Section 5: Penance

1. NECESSITY OF THIS SACRAMENT. —The Sacrament of Penance (sacramentum poenitentiae sive reconciliationis) is the normal means by which a Catholic who has committed mortal sin after Baptism can recover sanctifying grace. To receive this Sacrament, actually or at least in desire (in re aut in voto), is as necessary for persons guilty of mortal sin as Baptism is for those still in the state of original sin. This is but another way of saying that for all Christians guilty of mortal sin Penance is a necessary means of salvation (necessitas medii).¹ Christ has instituted this Sacrament for the forgiveness of sins, and hence perfect contrition without at least the votum sacramenti cannot justify a sinner, for contrition, to be truly perfect, must include the desire of employing the divinely ordained means of reconciliation, i. e., the Sacrament of Penance.² Justly, therefore, is Penance called "the second plank after shipwreck." ³

¹ Conc. Trident., Sess. XIV, De Poenit., c. 2, can. 6 (Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 895, 915); St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 3a, qu. 84, art. 5.

² Cfr. John XX, 21-23; Conc. Trident., Sess. XIV, De Poenit., c. i and 4 (Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 135 894, 897 sq.).

³ St. Jerome, In Is., II, c. 3: "The second plank after shipwreck and consolation in miseries is to hide one’s impiety." (Migne, P. L., XXIV, 65).—IDEM, Epist., 130 (a/. 8), n. 9: "But let us remain ignorant of penance, lest we sin readily. Let it be, as it were, a second plank after shipwreck for the wretched; in a virgin let the ship be preserved intact. It is one thing to seek what you have lost, another to possess what you have never lost." (P. L., XXII, 1115). —Cfr. Conc. Trident., Sess. XIV, De Poenit., can. 2 (Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 912). —Cat. Rom., P. II, c. 5, qu. 1. —Peter Lombard, Sent., IV, dist. 14, p. 1. —St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 3a, qu. 84, art. 6. —St. Bonaventure, Breviloquium, P. VI, c. 10 (ed. II, Vicetia. p. 531).—Pohle- Preuss, The Sacraments, Vol. III, and ed., p. 73.

2. DUTY OF RECEIVING THIS SACRAMENT. —From the fact that Penance is by divine right necessary for all who have fallen into mortal sin, it follows that a Catholic is bound to receive this Sacrament —a) When he has had the misfortune of committing a mortal sin. Consciously and voluntarily to remain in the state of mortal sin is incompatible with the virtue of charity towards God, shows contempt for grace, and runs counter to Christian self-love, because the sinner thereby incapacitates himself for the performance of any and all meritorious works and endangers his soul.⁴ Hence it is advisable to go to confession as soon as possible after falling into mortal sin.⁵

⁴ Conc. Trident., Sess. XIV, De Poenit., can. i (Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 911). —St. Thomas, Summa Theol., 3a, Suppl., qu. 6, art. 5.

⁵ Cfr. St. Bonaventure, Comment, in Sent., IV, dist. 17, qu. 2, p. 2: "Yet I believe it sound counsel that all who fall through mortal sin confess as soon as they can; for one who carries the wound of sin hidden for so long does not seem truly contrite. To assert generally of such persons that they can defer until Easter seems dangerous to me." (Opera Omnia, IV, 445 sq.).

All sins committed after Baptism are matter (materia remota et removenda) for Penance. Mortal sins alone are necessary matter (materia necessaria). Therefore, one who is conscious of venial sins only, is not per se bound to receive the Sacrament, for venial sins can be expiated by other means besides Penance.⁶ Nevertheless, venial sins are admissible and sufficient matter (materia liber a sen sufficiens) for confession, and it is advisable to include them, as the Sacrament of Penance is the best and most efficacious means of obtaining forgiveness of them, for two reasons:—first, because men are easily deceived as to the character of certain sins, and, secondly, because Penance serves not merely to blot out sin and sanctify the soul, but also to instruct, console, and encourage the sinner, and thus aids him on the way to perfection.

⁶ Conc. Trident., Sess. XIV, De Poenit,, c. 5, can. 6 (Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 899 sqq., 916); Pohle- Preuss, The Sacraments, Vol. III, 62 sq. —Gopfert, Moraltheologie, Vol. III, 4th ed., p. 150.

A Catholic is furthermore bound to receive this Sacrament, b) When he is laden with mortal sin and in danger of death, or when he is conscious of being in the state of mortal sin and wishes to receive a Sacrament of the living; or c) When he is commanded to do so by an ecclesiastical precept (iure ecclesiastico). The Third Commandment of the Church says that every Catholic should worthily confess his sins at least once a year to a duly ordained priest.⁷ Of course, this binds only those who have committed mortal sin.⁸ No definite time is assigned for the fulfillment of this obligation, but the Church recommends that it be done in Lent. As a rule the annual confession is made in connection with the prescribed paschal Communion. Frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance may be recommended as a most effective protection against sin and a powerful means of perfection.⁹

⁷ See A. Villien, A History of the Commandments of the Church, pp. 151 sqq.

⁸ Slater, Moral Theol., I, 576 sa.; infra, p. 152.

⁹ Cat. Rom., P. II, c. 5, qu. 46. Ph. Scharsch, Die Devotionsbeichte, 3rd ed., Leipsic 1920.

3. REQUISITES OF WORTHY RECEPTION. —Penance is described by the Fathers as "a laborious Baptism." ¹⁰ As such it demands a larger measure of personal cooperation on the part of the recipient than any other Sacrament. Whoever wishes to receive this Sacrament worthily must practice the virtue of penance or repentance ** and confess his mortal sins, or, as the case may be, one or more venial sins. More specifically, he must make an act of contrition coupled with a firm purpose of amendment (contritio cordis), confess his sins to a duly authorized priest (confessio oris), and accept and perform the satisfaction imposed (satisfactio operis). Not all of these conditions, however, are of equal importance. Actual satisfaction belongs merely to the integrity of the Sacrament, whereas contrition, confession, and absolution are of its very essence. ¹² The Catechism of Trent says: "In the general opinion of the pious, whatever of holiness, piety, and religion has been preserved in the Church in our times, through the boundless beneficence of God, is to be ascribed in a great measure to confession.”¹³ The same authority describes Penance as " this citadel, so to speak, of Christian virtue," and adds that, though sins are cancelled by perfect contrition, few can reach a sufficient degree of contrition, and consequently it was "necessary that the Lord, in His infinite mercy, should provide by some easier means for the common salvation of men; and this He did, in His admirable wisdom, when He gave to the Church the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven." ¹⁴ READINGS. —St. Thomas, Summa Theologica, 3a, qu. 84-90. —P. Schanz, Die Lehre von den hl. Sakramenten, pp. 535 sqq. —Chr. Pesch, S.J., Praelectiones Dogmaticae, Vol. VIII, 2nd ed., pp. 4 sqq. —Pohle-Preuss, The Sacraments, Vol. III, Penance, pp. 130 sqq. —F. X. Zenner, Instructio Practica Confessarii, Vienna 1857. —F. Lorinser, Die Lehre von der Verwaltung des hl. Bussakramentes, 2nd ed., Breslau 1883. —J. Reuter, S.J., Neoconfessarius Practice Instructus, 4th ed. by J. Mullendorf, Ratisbon 1006. —A. Tappehorn, Anleitung zur Verwaltung des Bussakramentes, 5th ed., Diilmen 1908. —D. Palmieri, Tractatus de Poenitentia, Rome 1879.

¹⁰ See Pohle-Preuss, The Sacraments, Vol. III, p. 73. ll Cfr. op. cit., pp. i sqq.

¹² Conc. Trident., Sess. XIV, De Poenit., c. 2 and 3, can. 4 (Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 895 sqq., 914). —Cat. Rom., P. II, c. 5, qu. 20. — Error. M. Lutheri damnat. a Leone X., prop. 5 (Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 745). —Pohle-Preuss, The Sacraments, Vol. III, pp. 132 sqq. —B. Pascal, Pensées, P. I, a. 5, n. 8 (Vol. I, Paris 1812, pp. 194 »qq.).— J. A. Moehler, Symbolism (tr. Robertson), 5th ed., London 1906, pp. 223 sqq. —Noldin, Summa Theol. Mor., Vol. III, pp. 349 sqq.

¹³ Cat. Rom., P. II, c. 5, qu. 36 (a/. 32); A. Kirchberger, Der gldvtbige Protestant und die Beichte, Innsbruck 1906.

¹⁴ Cat. Rom., ibid.