1846 The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God’s mercy to sinners.113 The angel announced to Joseph: “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”114 The same is true of the Eucharist, the sacrament of redemption: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”115
1847 “God created us without us: but he did not will to save us without us.”116 To receive his mercy, we must admit our faults. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”117
1848 As St. Paul affirms, “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.”118 But to do its work grace must uncover sin so as to convert our hearts and bestow on us “righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ ourLord.”119 Like a physician who probes the wound before treating it, God, by his Word and by his Spirit, casts a living light on sin:
Conversion requires convincing of sin; it includes the interior judgment of conscience, and this, being a proof of the action of the Spirit of truth in man’s inmost being, becomes at the same time the start of a new grant of grace and love: “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Thus in this “convincing concerning sin” we discover a double gift: the gift of the truth of conscience and the gift of the certainty of redemption. the Spirit of truth is the Consoler.120
1849 Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as “an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law.”121
1850 Sin is an offense against God: “Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight.”122 Sin sets itself against God’s love for us and turns our hearts away from it. Like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God through the will to become “like gods,”123 knowing and determining good and evil. Sin is thus “love of oneself even to contempt of God.”124 In this proud self-exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the obedience of Jesus, which achieves our salvation.125
1851 It is precisely in the Passion, when the mercy of Christ is about to vanquish it, that sin most clearly manifests its violence and its many forms: unbelief, murderous hatred, shunning and mockery by the leaders and the people, Pilate’s cowardice and the cruelty of the soldiers, Judas’ betrayal – so bitter to Jesus, Peter’s denial and the disciples’ flight. However, at the very hour of darkness, the hour of the prince of this world,126 The sacrifice of Christ secretly becomes the source from which the forgiveness of our sins will pour forth inexhaustibly.
1852 There are a great many kinds of sins. Scripture provides several lists of them. the Letter to the Galatians contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit: “Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.”127
1853 Sins can be distinguished according to their objects, as can every human act; or according to the virtues they oppose, by excess or defect; or according to the commandments they violate. They can also be classed according to whether they concern God, neighbor, or oneself; they can be divided into spiritual and carnal sins, or again as sins in thought, word, deed, or omission. the root of sin is in the heart of man, in his free will, according to the teaching of the Lord: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a man.”128 But in the heart also resides charity, the source of the good and pure works, which sin wounds.
1854 Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. the distinction between mortal and venial sin, already evident in Scripture,129 became part of the tradition of the Church. It is corroborated by human experience.
1855 Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God’s law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him. Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it.
1856 Mortal sin, by attacking the vital principle within us – that is, charity – necessitates a new initiative of God’s mercy and a conversion of heart which is normally accomplished within the setting of the sacrament of reconciliation:
When the will sets itself upon something that is of its nature incompatible with the charity that orients man toward his ultimate end, then the sin is mortal by its very object . . . whether it contradicts the love of God, such as blasphemy or perjury, or the love of neighbor, such as homicide or adultery…. But when the sinner’s will is set upon something that of its nature involves a disorder, but is not opposed to the love of God and neighbor, such as thoughtless chatter or immoderate laughter and the like, such sins are venial.130
1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: “Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.”131
1858 Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: “Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother.”132 The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger.
1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart133 do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.
1860 Unintentional ignorance can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense. But no one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which are written in the conscience of every man. the promptings of feelings and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders. Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest.
1861 Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ’s kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God.
1862 One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.
1863 Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul’s progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin. However venial sin does not set us in direct opposition to the will and friendship of God; it does not break the covenant with God. With God’s grace it is humanly reparable. “Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently eternal happiness.”134
While he is in the flesh, man cannot help but have at least some light sins. But do not despise these sins which we call “light”: if you take them for light when you weigh them, tremble when you count them. A number of light objects makes a great mass; a number of drops fills a river; a number of grains makes a heap. What then is our hope? Above all, confession.135
1864 “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.”136 There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit.137 Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss.
Original Sin (Aquinas 101)
What is sin? Feeling Broken? How to Find True Happiness | Fr. Mike Schmitz | SEEK25
What’s the Difference Between Mortal and Venial Sins? (Aquinas 101)
Mortal vs Venial Sin | What’s the Difference?
Do We Really Inherit Original Sin from Adam and Eve? (Aquinas 101)
Bishop Barron on Original Sin
Why Confess Your Sins to a Priest? (Aquinas 101)
Cardinal Arinze clearly explains Mortal Sin
Mortal vs. Venial Sin
WHAT REALLY HAPPENS WHEN WE SIN – MINUTE 9’44
DIFFERENT PARTS OF SIN
LOS 3 PECADOS – EJERCICIOS ESPIRITUALES DE SAN IGNACIO DE LOYOLA
1440 Sin is before all else an offense against God, a rupture of communion with him. At the same time it damages communion with the Church. For this reason conversion entails both God’s forgiveness and reconciliation with the Church, which are expressed and accomplished liturgically by the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.38
Only God forgives sin
1441 Only God forgives sins.39 Since he is the Son of God, Jesus says of himself, “The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” and exercises this divine power: “Your sins are forgiven.”40 Further, by virtue of his divine authority he gives this power to men to exercise in his name.41
1442 Christ has willed that in her prayer and life and action his whole Church should be the sign and instrument of the forgiveness and reconciliation that he acquired for us at the price of his blood. But he entrusted the exercise of the power of absolution to the apostolic ministry which he charged with the “ministry of reconciliation.”42 The apostle is sent out “on behalf of Christ” with “God making his appeal” through him and pleading: “Be reconciled to God.”43
Reconciliation with the Church
1443 During his public life Jesus not only forgave sins, but also made plain the effect of this forgiveness: he reintegrated forgiven sinners into the community of the People of God from which sin had alienated or even excluded them. A remarkable sign of this is the fact that Jesus receives sinners at his table, a gesture that expresses in an astonishing way both God’s forgiveness and the return to the bosom of the People of God.44
1444 In imparting to his apostles his own power to forgive sins the Lord also gives them the authority to reconcile sinners with the Church. This ecclesial dimension of their task is expressed most notably in Christ’s solemn words to Simon Peter: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”45 “The office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of the apostles united to its head.”46
1445 The words bind and loose mean: whomever you exclude from your communion, will be excluded from communion with God; whomever you receive anew into your communion, God will welcome back into his. Reconciliation with the Church is inseparable from reconciliation with God.
The sacrament of forgiveness
1446 Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. the Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as “the second plank [of salvation] after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace.”47
1447 Over the centuries the concrete form in which the Church has exercised this power received from the Lord has varied considerably. During the first centuries the reconciliation of Christians who had committed particularly grave sins after their Baptism (for example, idolatry, murder, or adultery) was tied to a very rigorous discipline, according to which penitents had to do public penance for their sins, often for years, before receiving reconciliation. To this “order of penitents” (which concerned only certain grave sins), one was only rarely admitted and in certain regions only once in a lifetime. During the seventh century Irish missionaries, inspired by the Eastern monastic tradition, took to continental Europe the “private” practice of penance, which does not require public and prolonged completion of penitential works before reconciliation with the Church. From that time on, the sacrament has been performed in secret between penitent and priest. This new practice envisioned the possibility of repetition and so opened the way to a regular frequenting of this sacrament. It allowed the forgiveness of grave sins and venial sins to be integrated into one sacramental celebration. In its main lines this is the form of penance that the Church has practiced down to our day.
1448 Beneath the changes in discipline and celebration that this sacrament has undergone over the centuries, the same fundamental structure is to be discerned. It comprises two equally essential elements: on the one hand, the acts of the man who undergoes conversion through the action of the Holy Spirit: namely, contrition, confession, and satisfaction; on the other, God’s action through the intervention of the Church. the Church, who through the bishop and his priests forgives sins in the name of Jesus Christ and determines the manner of satisfaction, also prays for the sinner and does penance with him. Thus the sinner is healed and re-established in ecclesial communion.
1449 The formula of absolution used in the Latin Church expresses the essential elements of this sacrament: the Father of mercies is the source of all forgiveness. He effects the reconciliation of sinners through the Passover of his Son and the gift of his Spirit, through the prayer and ministry of the Church:
God, the Father of mercies,
through the death and the resurrection of his Son
has reconciled the world to himself
and sent the Holy Spirit among us
for the forgiveness of sins;
through the ministry of the Church
may God give you pardon and peace,
and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.48
1450 “Penance requires . . . the sinner to endure all things willingly, be contrite of heart, confess with the lips, and practice complete humility and fruitful satisfaction.”49
Contrition
1451 Among the penitent’s acts contrition occupies first place. Contrition is “sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again.”50
1452 When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.51
1453 The contrition called “imperfect” (or “attrition”) is also a gift of God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is born of the consideration of sin’s ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner (contrition of fear). Such a stirring of conscience can initiate an interior process which, under the prompting of grace, will be brought to completion by sacramental absolution. By itself however, imperfect contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance.52
1454 The reception of this sacrament ought to be prepared for by an examination of conscience made in the light of the Word of God. the passages best suited to this can be found in the moral catechesis of the Gospels and the apostolic Letters, such as the Sermon on the Mount and the apostolic teachings.53
The confession of sins
1455 The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others. Through such an admission man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby opens himself again to God and to the communion of the Church in order to make a new future possible.
1456 Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance: “All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secret and have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are committed openly.”54
When Christ’s faithful strive to confess all the sins that they can remember, they undoubtedly place all of them before the divine mercy for pardon. But those who fail to do so and knowingly withhold some, place nothing before the divine goodness for remission through the mediation of the priest, “for if the sick person is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor, the medicine cannot heal what it does not know.”55
1457 According to the Church’s command, “after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year.”56 Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unless he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to confession.57 Children must go to the sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time.58
1458 Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church.59 Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the Father’s mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful:60
Whoever confesses his sins . . . is already working with God. God indicts your sins; if you also indict them, you are joined with God. Man and sinner are, so to speak, two realities: when you hear “man” – this is what God has made; when you hear “sinner” – this is what man himself has made. Destroy what you have made, so that God may save what he has made …. When you begin to abhor what you have made, it is then that your good works are beginning, since you are accusing yourself of your evil works. the beginning of good works is the confession of evil works. You do the truth and come to the light.61
Satisfaction
1459 Many sins wrong our neighbor. One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return stolen goods, restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for injuries). Simple justice requires as much. But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God and neighbor. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused.62 Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: he must “make satisfaction for” or “expiate” his sins. This satisfaction is also called “penance.”
1460 The penance the confessor imposes must take into account the penitent’s personal situation and must seek his spiritual good. It must correspond as far as possible with the gravity and nature of the sins committed. It can consist of prayer, an offering, works of mercy, service of neighbor, voluntary self-denial, sacrifices, and above all the patient acceptance of the cross we must bear. Such penances help configure us to Christ, who alone expiated our sins once for all. They allow us to become co-heirs with the risen Christ, “provided we suffer with him.”63
The satisfaction that we make for our sins, however, is not so much ours as though it were not done through Jesus Christ. We who can do nothing ourselves, as if just by ourselves, can do all things with the cooperation of “him who strengthens” us. Thus man has nothing of which to boast, but all our boasting is in Christ . . . in whom we make satisfaction by bringing forth “fruits that befit repentance.” These fruits have their efficacy from him, by him they are offered to the Father, and through him they are accepted by the Father.64
Bishop Fulton Sheen on Confession: “Nudity of the Soul”
Confession (Part 1): What You Didn’t Know – Explaining the Faith
Confession (Part 2): What You Didn’t Know – Explaining the Faith
LONG EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE WITH THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND THE PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH.
Can You Go to Confession If You’re Not Sorry? (Aquinas 101)
Why Confess Your Sins to a Priest? (Aquinas 101)
Is My Confession Really a Secret? Explaining the Seal of Confession (Aquinas 101)
The Meaning of Penance – Marian Friars Minor
A Word About Frequent Confession
CONFESIÓN – Examen de conciencia
I. Mi relacionamiento con Dios y con el mundo sobrenatural
¿He usado todos los medios que están a mi alcance – Sacramentos, oraciones, buenas compañías, etc. – para llegar a amar a Dios de todo corazón y sobre todas las cosas?
¿Guardo algún apego a personas, objetos y defectos que disminuyen mi amor a Dios?
¿Busco mostrar mi gratitud y confianza en Dios por la frecuencia en los sacramentos – especialmente la Comunión y la Confesión – y por las oraciones bien hechas?
¿Me distraigo en la Santa Misa, hago mi Confesión sin arrepentimiento, y mis oraciones con disipación?
¿Falté por culpa propia a Misa los domingos y días de precepto?
¿En la Iglesia, o en otros lugares santos, cometí irreverencias con risas, bromas, conversaciones o palabras inútiles?
¿Asistí a Misa sin atención? ¿Me distraje voluntariamente durante el Santo Sacrificio?
¿Escondí algún pecado grave en la Confesión?
¿Fui a dormir sin haber hecho todas mis oraciones diarias?
¿He sido infiel a la Religión, dudando de la Fe, leyendo escritos o asistiendo programas de televisión contrarios a la Iglesia Católica?
¿Tengo vergüenza de ser Católico, Hijo de Dios y (si hizo la consagración) esclavo de Nuestra Señora?
¿Defendí la honra de la Iglesia cuando se presentó la ocasión? ¿O me tomé de respeto humano?
¿Hice uso, sin respeto, del nombre de Dios y de los Santos?
¿Pensé o hablé con desprecio de Dios, de los Santos, de las cosas sagradas (blasfemias)?
¿Juré en falso, o sin necesidad?
¿Utilicé frases de la Sagrada Escritura para hacer bromas?
¿Llegué a frecuentar el culto de otras religiones?
¿Me he acercado por cualquier motivo – bromas, juegos, etc. – con prácticas supersticiosas (hechizos, magias, adivinaciones, simpatías, etc.)?
¿Asistí reuniones espíritistas?
¿Reclamé contra la voluntad de Dios cuando me sucedió alguna dificultad?
¿Quise, por vanidad y por orgullo, llamar la atención de los otros, desviándolos de Dios?
¿Acepté con placer orgulloso los elogios que me hicieron, juzgándome superior a los otros?
¿Perdí mucho tiempo delante del espejo, por vanidad, o hablé mucho de mí mismo, a fin de engrandecerme?
II. Del trato con mis hermanos en la Fe ¿Respeté y obedecí a mis superiores? ¿Les falté el respeto por palabras, gestos o murmuraciones?
¿Causé peleas o desuniones entre mis prójimos, especialmente entre mis hermanos en la Fe y en la Vocación?
¿Guardé rencor y resentimiento en relación a quien me ofendió o me hizo algún mal?
¿Deseé el mal a alguien por motivos egoístas? ¿Llegué a desear la muerte a alguien?
¿Maté o agredí gravemente a alguien?
¿Tuve envidia del prójimo al ver sus cualidades o sus bienes? ¿Hablé mal de alguien por envidia o algún otro motivo?
¿Injurié o insulte al prójimo? ¿Familiares? ¿Superiores? ¿Sacerdotes?
Al ver defectos o faltas de mis prójimos, ¿busqué ayudarlos con mis oraciones, palabras, o comunicando a mis superiores?
¿Divulgué, sin necesidad, los defectos o las faltas de mi prójimo? ¿Exageré sus pecados o defectos?
¿Me alegré con la desgracia de mi prójimo?
¿Me apropié de algo perteneciente a otro? ¿O deseé hacerlo?
¿Guardé injustamente objetos prestados o encontrados? ¿Restituí lo que robé o dañifiqué a otro?
¿Mentí o deformé la verdad alguna vez? ¿En materia grave?
¿Abrí cartas, e-mails o anotaciones de otro, sin autorización? ¿Fue de algún superior?
¿Di escándalos, o hice alguna cosa que pudiese llevar a alguien a ofender a Dios?
¿Mostré imágenes o videos inmorales a otros?
¿Llevé a alguien a ver algo contario a la pureza por televisión o en internet?
¿Miré a alguien con intenciones impuras?
¿Hice gestos indecentes?
¿Llevé a alguien al pecado de impureza por convite, malos ejemplos o gestos?
III. Mi respeto con el “Templo de Dios” que soy
¿Tomé alguna actitud contraria a mi altísima condición de Hijo de Dios? Como, por ejemplo, comer o beber demás, perjudicando mi salud.
¿Deseé la muerte? ¿Busqué, de alguna forma, perjudicar mi salud, o hasta suicidarme?
¿Mantuve deseos o pensamientos impuros, voluntariamente?
¿Tuve malas conversaciones, vi revistas, programas, imágenes o videos inmorales?
¿Oí músicas contrarias a la virtud de la pureza?
¿Hablé con otras personas acerca de temas impuros? ¿Con personas del mismo o de otro género?
¿Miré con mala intención cosas contrarias a la castidad?
¿Pequé por toques, o acciones impuras? ¿Sólo, o con otras personas? ¿Del mismo o de otro género?
¿Fui lento en alejar los pensamientos y deseos impuros?
¿He huído de las malas ocasiones?
¿Escondí alguno de esos pecados en la confesión, por miedo, o por vergüenza?
Cuando estuve solo, ¿tomé actitudes vulgares, indecentes o impuras?
UN EXAMEN DE CONCIENCIA (DEL RITUAL ROMANO DE LOS SACRAMENTOS)
El sacramento de la Penitencia tiene cinco momentos: 1) Examen de conciencia; 2) Dolor de los pecados; 3) Propósito de la enmienda; 4) Ritual del sacramento en el confesonario; 5) Cumplir la penitencia que te mande el confesor. Antes de empezar este examen, lo más importante: haz un acto de presencia de Dios, e invoca al Espíritu Santo para que te ilumine. Se trata de mirarte como te mira Dios, como Él te ve: no es una mera instrospección. Hay cosas que no ves de ti mismo: pide al Señor que te ilumine allí donde no llegan tus ojos. -Todo parte de la rectitud del corazón y el deseo auténtico del encuentro con Dios: ¿Me acerco al Sacramento de la Penitencia con deseo sincero de purificación, de conversión, de renovación de vida y de una amistad más profunda con Dios? ¿O más bien lo considero como algo molesto que sólo se recibe muy raramente? -¿He olvidado o callado deliberadamente algún pecado grave en mis confesiones anteriores? -¿He cumplido la penitencia? ¿He reparado las injusticias cometidas? ¿Me he esforzado por llevar a la práctica los propósitos y enmendar la vida según el Evangelio? A la luz de la Palabra de Dios examina tu vida. Te ayudará especialmente hacerlo ante el sagrario. No tengas prisa. EN RELACIÓN A DIOS. El Señor dice: “Amarás al Señor , tu Dios, con todo tu corazón” -¿Está mi corazón dirigido hacia Dios, de tal manera que con verdad lo ame sobre todas las cosas, como un hijo a su padre, cumpliendo fielmente sus mandamientos? ¿Me he preocupado preferentemente por las cosas temporales? ¿Tengo pureza de intención en mis acciones? -¿Es firme mi fe en Dios que nos ha hablado por medio de su Hijo? ¿He adherido con firmeza a la doctrina de la Iglesia? ¿Me he preocupado por adquirir instrucción cristiana, escuchando la Palabra de Dios, participando en la catequesis, evitando lo que atenta contra la fe? ¿He profesado siempre con valor y sin temor la fe en Dios y en la Iglesia? ¿Me he mostrado de buena gana como cristiano en la vida pública y privada? -¿He hecho las oraciones en la mañana y en la noche? ¿Es mi oración un verdadero diálogo de la mente y del corazón con Dios, o sólo un rito externo? ¿He ofrecido a Dios los trabajos, alegrías y sufrimientos? ¿He recurrido a Él en las tentaciones? -¿Tengo reverencia y amor al nombre de Dios, o lo he ofendido con blasfemias, juramentos falsos o indebidos? ¿He faltado el respeto a la Santísima Virgen o a los santos? -¿He honrado el domingo, día del Señor y las fiestas de precepto de la Iglesia, participando en los actos litúrgicos, sobre todo en la Misa, de una manera activa, piadosa y atenta? ¿He observado los preceptos de la confesión anual y de la comunión pascual? -¿Tengo, tal vez, otros dioses, es decir, cosas que me preocupan o en las que confío más que en Dios, como son las riquezas, las supersticiones, el espiritismo o la magia? EN RELACIÓN A LOS DEMÁS: El Señor dice: “Amaos los unos a los otros, como Yo os he amado” -¿Tengo amor verdadero a mi prójimo, o he abusado de mis hermanos utilizándolos para mi provecho personal, haciéndoles lo que no deseo para mí mismo? ¿He sido para ellos causa de escándalo grave con mis palabras y acciones? -¿He contribuido al bien y a la alegría de los demás miembros de mi familia, mediante la paciencia y el amor sincero? ¿He sido obediente con mis padres, los he respetado y ayudado en sus necesidades espirituales y materiales? ¿Me he preocupado, como padre, por la educación cristiana de los hijos, y los he ayudado con el buen ejemplo y la autoridad paterna? ¿Como esposo o esposa, he sido fiel a mi cónyuge en mis deseos y en mis relaciones con los demás? -¿He hecho partícipes de mis bienes a los que son más pobres que yo? ¿He hecho lo posible por defender a los oprimidos, socorrer a los necesitados, ayudar a los pobres? ¿O he despreciado al prójimo, especialmente a los pobres, los débiles, los ancianos, los extranjeros, o los hombres de otras razas? -¿Es mi vida un cumplimiento de la misión que he recibido al ser confirmado? ¿He participado en las obras de apostolado y de caridad de la Iglesia y en la vida de la Parroquia? ¿He prestado mi ayuda a la Iglesia en sus necesidades, y he orado por ellas, v.g. por la unidad de la Iglesia, por la evangelización de los pueblos, por el reino de la paz y la justicia? -¿Me he preocupado por el bien y el progreso de la comunidad humana dentro de la cual vivo? ¿O solamente de mis ventajas personales? ¿He participado, según mis posibilidades, en la promoción de la justicia, la honestidad de las costumbres, la concordia, la caridad, en la sociedad humana? ¿He cumplido los deberes cívicos? ¿He pagado los impuestos? -¿He sido justo, responsable y honesto en mi trabajo u oficio prestando con amor mi servicio a la sociedad? ¿He pagado el justo salario a los quienes trabajan para mí? ¿He cumplido las promesas y contratos? -¿He mostrado a las autoridades la obediencia y el respeto debidos? -¿Si tengo algún cargo, o ejerzo autoridad, uso de ello para mi interés personal o para el bien de los demás, en espíritu de servicio? -¿He sido fiel y veraz? ¿O he perjudicado a los demás con palabras falsas, calumnias, detracciones, juicios temerarios, violaciones del secreto? -¿He causado daño a la vida, la integridad física, la fama, la honra o los bienes de los demás? ¿Les hice algún daño? ¿He aconsejado o procurado el aborto? ¿He odiado al prójimo? ¿He tenido pleitos, enemistades, insultos o cóleras con los demás? ¿He rehusado culpablemente, por egoísmo, dar testimonio de la inocencia del prójimo? -¿He robado o dañado, o deseado injusta o desordenadamente los bienes del prójimo? ¿He procurado restituir lo ajeno y reparar el daño? -¿Si he padecido injurias, he estado dispuesto a la paz, por amor de Cristo, y a perdonar, o he guardado odio y deseos de venganza? EN RELACIÓN A UNO MISMO: El Señor dice: “Sed perfectos como el Padre celestial” ¿Cuál es la orientación fundamental de mi vida? ¿Estoy animado por la esperanza de la vida eterna? ¿Me he esforzado por adelantar en la vida espiritual, por medio de la oración, la lectura de la Palabra de Dios, la participación de los Sacramentos y la mortificación? ¿He reprimido los vicios, las inclinaciones y pasiones malas, como son la envidia y la gula? ¿He sido soberbio y jactancioso, menospreciado a los demás y creyéndome superior a ellos? ¿He sido presumido delante de Dios? ¿He impuesto a los demás mi voluntad, sin respetar la libertad y los derechos ajenos? ¿Qué uso he hecho del tiempo, de las fuerzas y los dones que he recibido de Dios como los “talentos del Evangelio”? ¿He usado de estas cosas para buscar mi perfección o he sido ocioso y perezoso? ¿He soportado con paciencia los dolores y contrariedades de la vida? ¿Cómo he llevado en mi cuerpo la mortificación para completar lo que falta a la pasión de Cristo? ¿He guardado la ley de la abstinencia y del ayuno? -¿He guardado mis sentidos y todo mi cuerpo en pudor y castidad, como Templo del Espíritu Santo destinado a la resurrección y a la gloria, y como señal del amor que Dios fiel tiene para con los hombres, señal que plenamente se manifiesta en el Sacramento del Matrimonio? ¿He manchado mi cuerpo con la fornicación, la masturbación, las palabras y pensamientos indignos, pornografía, malos deseos o acciones? ¿Me he dejado arrastrar por el deleite? ¿He tenido lecturas o conversaciones o frecuentado espectáculos o diversiones contrarios a la honestidad cristiana y humana? ¿He sido causa, por mi indecencia, de pecado de los demás? ¿He observado la ley moral en el uso del matrimonio? ¿He actuado contra mi conciencia, por temor o hipocresía? -¿He buscado siempre obrar con la verdadera libertad de los hijos de Dios, según la ley del Espíritu, o he sido esclavo de mis pasiones? -ACTO DE CONTRICCIÓN (DOLOR DE LOS PECADOS)- Puedes rezar el “Señor mío Jesucristo”, el “Yo confieso”… Señor mío Jesucristo, Dios y hombre verdadero, Creador Padre, y Redentor mío: Por ser Vos quien sois, bondad infinita, y porque os amo sobre todas las cosas, me pesa de todo corazón el haberos ofendido. También me pesa porque podéis castigarme con las penas del infierno. Ayudado de vuestra divina gracia me propongo firmemente nunca más pecar, confesarme y cumplir la penitencia que me fuere impuesta. Amén. Después, te acercas al confesonario y sigues el siguiente ritual: RITUAL DEL SACRAMENTO DE LA CONFESIÓN: En el confesonario sigues este ritual. Comienzas: 1) Al entrar se dice como saludo: «Ave María Purísima» 2) Se hace la señal de la cruz: «En el nombre + del Padre, y del Hijo…» 3) Dices cuánto hace de la última confesión. 4) A continuación, confiesas los pecados. Recuerda que la confesión ha de ser: -CLARA: sin ambigüedades, llamando a cada cosa por su nombre. -CONCRETA: precisando la naturaleza y la especie del pecado, y si es necesario, circunstancias. -CONCISA: di los pecados, pero sin convertirlo en un relato de acontecimientos, alargando más de lo debido la confesión. Si hay personas esperando fuera a confesar, quizá sea conveniente quedar con el sacerdote en otro momento para una dirección espiritual. -COMPLETA: se han de decir todos los pecados. (CONSEJO: comienza por lo que más te cuesta decir). 5) El sacerdote te puede preguntar, dar consejos. 6) Te pone la penitencia y te da la ABSOLUCIÓN. No se reza en el confesonario el «Señor mío Jesucristo». 7) Fuera ya del confesonario, haces la penitencia.
Why do Catholics confess their sins to priests? Why do Catholics call priests “Father”?
Why Confess to a Priest When Jesus Already Paid the Price?
Why do Catholics confess their sins to a priest?
CONTRITION VERSUS ATTRITION – SAINT PETER VERSUS JUSDAS ISCARIOTE
Perfect contrition is sorrow for one’s sins based on the selfless motive of love for God and sorrow for having offended him. Attrition is sorrow for one’s sins based on the fear of punishment.
1117 As she has done for the canon of Sacred Scripture and for the doctrine of the faith, the Church, by the power of the Spirit who guides her “into all truth,” has gradually recognized this treasure received from Christ and, as the faithful steward of God’s mysteries, has determined its “dispensation.”34 Thus the Church has discerned over the centuries that among liturgical celebrations there are seven that are, in the strict sense of the term, sacraments instituted by the Lord.
1118 The sacraments are “of the Church” in the double sense that they are “by her” and “for her.” They are “by the Church,” for she is the sacrament of Christ’s action at work in her through the mission of the Holy Spirit. They are “for the Church” in the sense that “the sacraments make the Church,”35 since they manifest and communicate to men, above all in the Eucharist, the mystery of communion with the God who is love, One in three persons.
1119 Forming “as it were, one mystical person” with Christ the head, the Church acts in the sacraments as “an organically structured priestly community.”36 Through Baptism and Confirmation the pRiestly people is enabled to celebrate the liturgy, while those of the faithful “who have received Holy Orders, are appointed to nourish the Church with the word and grace of God in the name of Christ.”37
1120 The ordained ministry or ministerial priesthood is at the service of the baptismal priesthood.38 The ordained priesthood guarantees that it really is Christ who acts in the sacraments through the Holy Spirit for the Church. the saving mission entrusted by the Father to his incarnate Son was committed to the apostles and through them to their successors: they receive the Spirit of Jesus to act in his name and in his person.39 The ordained minister is the sacramental bond that ties the liturgical action to what the apostles said and did and, through them, to the words and actions of Christ, the source and foundation of the sacraments.
1121 The three sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders confer, in addition to grace, a sacramental character or “seal” by which the Christian shares in Christ’s priesthood and is made a member of the Church according to different states and functions. This configuration to Christ and to the Church, brought about by the Spirit, is indelible,40 it remains for ever in the Christian as a positive disposition for grace, a promise and guarantee of divine protection, and as a vocation to divine worship and to the service of the Church. Therefore these sacraments can never be repeated.
The Sacraments (Aquinas 101)
The Eucharist (Aquinas 101)
Baptism and Confirmation (Aquinas 101)
Marriage (Aquinas 101)
Penance and Anointing (Aquinas 101)
5 Things People Get Wrong About Confirmation (Aquinas 101)
Ex opere operato
THE SACRAMENTS DO NOT DEPEND ON ANYTHING HUMAN
EVEN IF A PRIEST IS UNWORTHY, THE SACRAMENTS HE PERFOMS ARE VALID
Understanding the Sacraments: A New Summary! (Part 1 of 2) Explaining the Faith with Fr. Chris Alar
Part 2 of 2: Understanding the Sacraments. A New Summary! Explaining the Faith w/Fr. Chris Alar
Section of the Catequism on the sacrament of the anointing of the sick