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Penance is the Sacrament
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It teaches the most Catholic answers to each of the questions on the sacrament of Penance.
We have seen catechisms differ on the number of people involved. Some ask the child to memorize that "We examine our conscience." Without realizing that "we" don't have "a" conscience, one might mistake that others will know one's own sins, especially a young child. This false idea is inferred to adults as well.
We are grateful the good priests in the many churches and chapels that we have been in who have kept the traditional sacrament of Penance.
Did you know that all graces you have received from the other sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders, and Matrimony, etc.) can all be restored by a good Confession? This sacrament is so important!
Think of having all of these graces restored! The booklet called Confession - Its Fruitful Practice explains this according to St. Thomas Aquinas on page 18 (Tan Books). He explains that the restoration of graces is proportional to the penitent's sorrow. Our sorrow is best aided when we ask the Holy Ghost to come to us and when we think of Our Lord's Passion and Death. Sorrow is simply wishing that we hadn't done a thing. Once we realize that, it is easier to be truly sorry.
Remember, "proportional" to my sorrow! The more sorrow I can raise the more graces I, will receive! This is so important because when sin darkens the soul the intellect and the will lose their strength, then the cycle just gets worse! This is why so many people cannot see truth (the use of the Intellect) or choose (the use of the will) the better thing. These churches and chapels usually have very traditional confessionals somewhere in the nave, usually in the back.
It is a comfort to know that one's privacy is protected by the door or heavy curtain. The grate between the priest and the penitent offers further privacy and is a great aid to the "secret of the confessional".
No wonder people do not want to receive the sacrament of Penance when they have to sit in front of a priest with no screen. Some "Reconciliation rooms" even have a window to the nave! A further deterent!
Even the darkness serves privacy well. Usually the priest's booth is well lit so that he can read if he needs. This also makes it hard for him to see into the dark booth. Even the booths that are lit are dimly lit to both aid privacy as well as the penitent who needs to read a note or a prayer.
Many of the confessionals we have seen were antiques that were rescued from churches that were defaced or destroyed. They frequently have the most ornate woodwork. One can see the labor of love in their decorations. They frequently are decorated with the symbols of the Catholic Church or some great penitent saints likeSt. Mary Magdalen. Over the grate, or next to it, there is usually a Crucifix to remind the penitent of the sorrow he should have for Our Lord's passion. This very sorrow is the measure of the grace the penitent will receive from his Confession and the measure ofPurgatory time removed. The only light is a courtesy light that is there in case the penitent needs it. See the pamphlet called Confession from Tan Books. See our recommendations for
books and other media on confession.
Unusual Circumstances
What should one do when either the penitent or the priest is so loud that he can be heard in the church?Usually this only happens with very small children so humming quietly or whispering the Hail Mary can cover the moment. Yet sometimes the cause is a poor door. In that case some parishes put a noisy box fan near the outside of the door or curtain. Only very seldom is it the priest who is loud enough to be heard. In this case plug your ears and/or quietly hum or whisper prayers; then caution him when it is your turn. Another idea is to begin the Rosary, or a decade of the Rosary, outloud. Other penitents will be very happy to answer in this situation. We have been edified to see these very things.
As a matter of fact the parish that we attend frequently has over eighty First Penitents. Sister usually has one of the attendant parents or other parishioners lead the Rosary while she attends to the children in line. A child can be too loud his first time or two since he has memorized to be sure to say the Act of Contrition loud enough for the priest to hear him!
Where does one go to do his penance and make his thanksgiving?
It is best done immediately (so one does not forget the penance or forget to do it) in the church (all prayers are enhanced before the Blessed Sacrament). If the chapel is very small it can be good to go to the communion rail or front pew so as not to be distracted by the movement of the confession line or to distract the penitents there. If there are other lines of penitents then simply chose a pew away from the lines and kneel there. Remember to say the penance the priest gave first and then, after that is well said, thank God for forgiving your sins.Find a Catholic company for Catholic Baptism, First Communion, and Catholic Confirmation gifts from Catholic book publishing companies and Catholic gift stores here!
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