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VII.The Acts of thePenitent
1450"Penance requires . . . the sinner to endure all things willingly, becontrite of heart, confess with the lips, and practice complete humility andfruitful satisfaction."
Contrition
1451Among the penitent's acts contrition occupies first place. Contrition is"sorrow of the soul and detestation for the sin committed, together withthe resolution not to sin again."
1452When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition iscalled "perfect" (contrition of charity). Such contrition remitsvenial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firmresolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon aspossible.
1453The contrition called "imperfect" (or "attrition") is alsoa gift of God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is born of the considerationof sin's ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penaltiesthreatening the sinner (contrition of fear). Such a stirring of conscience caninitiate an interior process which, under the prompting of grace, will bebrought to completion by sacramental absolution. By itself however, imperfectcontrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes one toobtain forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance.
1454Thereception of this sacrament ought to be prepared for by an examination ofconscience made in the light of the Word of God. the passages best suited tothis can be found in the moral catechesis of the Gospels and the apostolicLetters, such as the Sermon on the Mount and the apostolic teachings.
Theconfession of sins
1455The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply human point of view,frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others. Through such anadmission man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibilityfor them, and thereby opens himself again to God and to the communion of theChurch in order to make a new future possible.
1456Confession to a priest is an essential part of the sacrament of Penance:"All mortal sins of which penitents after a diligent self-examination areconscious must be recounted by them in confession, even if they are most secretand have been committed against the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for thesesins sometimes wound the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than thosewhich are committed openly."
When Christ's faithful strive to confess all the sins that they canremember, they undoubtedly place all of them before the divine mercy forpardon. But those who fail to do so and knowingly withhold some, place nothingbefore 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."
1457Accordingto the Church's command, "after having attained the age of discretion,each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serioussins at least once a year." Anyone who is aware of havingcommitted a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiencesdeep contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unlesshe has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility ofgoing to confession. Children must go to the sacrament of Penancebefore receiving Holy Communion for the first time.
1458Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) isnevertheless strongly recommended by the Church. Indeed the regularconfession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against eviltendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of theSpirit. By receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of theFather's mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful:
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: whenyou hear "man" - this is what God has made; when you hear"sinner" - this is what man himself has made. Destroy what you havemade, so that God may save what he has made .... When you begin to abhor whatyou have made, it is then that your good works are beginning, since you areaccusing yourself of your evil works. the beginning of good works is theconfession of evil works. You do the truth and come to the light.
Satisfaction
1459Many sins wrong our neighbor. One must do what is possible in order to repairthe harm (e.g., return stolen goods, restore the reputation of someoneslandered, pay compensation for injuries). Simple justice requires as much. Butsin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationshipswith God and neighbor. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy allthe disorders sin has caused. Raised up from sin, the sinner muststill recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amendsfor the sin: he must "make satisfaction for" or "expiate"his sins. This satisfaction is also called "penance."
1460The penance the confessor imposes must take into account the penitent's personalsituation and must seek his spiritual good. It must correspond as far aspossible with the gravity and nature of the sins committed. It can consist ofprayer, an offering, works of mercy, service of neighbor, voluntaryself-denial, sacrifices, and above all the patient acceptance of the cross wemust bear. Such penances help configure us to Christ, who alone expiated oursins once for all. They allow us to become co-heirs with the risen Christ,"provided we suffer with him."
The satisfaction that we makefor our sins, however, is not so much ours as though it were not done throughJesus Christ. We who can do nothing ourselves, as if just by ourselves, can doall things with the cooperation of "him who strengthens" us. Thus manhas nothing of which to boast, but all our boasting is in Christ . . . in whomwe make satisfaction by bringing forth "fruits that befitrepentance." These fruits have their efficacy from him, by him they areoffered to the Father, and through him they are accepted by theFather.