for Christ . . ."

Uh oh.

It seems that ambassadors for Christ who are entrusted with a message of reconciliation, need to be reconciled themselves in order to effectively lead others.  I would like to talk a little about what reconciliation is, and what weaponizing it looks like (which is never a good thing.)

By way of explanation, the Sacrament of Reconciliation itself--which baptized Catholics enjoy--is an opportunity to take our sins to God and seek forgiveness.  In doing this, there is the assumption that we are sorry for our sins and believe in God's mercy which brings about reconciliation through the ministry of the priesthood.

I know that is a mouthful, but stay with me . . .

The danger of weaponizing this sacrament comes in the form of how it is "used."  If you are told that you need to go to Confession (another name for the sacrament) only so you can go to Holy Communion, but you do not understand how you have sinned, nor do you believe you have sinned (and therefore are not sorry for it and denying it), we have a problem.

In order for this sacrament to "work," the penitent (the sinner) needs to accept that they have sinned and have true sorrow for it, along with the desire to turn away from it.

The sacrament itself reconciles us not only to God, but to our faith community and the Church as a whole.  Maybe this description from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) will be helpful:

This is a sacrament of conversion, penance and confession. (CCC 1423-1424 +)

Conversion is the first part. "Conversion of the heart, interior conversion." (CCC 1430)

Then the interior penance comes, with the desire to reorient your whole life. (CCC 1431)

And then, of course, forgiveness through Confession (CCC 1446)

If someone threatens you with eternal damnation unless you go to Confession because of your sin(s), pay careful attention to the three parts of this sacrament. Have you reflected on your sin(s), do you have true sorrow for them and a desire for genuine conversion?

Or are you just going out of fear?  Admittedly, fear isn't a terrible thing and it can be a good motivator, but fear by itself without conversion, reorientation and a desire for forgiveness, is just empty.

Without these, going to Confession for a quid pro quo to get you into that Communion line because someone scared you into it, is not healthy.  Whoever has helped you identify the sin and encouraged you to go to Confession, needs to walk you through the reality of conversion.  They need to walk with you toward understanding and sorrow.  Of course, full conversion need not be completed prior to going to the sacrament, but a desire for change is key.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is powerful, comforting and a very real encounter with the living God.  Approaching it honestly and as often as is needed, is important.  It is not just a nice thing to do.  It is not simply a ritual to make us feel good.  True forgiveness can take place when authentically sought.

If you are reading this but you are not Catholic, and you have heard lots of scary things about this sacrament, learn the truth about it, not what others think it is about.  Penitents are not there for a scolding or to be humiliated or punished.  We come to the sacrament out of love, and in the best way, we receive God's love.

If this sparks an interest in you, why not contact your local, friendly Catholic Church and talk to someone about it.  Of course, feel free to email me as well, anytime (jmctm2@gmail.com) with any of your questions or comments.

Janet Cassidy
Facebook link:  https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/

 





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