“In the sacrament of penance the faithful who confess their sins to a legitimate minister, are contrite for them, and having a purpose of amending each, obtain from God through the absolution imparted by the same minister, the forgiveness of sins which they have committed after baptism and, at the same time, are reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by sinning. (CIC, c. 959)” The Church recognizes that even though a person has been washed clean of original sin in Baptism, has received the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation and is nourished with the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, due to concupiscence our human nature remains subject to temptation and its wretched fruit: sin. Thus, the Sacrament of Reconciliation provides us with the merciful encounter of Jesus, through Christ’s chosen priests, so that we can be renewed, refreshed and no longer be impeded by our back story. The amazing gift of freedom from our past to live an unencumbered future in hope and joy is the sure fruit of this sacrament. (See CCC, 1468-1470)
The sacrament can be described by its three common names: Confession, Penance and Reconciliation. Each of these names describes a moment in this Sacrament. A person who is humble enough to recognize they are a sinner and courageous enough to amend their life confesses their sins, does penance and is thus reconciled to God and the Church. (See CCC, 1423-1424) Yet, this sacrament is truly about purification from post-Baptismal sins through the pouring-out of the precious blood of Christ upon the penitent through the ministry of Christ’s ordained priests.
All the Christian faithful are obliged to go to the Sacrament of Penance at least once a year. (CIC, c. 989) Furthermore, to grow in holiness and virtue it is highly recommended that the Christian faithful frequently receive the grace of this sacrament, at least monthly. Lastly, a person is not to receive the Eucharist if they are conscious of grave sin without having previously going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess. (See CIC, c. 916) If confession before receiving the Eucharist is a real impossibility, then one must make a perfect act of contrition and go to the Sacrament of Confession as soon as possible.
Opportunities for the Sacrament of Penance: