St Paul the Apostle Catholic Church
Lyford Cay, The Bahamas

Sacraments

 

The sacraments of Christian initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist - lay the foundations of every Christian life. "The sharing in the divine nature given to men through the grace of Christ bears a certain likeness to the origin, development, and nourishing of natural life. The faithful are born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life. By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity. Through the sacraments of Christian initiation, man receives the new life of Christ. Now we carry this life "in earthen vessels," and it remains "hidden with Christ in God."  We are still in our "earthly tent," subject to suffering, illness, and death. This new life as a child of God can be weakened and even lost by sin.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. In the sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation, the sinner obtains pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him, and are reconciled with the Church." By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them. And indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ."  ---Catechism of the Catholic Church

 

Why should I receive the Sacraments?

 

The sacraments receive their power to give grace from God, through the merits of Jesus Christ. "Let a man so account us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God" (I Corinthians 4:1). Thus, the sacraments do give sanctifying grace. Each of the sacraments also gives a special grace, called sacramental grace, which helps one to carry out the particular purpose of that sacrament, if we receive them with the right dispositions. "Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily, will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord" (I Corinthians 11:27).

 

Baptism and Confirmation are called sacraments of the dead, because their chief purpose is to give the supernatural life of sanctifying grace to souls spiritually dead through sin. "Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John3:5). The sacraments of the dead can be received only once because they imprint on the soul a spiritual mark, called a character, which lasts forever. Penance, Holy Eucharist, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony are called sacraments of the living and their chief purpose is to give more grace to souls already spiritually alive through sanctifying grace.

 

God’s Mercy Anew

Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation

 

The Catholic Church teaches that the sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the sacraments of Healing because those who approach this sacrament obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion.” (Lumem Gentium 11 § 2)

 

It is called the sacrament of Penance because it consecrates our steps to personal and ecclesial conversion, penance and satisfaction. It is the sacrament of Reconciliation because we experience the love of God who reconciles. Finally, it is also known as the sacrament of Confession since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a "confession" - as in the profession of belief, acknowledgment and praise - of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man.

 

Why do I need Confession after baptism?

 

Although baptism is a new birth in Christ through which we are made “holy and without blemish”,  this new life received through baptism does not abolish the frailty and weakness of our human nature, nor the inclination to sin that tradition calls concupiscence, which remains in the baptized such that with the help of the grace of Christ they may prove themselves in the struggle of Christian life (Council of Trent). This is the struggle of conversion directed toward holiness and eternal life to which the Lord never ceases to call us (Council of Trent).  The apostle John also says: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 Jn 1:8). And the Lord himself taught us to pray: "Forgive us our trespasses,"12 linking our forgiveness of one another's offenses to the forgiveness of our sins that God will grant us. 

 

Thus, Christ's call to conversion continues to resound in the lives of Christians. Conversion is an uninterrupted task for the whole Church who, "clasping sinners to her bosom, [is] at once holy and always in need of purification, [and] follows constantly the path of penance and renewal."

 

If only God can forgive sins, why should I go to Confession?

 

Sin is before all else an offense against God, a rupture of communion with him. The catechism of the Church tells us in No 1440 through 1442 that 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.  Since Jesus is the son of God he said that “the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" and exercised this divine power: "Your sins are forgiven” (Mk 2:5,10; Lk 7:48). Likewise, by virtue of his divine authority,  Jesus chose to give this power to men to exercise in his name.(Cf. Jn 20:21-23). He communicated this authority to the apostles on Easter night: “Whose sins your forgive they are forgiven, whose sins you retain they are retained” (John, 20,19-23).

 

When Jesus forgave sins in the bible, he also made plain the effect of this forgiveness: he reintegrated forgiven sinners into the community from which sin had alienated or even excluded them. He even received 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 (Cf Lk 15, 19:9). Therefore, in imparting to his apostles his own power to forgive sins the Lord also gives them the authority to reconcile sinners with the Church. 

 

How often should I go to Confession?

 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in No. 1458, says, “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.” Still, a confession is valid even if someone doesn’t mention all his venial sins. 
 

Therefore, while the Church does not impose regular confession, she encourages us to go to the sacrament of Reconciliation as often as possible for the sake of our own conversion and sanctification. Moreover, 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" (Cf. CIC, Can. 989). 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 (Cf. Council of Trent). Children must go to the sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time (Cf. Council of Trent).

 

Confession Schedule

The sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation at St Paul's is ministered by appointment.