History of Confession

“Not to oppose error is to approve it, and not to defend the truth is to suppress it” - Pope St. Felix III

Note: In this report I may occasionally use bold print, Italics, or word underlining for emphasis. This will be my personal emphasis and not that of the source that I am quoting.

Q: Would you be so kind as to gather information for me on the History of the Sacrament of Reconciliation? How did this sacrament evolve from Jesus to the current form? Include a timeline, bible, tradition and magisterium support. I will be using this information during presentations to non-practicing Catholics. God Bless, Tom Rohr

Timeline

• “The Sacrament of Penance (also known as the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession) is for spiritual healing. According to the Gospels, after the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to the apostles, breathed on them, and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained,’ (John 20:22-23). Because gave the apostles the power to forgive sins, he must have wanted them to use it. So the Sacrament of Penance has been the very will of Christ from day one.”¹

• Circa first 100 years after Christ: “Confession, came to designate the primitive penitential system which seems to have been in full observance between the second and fifth centuries. Those who were undergoing this discipline formed a class of public penitents, debarred in varying degrees from participation in the liturgy. The condition of public penance involved exclusion from Holy Communion.”² This was for what they then referred to as capital offenses, now referred to as mortal sins.

• Circa 258 “St. Cyprian (219-258) says: I entreat you, beloved brethren, that each one confess his own sin while he who has sinned is still in this world, while his confession may be received.”³

• Circa 417 “In some regions, it was common for a severe sinner (those guilty of apostasy, adultery, and murder) to be enrolled as a so-called public penitent. They would be dressed in sackcloth; a garment made of goat hair, and be covered with ashes to give visible symbol of separation from the faithful. During Mass, such persons were kept away from the Offertory, Prayers of the Faithful, and Eucharist; penitents also had to fast and contribute alms to the poor. They were reconciled according to Pope Innocent I (r. 401-417) on the Thursday before Easter."⁴

• Circa 431 “St. Augustine (354-431) said: Let none say I do penance secretly, I perform it in God’s sight and he who is to pardon me knows that I repent in my heart.”⁵

• “459 Letter of Pope St. Leo I: It is sufficient, he affirmed, that the guilt which people have on their consciences be made known to the priest alone in secret confession.”⁶. This was the popes attempt to abolish public penance, sackcloth, ashes, etc.

• 1213 “Lateran Council: Let everyone of the faithful of both sexes, after he has reached the age of discretion (children included) devoutly confess in public all of his sins at least once a year to his own priest, and let him fulfill to the best of his ability penance enjoined upon him.”⁷

• “1274 Penance was defined as a sacrament by the Council of Lyons.”⁸

• “1545-1563 Further and extensive clarification made of the sacrament by the Council of Trent, issuing some nine chapters and fifteen canons on penance.”⁹

• 1983 New Code of Canon Law, which contains laws on confession promulgated¹⁰

• “1984 Pope John Paul II writes his Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliation and Penance stressing the importance of confession.”¹¹

• “2002 Pope John Paul writes his Apostolic Letter Mercy of God on Certain Aspects of the Celebration of the Sacrament of Penance which urges vigorous revitalization of confession.”¹²

Relevant Holy Scriptures

• “John 20:21 - before He grants them the authority to forgive sins, Jesus says to the apostles, "as the Father sent me, so I send you." As Christ was sent by the Father to forgive sins, so Christ sends the apostles and their successors forgive sins.

• John 20:22 - the Lord "breathes" on the apostles, and then gives them the power to forgive and retain sins. The only other moment in Scripture where God breathes on man is in Gen. 2:7, when the Lord "breaths" divine life into man. When this happens, a significant transformation takes place.

• John 20:23 - Jesus says, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained." In order for the apostles to exercise this gift of forgiving sins, the penitents must orally confess their sins to them because the apostles are not mind readers. The text makes this very clear.

• Matt. 9:8 - this verse shows that God has given the authority to forgive sins to "men." Hence, those Protestants who acknowledge that the apostles had the authority to forgive sins (which this verse demonstrates) must prove that this gift ended with the apostles. Otherwise, the apostles' successors still possess this gift. Where in Scripture is the gift of authority to forgive sins taken away from the apostles or their successors?

• Matt. 9:6; Mark 2:10 - Christ forgave sins as a man (not God) to convince us that the "Son of man" has authority to forgive sins on earth.

• Luke 5:24 - Luke also points out that Jesus' authority to forgive sins is as a man, not God. The Gospel writers record this to convince us that God has given this authority to men. This authority has been transferred from Christ to the apostles and their successors.

• Matt. 18:18 - the apostles are given authority to bind and loose. The authority to bind and loose includes administering and removing the temporal penalties due to sin. The Jews understood this since the birth of the Church.

• John 20:22-23; Matt. 18:18 - the power to remit/retain sin is also the power to remit/retain punishment due to sin. If Christ's ministers can forgive the eternal penalty of sin, they can certainly remit the temporal penalty of sin (which is called an "indulgence").

• 2 Cor. 2:10 - Paul forgives in the presence of Christ (some translations refer to the presences of Christ as "in persona Christi"). Some say that this may also be a reference to sins.

• 2 Cor. 5:18 - the ministry of reconciliation was given to the ambassadors of the Church. This ministry of reconciliation refers to the sacrament of reconciliation, also called the sacrament of confession or penance.

• James 5:15-16 - in verse 15 we see that sins are forgiven by the priests in the sacrament of the sick. This is another example of man's authority to forgive sins on earth. Then in verse 16, James says, “Therefore, confess our sins to one another,” in reference to the men referred to in verse 15, the priests of the Church.

• 1 Tim. 2:5 - Christ is the only mediator, but He was free to decide how His mediation would be applied to us. The Lord chose to use priests of God to carry out His work of forgiveness.

• Lev. 5:4-6; 19:21-22 - even under the Old Covenant, God used priests to forgive and atone for the sins of others.

• James 5:16 - James clearly teaches us that we must “confess our sins to one another,” not just privately to God. James 5:16 must be read in the context of James 5:14-15, which is referring to the healing power (both physical and spiritual) of the priests of the Church. Hence, when James says “therefore” in verse 16, he must be referring to the men he was writing about in verses 14 and 15 – these men are the ordained priests of the Church, to whom we must confess our sins.

• Acts 19:18 - many came to orally confess sins and divulge their sinful practices. Oral confession was the practice of the early Church just as it is today.

• Matt. 3:6; Mark 1:5 - again, this shows people confessing their sins before others as an historical practice (here to John the Baptist).

• 1 Tim. 6:12 - this verse also refers to the historical practice of confessing both faith and sins in the presence of many witnesses.

• 1 John 1:9 - if we confess our sins, God is faithful to us and forgives us and cleanse us. But we must confess our sins to one another.

• Num. 5:7 - this shows the historical practice of publicly confessing sins, and making public restitution.

• 2 Sam. 12:14 - even though the sin is forgiven, there is punishment due for the forgiven sin. David is forgiven but his child was still taken (the consequence of his sin).

• Neh. 9:2-3 - the Israelites stood before the assembly and confessed sins publicly and interceded for each other.

• Sir. 4:26 - God tells us not to be ashamed to confess our sins, and not to try to stop the current of a river. Anyone who has experienced the sacrament of reconciliation understands the import of this verse.

• Baruch 1:14 - again, this shows that the people made confession in the house of the Lord, before the assembly.

• 1 John 5:16-17; Luke 12:47-48 - there is a distinction between mortal and venial sins. This has been the teaching of the Catholic Church for 2,000 years, but, today, most Protestants no longer agree that there is such a distinction. Mortal sins lead to death and must be absolved in the sacrament of reconciliation. Venial sins do not have to be confessed to a priest, but the pious Catholic practice is to do so in order to advance in our journey to holiness.

• Matt. 5:19 - Jesus teaches that breaking the least of commandments is venial sin (the person is still saved but is least in the kingdom), versus mortal sin (the person is not saved).”¹³

Teachings Of The Magisterium

The Magesterium of the Church (Pope and bishops in union with him) teach us doctrine and dogmas of the faith. These are recorded for our study and reference in many, many places. These include various catechisms, RCIA teaching materials, papal letters and encyclicals, Code of Canon Law and true treasures such as Faith of Our Fathers. It would take me a lifetime plus to read everything available out there! So, for the purpose of this report I will include some Canon Law and quotes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

• “Can. 960 – Individual and integral confession and absolution constitute the only ordinary way by which the faithful person who is aware of serious sin is reconciled with God and with the Church; only physical or moral impossibility excuses the person from confession of this type, in which case reconciliation can take place in other ways.”¹⁴

• “Can. 962.1 For a member of the Christian faithful validly to enjoy sacramental absolution given to many at one time, it is required that this person not only be suitably disposed but also at the same time intend to confess individually the serious sins which at present cannot be so confessed.”¹⁵

• All canons relevant to confession may be found in the Code of Canon Law, Canons 959-991, P.P. 355-363¹⁶

• The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches about confession in paragraphs 1422-1470 – P.P. 357-369, paragraphs 1480-1498 – P.P. 372-374, paragraph 980 – P. 255, paragraph 2042 P. 493 and paragraph 2490 P. 2490.¹⁷

• “Like all the sacraments, Penance is a liturgical action. The elements of the celebration are ordinarily these: a greeting and blessing from the priest, reading the word of God to illuminate the conscience and elicit contrition, and an exhortation to repentance; the confession, which acknowledges sins and makes them known to the priest; the imposition and acceptance of a penance; the priest’s absolution; a prayer of thanksgiving and praise and dismissal with the blessing of the priest.”¹⁸

• “The forgiveness of sins committed after Baptism is conferred by a particular sacrament called the sacrament of conversion, confession, penance, or reconciliation.”¹⁹

• “The sacrament of Penance is a whole consisting in three actions of the penitent and the priest’s absolution. The penitent’s acts are repentance, confession or disclosure of sins to the priest, and the intention to make reparation and do works of reparation.”²⁰

• “Only priests who have received the faculty of absolving from the authority of the Church can forgive sins in the name of Christ.”²¹

• “The spiritual effects of the sacrament of Penance are: reconciliation with God by which the penitent recovers grace; reconciliation with the Church; remission of eternal punishment incurred by mortal sins; remission, at least in part, of temporal punishments resulting from sin; peace and serenity of conscience, and spiritual consolation; an increase of spiritual strength for the Christian battle.”²²

• “The secret of the sacrament of reconciliation is sacred, and cannot be violated under any pretext. The sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore, it is a crime for a confessor in any way to betray a penitent by word or in any other manner or for any reason.”²³

• “But the Catechism immediately adds a strong endorsement of regular and frequent reception of the sacrament of penance, even for those who are not in a state of mortal sin: “Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church. 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.”²⁴

It would be very easy to quadruple what is written about confession. But, I have to stop at some point, which will be here. I hope the above answers your request.

This report prepared on June 5, 2007 by Ronald Smith, 11701 Maplewood Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024-8482, E-mail: hfministry@juno.com Readers may copy and distribute this report as desired to anyone as long as the content is not altered and it is copied in its entirety. In this little ministry I do free Catholic and occult related research and answer your questions. Questions are answered in this format with detailed footnotes on all quotes. If you would like to be on my list to get a copy of all Q&A’s I do, please send me a note. If you have a question(s), please submit it to this landmail or e-mail address. Answers are usually forthcoming within one week.

 Let us recover by penance what we have lost by sin 