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Last
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March 18, 2007
The
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The sacrament of
penance is our formal act of reconciliation with God in the Church when
sin has severed us from the Church's life. Because penance is the way to
communion with God when that communion has been broken by sin, it is
often referred to in Church Tradition as the renewal of baptism, or as
the reestablishment of that condition of life with God which was given
to men in the basic sacraments of inauguration into the Christian life.
Not every sin requires the necessity of formal penance through
sacramental ritual. This is obvious because Christians are never
completely without sin. Certain grave sins or the prolonged separation
from Holy Communion, however, do call for the act of sacramental
penance. Also, Christians living in communion with Christ are expected
to make use of this sacrament periodically in order to humble themselves
consciously before God and to receive guidance in the Christian life
from their pastor in the Church. It is the teaching of the Orthodox
Church that sacramental penance is necessary for those receiving Holy
Communion when they have committed grave sins or when they have been
separated from the eucharistic meal for a long time.
The sacrament of penance exists in the Church to allow for the
repentance and reconversion of Christians who have fallen away from the
life of faith. There are three main elements to the act of formal
penance. The first is a sincere sorrow for
sins and for the breaking of communion with God. The second is an open
and heartfelt confession of sins. At one time
this confession was done publicly before all men in the midst of the
Church, but in recent times it is usually done only in the presence of
the pastor of the Church who stands in behalf of all. The third element
of penance is the formal prayer of absolution
through which the forgiveness of God through Christ is sacramentally
bestowed upon the repentant sinner.
The fulfillment of penance consists in the reception of Holy Communion
and the genuine reconciliation of the repentant sinner with God and all
men according to the commandments of Christ. From this there obviously
follows the necessity of a sincere attempt by the penitent to refrain
from sin and to remain in faithful obedience to God and in uprightness
of life before Him and all people.
The sacrament of penance, like all sacraments, is an element of the life
of the Church which presupposes a firm belief and conviction that Christ
himself is present in the Church through his Holy Spirit. A person
without the experience of Christ in the Church will not understand the
meaning of sacramental penance and the need for the open and public
confession of sins. When the Church is experienced as the new life in
Christ and as the genuine communion with God in his kingdom already
present with men in sacrament and mystery, then not only will
sacramental penance and the confession of sins be understood, but it
will be cherished as the great mystery of God which it is: the unique
possibility for reunion with God through the forgiveness of Christ who
has come to save sinners who confess their sins and who sincerely desire
to change their lives according to the ways which he himself has given.
In a word, the Orthodox Church strictly adheres to the teaching of the
Bible that only God can forgive sins, that he does so through Christ in
the Church, that his conditions are genuine repentance and the promise
of change which are witnessed by confession; and that confession, by
definition, is the open and public acknowledgment of sin before God and
all mankind. |
Jesus Christ,
Our Lord and Savior
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