Confession - The Way to Holiness
In the Gospel of John we find the following passage "Jesus said to them again "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me so I send you" And when he had said the he breathed on them and said to them "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins on any they are forgiven, if you retain the sins of any they are retained" John 20:21
Was Jesus just going over the top here. "OK", the apostles should reply. "if you want me to forgive someone I will forgive, if you want me not to forgive someone I will not forgive. But we know all this, except you told us always to forgive, so we are rather confused" Now anyone reading this passage should be equally confused.
So what are we to make of it. 'And when he had said this He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit". What a strange thing to do. Well perhaps it was just his way or maybe I could be excused for daring to say that this was something very important he was giving the disciples through the Holy Spirit. They were not only to forgive sins, but they were given the power, the power that Jesus had, to forgive or NOT forgive sins. "As the Father sent me, so I send you"
So was this power exercised in the early Church? It certainly was. Serious sins such as Apostasy had to be confessed publicly but other sins were confessed privately. The power of the priest to forgive was used.
"Father, who knows the hearts of all grant this servant whom you have chosen for the episcopate to feed you holy flock and serve you high priest blamelessly night and day and unceasingly turn away wrath from you Face and offer to you the gifts of the Holy Church. And by the High Priest's Spirit he may have authority TO FORGIVE SINS according to your command
(Apostolic Tradition AD 215} St Hippolytus.
However the penances given by the Church in early tines were often very long. Abortion could incur a penance lasting 10 years for example. But did this mean the penitent would wait ten years before receiving communion again. Let us read St Cyril of Jerusalem 250AD
"Some may do penance for a set time and according to the rules of discipline come to public confession, and by imposition of the hand of the bishop and clergy receive the right of communion".
(Notice that they have already confessed but still do not have the automatic right to receive the Body of Christ and need to seek always the permission of the bishop or clergy, this of course suggests a serious sin such as apostasy has been committed and their response to penance must be constantly assessed but permission can be granted for them to receive) .........the Eucharist is given to them , although it is written "He who should eat of the bread and drink of the cup unworthily shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord"
(ST Cyril of Carthage AD 250)
St Cyril could well be talking to the Christians of today when he made the following point also in the same letter.
"Moreover, how much greater are they in Faith and better in their fear who.............with grace and simplicity confess this very thing to God's priests, and make their conscientious avowal, put off from them the load of their minds ..........I entreat ou beloved brothers that each one should confess his own sin, while he who has sinned is still in this world, while his confession may be received, while the satisfaction and remissions made by the priests are pleasing to the Lord"
I coud quote many other sources from the early Church on Confession but this is a blog and not a book. What this glimpse into there early Church shows is that that Jesus through his gift of Penance, and the Early Church are appalled at the casual way Confession in the Catholic Church of today are ignore. The Mass is about the forgiveness of sin, but it does not give us permission to commit future sins. But Christ was wise and knew that his followers would fall into sins because our enemies as St Paul said are "Principalities and Powers". If he gave us a Sacrament why do we ignore it? Each time we confess to Jesus in the Sacrament of Penance He give us so much love and grace. But above all the early Church was concerned that he who eats of the bread and drinks of the cup unworthily is guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ. In today's Church is this the case?
"Father, who knows the hearts of all grant this servant whom you have chosen for the episcopate to feed you holy flock and serve you high priest blamelessly night and day and unceasingly turn away wrath from you Face and offer to you the gifts of the Holy Church. And by the High Priest's Spirit he may have authority TO FORGIVE SINS according to your command
(Apostolic Tradition AD 215} St Hippolytus.
However the penances given by the Church in early tines were often very long. Abortion could incur a penance lasting 10 years for example. But did this mean the penitent would wait ten years before receiving communion again. Let us read St Cyril of Jerusalem 250AD
"Some may do penance for a set time and according to the rules of discipline come to public confession, and by imposition of the hand of the bishop and clergy receive the right of communion".
(Notice that they have already confessed but still do not have the automatic right to receive the Body of Christ and need to seek always the permission of the bishop or clergy, this of course suggests a serious sin such as apostasy has been committed and their response to penance must be constantly assessed but permission can be granted for them to receive) .........the Eucharist is given to them , although it is written "He who should eat of the bread and drink of the cup unworthily shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord"
(ST Cyril of Carthage AD 250)
St Cyril could well be talking to the Christians of today when he made the following point also in the same letter.
"Moreover, how much greater are they in Faith and better in their fear who.............with grace and simplicity confess this very thing to God's priests, and make their conscientious avowal, put off from them the load of their minds ..........I entreat ou beloved brothers that each one should confess his own sin, while he who has sinned is still in this world, while his confession may be received, while the satisfaction and remissions made by the priests are pleasing to the Lord"
I coud quote many other sources from the early Church on Confession but this is a blog and not a book. What this glimpse into there early Church shows is that that Jesus through his gift of Penance, and the Early Church are appalled at the casual way Confession in the Catholic Church of today are ignore. The Mass is about the forgiveness of sin, but it does not give us permission to commit future sins. But Christ was wise and knew that his followers would fall into sins because our enemies as St Paul said are "Principalities and Powers". If he gave us a Sacrament why do we ignore it? Each time we confess to Jesus in the Sacrament of Penance He give us so much love and grace. But above all the early Church was concerned that he who eats of the bread and drinks of the cup unworthily is guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ. In today's Church is this the case?
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