Part 111, Chapter VIII: Seven Points to be Observed by Confessors

Seven Points to be Observed by Confessors

IT DOES NOT surprise me that the Holy Ghost, formulating the Apostles' Creed has placed among the great dogmas of faith the mystery expressed in the words, I believe in the remission of sins." This indeed is the purpose and end of all the other mysteries. "This is all the fruit, that the sin thereof should be taken away" (Isa. 27, 9). This is a wonder surpassing all visible miracles performed by Christ on the bodies of men, excelling in the same degree as the soul excells the body and as truth is above the shadow. The miracles performed by the Master on men's bodies were but shadows of those He effects upon their souls i n confession. There the blind are made to see, the lepers are cleansed, and the dead are brought back to life.

0 God, what admirable changes are wrought in men's souls through the Sacrament of Penance! In a moment the soul passes from the depths of evil to the heights of grace, from death to life, from hell to paradise. He who was a slave of the devil becomes a child of God; he who belonged to the Prince of Darkness becomes the possession of the Prince of Light. He who was the abode of the demons passes from an abyss of misery into an ocean of beatitude. 0 loving Saviour, what graces Thou.didst bestow upon us in instituting this Sacrament! How thankful we should be to Thee!

So great is this grace that even if venial sin alone were effaced by the reception of the Sacrament of Penance, that in itself would be more precious than deliverance from all human ills.

What renders this great favor of God so much more bountiful is that He does not content Himself with forgiving sin, but also gives to man this same power. Weak as we are, encompassed with frailty,

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we share the prerogative of God made Man. 0 admirable power of God, shared with His creatures! 0 power divine! Quis potest dimittere peccata nisi solus Deus? (Mark 2, 7).

But the greater the grace, the more rigorous will be the accounting demanded and the more culpable those who make improper use of the Sacrament of Penance. Not one single detail must ever be omitted that might help to exercise the holy ministry worthily. Seven recommendations are appended here.

1. Preparation

If zeal for souls has brought you to the confessional, you will leave nothing undone for the accomplishment of this work. You must see that the penitent begins his confession properly and say yourself the words: Dominus sit in corde tuo, et in labiis tuis, ut rite confitearis omnia peccata tua, i n nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. Open your heart and show the fulness of your desire to help him. Urge him to make three acts: a) an act of renunciation; b) an act of oblation; c) an act of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to the angels and to the saints. These acts. will serve to drive away the evil spirit and open the floodgates of grace.

2. Instruction

All theologians agree that a knowledge of the principal mysteries of religion is necessary to eternal salvation. "This is eternal life that they may know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17, 3). Without this knowledge no one can properly receive the sacrament.

A confessor cannot, without incriminating himself before God, administer the Sacrament of Penance to a person who is ignorant of the fundamental mysteries of our holy faith. The priest must be satisfied therefore that his penitent has a sufficient knowledge of the Blessed Trinity, the Incarnation, Redemption and judgment. He is also obliged by necessity of precept to know and accept the Our Father, the Creed and the Commandments of God and of the Church and whatever is essential to the proper reception of Penance and Holy Eucharist.

3. Interrogation or Examination

The confessor must not be satisfied merely to hear confessions. He must take the trouble to question his penitents, following the experience of so many priests who realize the necessity of such questioning. What excuse could a confessor make if, through his carelessness, certain souls did not fully accuse themselves of their transgressions?

Does not the judge in civil life question the culprit? Why should not the spiritual judge do likewise? Give careful attention to this subject, questioning those whom you believe to be insufficiently prepared.

4. Contrition and Attrition

Perfect contrition, or imperfect, which is attrition, is as essential to the Sacrament of Penance as confession. Consequently, the priest who wishes to apply the fruit of this Sacrament to souls is no less obliged to help them to conceive sorrow for their sins than he is to hear their confession well.

For this purpose, it is necessary to point out to the penitent his principal sins, especially those to which he is most attached or which are most dangerous. Make him see the ugliness of sin. Teach him to know that while in mortal sin he is in the grip of Satan, dead to grace and destined to be damned. Make him realize that there are many in hell who have not fallen so low as he; that he has delivered to Satan his soul that cost so much to the Son of God. For the satisfaction and passing pleasure of a moment, he has doomed himself to suffer hell forever. He has exchanged the eternal for the transitory.

You should also impress upon the penitent that in spite of having received so many graces he has wasted them all, giving his body and Soul to evil, using his faculties to serve Christ's enemies. Every time a sinner commits a mortal sin he crucifies anew the Son of God (Heb. 6,6).

In recalling these things to the sinner, you must be careful not to discourage him, lest he turn completely from God. Let kindness lead him to a realization of his sins. Tell the penitent that he mentions the true state of his soul only in order that he may make an act of perfect

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contrition or at least attrition, either of which must come from God; for it IS a divine gift, man being incapable of supernatural sorrow.

You should urge the sinner to make a firm purpose of amendment and to have a resolute intention of avoiding occasions which have hitherto led him into sin.

5. Remedies

The confessor is not only a teacher, a judge and a mediator; he is also the physician of souls. Consequently, he must not only banish sin from men's souls, but must also apply remedies to prevent its recurrence. He must bind up the wounds of their souls, assuage their spiritual ills and help sinners to recover completely. Likewise, he must suggest preventive methods to ensure their future safety from such hideous diseases of the soul. He must urge them to accept and use the remedies he suggests just as an ordinary doctor would insist that his medicine be taken; he must impress upon them that they are spiritually ill, and that they must use the remedies he is giving them. Otherwise, they will surely die for all eternity.

Six efficacious means are herewith suggested for spiritual patients.

1. Avoid evil companions and places which lead to sin

2. Go to confession and Holy Communion, frequently. Choose a good confessor. Cultivate the Proper dispositions required to draw the fullest fruits from the Sacraments. Have a constant devotion to the Mass. Assist piously at Vespers and listen attentively to the preaching of the Word of God.

3. Before beginning your work in the morning kneel humbly at your bedside and adore God, renewing your good resolutions to avoid sin. At the close of the day, make an examination of conscience; recall your firm determination to overcome sin. Ask the assistance of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of all the saints.

4. Cultivate an ardent devotion to the Mother of God. Since this devotion is of such paramount importance, every confessor should endeavor to implant it firmly in the hearts of his penitents, recommending some particular acts in her honor daily, counselling them to take her as protectress and guide, saying the beads, wearing the scapular;

reciting the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He should also urge them to unite the devotion to St. Joseph to that of Our Lady.

5. Read good books of devotion and piety, such as The Imitation of Christ and the Lives of the Saints. Parents should be reminded of their duty in this respect and see that their children make use of good Catholic literature.

6. In addition to these five means suggested, another most fruitful and salutary practice may be added, the annual retreat. The making of a retreat in a monastery or convent among religious is an excellent aid to piety and a consoling help to persons who are really in earnest about their eternal salvation. The confessor should, therefore, urge his penitents to take advantage of the many closed retreats offered the faithful.

These general remedies being helpful to all are strongly recommended. Almsgiving should also be urged and works of mercy, both spiritual and corporal.

Since these things are all so necessary for conversion, it is obvious that a person who would object to carrying out the confessor's recommendations would lack the proper dispositions for a betterment of life and for the reception of the grace of absolution.

6. Penance and Absolution

The confessor should be mindful of three things in connection with penance and absolution.

First, the penance he gives should be made up of various prayers or acts, for example, five Our Fathers, the beads, a prayer or a psalm, alms deeds, fasting on a certain day or hearing Mass. He should not -confuse the.penitent by giving him a penance made up of a number of these prayers and acts mixed together. Let him rather choose one or other of them.

Secondly, the Council of Trent recommends a penance in conformity with the sins committed and the persons involved, lest confessors, by giving penances which do not suit the gravity of the offence, become participators by connivance in the penitents' sins. St. Charles reminds priests of this same fact when he counsels them to give a penance commensurate with the sin committed, following the custom and prac-

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tice of Sacred Scripture, where we find the guilty obliged to do penance in proportion to their crimes.

Thirdly, the penitent should be exhorted to perform his penance as soon as possible. The priest should encourage him to do the acts or say the prayers with a deep spirit of piety and with a firm resolution not to fall into sin again, and to make voluntary acts of virtue in order to draw greater graces upon himself.

Finally, everything should be done to arouse in his soul a lively sense of sorrow. The confessor must help him to make a fervent act of contrition, assuring him that if he has confessed his sins as well as possible, and has the requisite contrition, his soul will be purified by the absolution he is about to receive, just as truly as if he were to stand in the presence of Jesus Christ Himself and hear from His lips the words of pardon he craves.

The words of absolution must be pronounced with attention and devotion. The priest must be mindful that at the very moment he speaks these precious words, the forgiveness of heaven is granted, the Blood of the Lamb is applied to the penitent, and the life of grace is restored to his soul.

7. After Absolution

First, the confessor must tell the sinner what a great favor he has just received in having his sins forgiven and in being snatched from the jaws of hell. The priest should remind the sinner that a moment ago he was a child of the devil, and now is a son of God, and that the deliverance which has just come to him surpasses even the deliverance of an afflicted man freed from the most grievous sufferings.

Secondly, the priest should exhort the. penitent earnestly not to Waste the grace of God, but to conserve it with fidelity. Then the confessor should make him understand that he should prefer to lose even his most cherished possession rather than separate himself from God again by sin.

Thirdly, the priest should urge him to go to the altar and, kneeling before Our Lord in the blessed Sacrament, he should thank God for His infinite mercy and goodness in having freed him from the fetters of sin. Then, the confessor should have the penitent say a prayer to

the Blessed Virgin Mary to invoke her protection, to thank her for this grace, remembering that all blessings come to us through the hands of Mary.

Every confessor should pray daily for his penitents that they may receive the strength and help they need to live up to the instruction they have received.

The priest should send his penitents away with a wish and a blessing: "Go in peace," or "May God bless you." 167-