TOS038 The Sacraments–Reconciliation with Rebecca Brandes
For audio TOS038: The Sacraments – Reconciliation – Truth of the Spirit (podcast) | Listen Notes
Welcome to Truth of the Spirit with Patti Brunner. Join Rebecca Brandes as she speaks about the Sacrament of Reconciliation on the Truth of the Spirit podcast during the series “Eucharist and Other Sacraments”. Dreading confession is a natural thing. Our natural instincts tell us to avoid pain but at the gym you hear “no pain no gain”. In Confession we have to humble ourselves.
St. Faustina says we should derive two profits from holy Confession [the Sacrament of Reconciliation]; we come to Confession to be healed and we come to be educated. Like a small child, our soul is in constant need of education. The Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes that sacramental confession is the source of spiritual healing and in paragraph In (1421) it says: “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.”
The following references used in the presentation of the Sacrament of Reconciliation include paragraphs from Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Diary of St. Faustina, and the New American Bible:
“When you go to confession to this fountain of mercy, the blood and water which came forth from my heart always flows down upon your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of Mercy. I, Myself, am waiting there for you. I, Myself, act in your soul.” (Diary 1602)
“Tell souls where they are to look for solace, in the Tribunal of Mercy (the sacrament of reconciliation). There the greatest miracles take place and are incessantly repeated…..Come with faith to the feet of my representative and reveal to him one’s misery and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse, so that from a human standpoint, there would be no restoration and everything would be already lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of God’s Mercy!!!” (Diary 1448)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes that sacramental confession is a source of spiritual healing. In (1421) it says: “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.”
“Never analyze what sort of priest I am making use of, open your souls in confession as you would to me, and I will fill it with My Light.” (Diary 1725)
Leviticus 5:5-6 deals with the various sins people commit when they swear. It reads “When a man is guilty of any of these, he shall confess the sin he has committed, and shall bring his guilt offering to the Lord for the sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin”.
1John 1:9-10 it says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
John 20:23 “Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven. Whose sins you retain, they are retained,”
“Penances configure us to Christ who alone expiated our sins once for all. They allow us to become co-heirs with the risen Christ provided we suffer with Him (Rom:8-17) (CCC 1460).
(1Corinthians 11:27, 30) “Whoever, therefore eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord….that is why many of you are weak & ill & some have died.”
Luke 15:11-32, the parable of the prodigal son
“For this son of mine was dead and is alive again.” (Luke 11:24)
Discussion Questions
- How often do you think people should go to Confession?
- Do you always feel forgiven after confessing your sins to a priest?
- Do you have any special stories about receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
- Comment on tonight’s talk and the reference quotes.
