In light of several missives I’ve received – probably because of news about a recent confusing document – I reiterate hereunder what the Church holds to be true about the Sacrament of Penance, or Reconciliation.
From Ott’s Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma with my emphases:
§ 19. The Recipient of the Sacrament of Penance
The Sacrament of Penance can be received by any baptised person, who, after Baptism, has committed a grievous or a venial sin. (De fide.) D 911, 917.
According to the sententia communis the three acts of contrition, confession of sins and satisfaction, which form the matter of the Sacrament, are necessary for the valid reception of the Sacrament of Penance. For worthy reception the disposition of contrition is necessary in addition to faith. As this is an essential constituent part of the matter, worthy reception coincides with the valid reception.
Contrition is a necessary, constituent part of the Sacrament. Contrition consists of three acts of the will: grief of soul, detestation, intention. The intention of sinning no more is an obvious part of true sorrow for having sinned. If there is no intention of amendment of life there is no true contrition. In the absence of that intention, the sacrament absolution is not valid because the person is not disposed to receive it.
Contrition can be more perfect (sorrow for sins because of love of God), or less perfect (sorrow for sins because of fear of Hell). Either of these are sufficient for valid reception of absolution. When contrition is less perfect, it is often called attrition.
Perfect contrition bestows the grace of justification on the mortal sinner even before the actual reception of the Sacrament of Penance. However, the extra-sacramental justification is effected by perfect sorrow only when it is associated with the desire for the Sacrament. (De fide.) Again, there must be detestation of sin and the intention of amendment.
Moreover, the Church’s power to forgive sins extends to all sin without exception. (De fide.) This means that there is no sin that we little mortals can commit that is so bad that God with His infinite power cannot forgive. The Church’s ministers of this Sacrament (bishops and priests with faculties) absolve with Christ’s own power.
HIS DICTIS…
A Catholic who is properly disposed can receive Holy Communion. We are body and soul. We are disposed in body by the Eucharistic fast (though certain circumstances mitigate this obligation). We are disposed in soul by being in the state of grace (knowing you are not in the state of grace means no Communion). Improper reception of Holy Communion, knowing and willed, is the sin of sacrilege. It is very grave because the Eucharist is the most sacred of all possible things, the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ.
There is no greater gift than the opportunity to receive Communion in the state of grace.
Hence, we see the necessary connection between the Sacrament of Penance and any hope for a Eucharistic Renewal. Moreover, we understand that any Catholic, regardless of past sins and present state of life, can receive Communion with the sole caveat that care must be take to avoid any scandal or confusion.
With these few basic principles pretty much every “what if…” can be resolved without too much effort.
Examine your consciences and GO TO CONFESSION.
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I recently discovered Prummer’s “Handbook of Moral Theology”. I would have previously thought I was pretty well versed in the necessary Catholic books, but this was totally off my radar, and wow is it great.
For us wanna-be ossified manualists, what is the short lists of manuals to have on your bookshelf?
For those of us not abreast with all the goings-on, what document is it that has prompted these queries? It would be beneficial to know, at least for the sake of recognising it and any advice that might spring forth from it.
If a priest uses an invalid formula ie “ May God forgive your sins “. – I know it’s not valid but if someone dies after receiving the sacrament where the priest uses such a formula are they still in a state of mortal sin or does their desire for absolution confer the grace of the sacrament? (Yes , it’s an actual situation in my diocese) Thank you very much.
[If it isn’t valid, then it isn’t a sacrament. It is something else. And I believe God is merciful.]
I think the more pressing problem in the situation the dear andia wrote is not what happens if, after such a Confession, you die immediately. Well, you tried on your part to Confess, and as part of that invoked contrition anyway.
The more pressing problems are:
1. You came out trying to Confess a certainly mortal sin… but still cannot Communicate.
2. You came out trying to Confess something certainly sinful, and certainly repented of, but you’d like to spare yourself the burden of precisely judging whether it was mortal or not. Can you Communitcate?
3. You go to Confession again, and now you have to remember all the mortal sins from the attempted Confession, and all the possibly mortal certainly at least venial sins. And I don’t mean it’s a problem that you might forget some; there is a failsafe against that: Sins forgotten are forgiven at Confession. But I do think you have an obligation to try to remember; and, with all this being “that priest’s fault and not mine” (which may soon become “the priests’ fault and not mine” in one’s thinking), the temptation might be hard to not even try.
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