Reconciliation
Reconciliation (1 hour including examination)
We are all sinners in need of grace
1. The word 'sin' means to 'miss the mark'. In other words, it means being imperfect.
2. God created us to be in a perfect relationship with him- sinning hurts and eventually kills that relationship. Since God is love, life and truth, sin can eventually kills love, life and truth in us.
3. Just like any relationship, we need to be reconciled to God, and have our relationship restored.
4. God gives us grace, which means he forgives our sins and makes it possible for us to resist sin. Without grace, it would be impossible to not sin- and to sin seriously.
1. St Clement of Alexandria wrote in about 190 AD “A man by himself, working and toiling at freedom from passion, achieves nothing. But if he plainly shows his great desire and complete sincerity in this, he will attain it by the addition of the power of God. Indeed, God conspires with willing souls. But if they abandon their eagerness, the spirit which is bestowed by God is also restrained.”
1. In other words, it is impossible to defeat sin by your own power, but that does not mean that you do nothing and God just does it for you. Grace builds on nature, and God helps those who help themselves. If you want to be free from your sin, God wants to make it happen, and working together you will be!
Jesus instituted the sacrament of penance for the remission of sins. Through this sacrament, and others, you get the grace you need.
1. When Jesus forgave sins, people wee astonished, because no one has the right to do that but God. They didn't realize that Jesus was God. But Jesus passed that power on to his disciples, and so on to the Church.
2. Matthew 16:19 (Jesus speaking to Peter) “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven.”
3. Since the earliest times, Catholics believed that in saying this, Jesus gave the Catholic Church, and the Catholic Church alone, the authority to forgive sins.
1. Tertullian wrote in about 220 AD “'But', you say, 'the Church has the power of forgiving sins.' this I acknowledge.”
2. Firmillian wrote in 256 AD “Therefore the power of forgiving sins was given to the Apostles and to the Churches which these men, sent by Christ, established, and to the Bishops who succeeded them by being ordained in their place.”
some kind of external confession is required.
1. Despite the fact that Jesus gave the Church this power, a lot of people think they can just go straight to God for forgiveness. But the church has always taught that especially in serious matters an external confession is necessary.
2. Tertullian wrote “Thus, confession is a discipline for man's prostration and humiliation....Therefore, while it abases a man, it raises him; while it covers him with squalor, the more does it cleanse him; while it condemns, it absolves. In so far a you do not spare yourself, the more, believe me, will God spare you!”
3. In other words, we may find confession embarrassing- but this is exactly why it is so effective. We have to humble enough to admit, out loud, to another person, all of our sins, so that God can not only forgive us, but also help us to stop sinning.
4. Some people avoid confession because they are embarrassed. Or they don't tell all of their sins, or they kind of gloss over them. They might say stuff like “I was not nice to my sister” or “I didn't use my time well.” in order to say “I bully my sister and take her stuff and put her down in front of her friends, and I look at pornography on the internet and masterbate.” If it is embarassing, it is more important to say it! And you should go at least twice a year.
5. If you want to be right with God, you should go more often- at least once a month. But if you want to be a saint, try to get to confession every week!
Confession made to a priest followed by private penance.
1. On ocaision in the early years, people would say their confession in front of the whole church. And if, the sin was serious enough, they may even have to do some public act of penance. This would mean doing some sort of good work, or fasting, or even wearing sackcloth or something, to make up for the sin.
2. More commonly, confession happened one on one with a priest, like it does now. And your penance would be something less severe for sins that were less severe.
3. One of the Church Fathers, called Aphraates the Persian Sage had this to say about confession; “For anyone who has been wounded in battle ought not be reluctant to put himself in the care of a wise physician, because he was overcome and lost the battle. And when he has been healed, he will not be rejected by the king, but will again be counted and reckoned in his army. So also he who has been struck by Satan ought not be ashamed to bewail his folly, and to give it up, and to seek a remedy in repentance.” In other words, the priest is not going to judge you- he is like a physician, and you like a soldier. You need to keep fighting for God, trying to establish his kingdom on Earth. If you are too ashamed to admit that you are wounded, than you don't give the physician the opportunity to heal you and get you back into battle.
In a little while, you will have the opportunity to go to confession. Priests from all over Alberta will be here. Before hand we will have an examination of conscience, which will allow you to see what areas of your life you have sinned in.
1. We challenge you to take this seriously- this is your chance to be totally cleaned of all the sins you have ever comitted!
2. If you don't know what to do, or if you have never been to confession before, we want you to go anyway, and tell the priest that. He will walk you through, so don't be afraid.
3. Make a real and honest confession- don't leave anything out, or try to gloss over your sins so it is less embarrassing. That way you will receive a fuller healing.
4. Priests do this every day. They will not be surprised by your sins, or even likely remember them. They will not judge you, and are absolutely forbidden to tell anyone or treat you any differently for what you said!
1. Even if you confessed that you conspired with a terrorist who was going to hijack a plane and crash it into the Sears tower, the priest could do nothing to prevent this from happening! (But once you have repented, maybe you should do something!)
We are all sinners in need of grace
1. The word 'sin' means to 'miss the mark'. In other words, it means being imperfect.
2. God created us to be in a perfect relationship with him- sinning hurts and eventually kills that relationship. Since God is love, life and truth, sin can eventually kills love, life and truth in us.
3. Just like any relationship, we need to be reconciled to God, and have our relationship restored.
4. God gives us grace, which means he forgives our sins and makes it possible for us to resist sin. Without grace, it would be impossible to not sin- and to sin seriously.
1. St Clement of Alexandria wrote in about 190 AD “A man by himself, working and toiling at freedom from passion, achieves nothing. But if he plainly shows his great desire and complete sincerity in this, he will attain it by the addition of the power of God. Indeed, God conspires with willing souls. But if they abandon their eagerness, the spirit which is bestowed by God is also restrained.”
1. In other words, it is impossible to defeat sin by your own power, but that does not mean that you do nothing and God just does it for you. Grace builds on nature, and God helps those who help themselves. If you want to be free from your sin, God wants to make it happen, and working together you will be!
Jesus instituted the sacrament of penance for the remission of sins. Through this sacrament, and others, you get the grace you need.
1. When Jesus forgave sins, people wee astonished, because no one has the right to do that but God. They didn't realize that Jesus was God. But Jesus passed that power on to his disciples, and so on to the Church.
2. Matthew 16:19 (Jesus speaking to Peter) “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven.”
3. Since the earliest times, Catholics believed that in saying this, Jesus gave the Catholic Church, and the Catholic Church alone, the authority to forgive sins.
1. Tertullian wrote in about 220 AD “'But', you say, 'the Church has the power of forgiving sins.' this I acknowledge.”
2. Firmillian wrote in 256 AD “Therefore the power of forgiving sins was given to the Apostles and to the Churches which these men, sent by Christ, established, and to the Bishops who succeeded them by being ordained in their place.”
some kind of external confession is required.
1. Despite the fact that Jesus gave the Church this power, a lot of people think they can just go straight to God for forgiveness. But the church has always taught that especially in serious matters an external confession is necessary.
2. Tertullian wrote “Thus, confession is a discipline for man's prostration and humiliation....Therefore, while it abases a man, it raises him; while it covers him with squalor, the more does it cleanse him; while it condemns, it absolves. In so far a you do not spare yourself, the more, believe me, will God spare you!”
3. In other words, we may find confession embarrassing- but this is exactly why it is so effective. We have to humble enough to admit, out loud, to another person, all of our sins, so that God can not only forgive us, but also help us to stop sinning.
4. Some people avoid confession because they are embarrassed. Or they don't tell all of their sins, or they kind of gloss over them. They might say stuff like “I was not nice to my sister” or “I didn't use my time well.” in order to say “I bully my sister and take her stuff and put her down in front of her friends, and I look at pornography on the internet and masterbate.” If it is embarassing, it is more important to say it! And you should go at least twice a year.
5. If you want to be right with God, you should go more often- at least once a month. But if you want to be a saint, try to get to confession every week!
Confession made to a priest followed by private penance.
1. On ocaision in the early years, people would say their confession in front of the whole church. And if, the sin was serious enough, they may even have to do some public act of penance. This would mean doing some sort of good work, or fasting, or even wearing sackcloth or something, to make up for the sin.
2. More commonly, confession happened one on one with a priest, like it does now. And your penance would be something less severe for sins that were less severe.
3. One of the Church Fathers, called Aphraates the Persian Sage had this to say about confession; “For anyone who has been wounded in battle ought not be reluctant to put himself in the care of a wise physician, because he was overcome and lost the battle. And when he has been healed, he will not be rejected by the king, but will again be counted and reckoned in his army. So also he who has been struck by Satan ought not be ashamed to bewail his folly, and to give it up, and to seek a remedy in repentance.” In other words, the priest is not going to judge you- he is like a physician, and you like a soldier. You need to keep fighting for God, trying to establish his kingdom on Earth. If you are too ashamed to admit that you are wounded, than you don't give the physician the opportunity to heal you and get you back into battle.
In a little while, you will have the opportunity to go to confession. Priests from all over Alberta will be here. Before hand we will have an examination of conscience, which will allow you to see what areas of your life you have sinned in.
1. We challenge you to take this seriously- this is your chance to be totally cleaned of all the sins you have ever comitted!
2. If you don't know what to do, or if you have never been to confession before, we want you to go anyway, and tell the priest that. He will walk you through, so don't be afraid.
3. Make a real and honest confession- don't leave anything out, or try to gloss over your sins so it is less embarrassing. That way you will receive a fuller healing.
4. Priests do this every day. They will not be surprised by your sins, or even likely remember them. They will not judge you, and are absolutely forbidden to tell anyone or treat you any differently for what you said!
1. Even if you confessed that you conspired with a terrorist who was going to hijack a plane and crash it into the Sears tower, the priest could do nothing to prevent this from happening! (But once you have repented, maybe you should do something!)
posted by Peter van Kampen at 9:08 AM
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