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CONFESSION:
The Making of a Sacrament
Gaile Pohlhaus
St. Joseph did not build the first confessional. As
a matter of fact it was only in 1614 that a screen
was mandated between the penitent and the confessor.
The reason for this was twofold: 1) to ensure anonymity
for the sinner and 2) to protect the sinner from predatory
priests. Perhaps the screen shouldn’t have been
replaced by reconciliation rooms. But reconciliation
rooms were supposed to be replicating what the sacrament
of Penance (Reconciliation) was like originally. Actually
this sacrament was a long time developing.
Certainly we can find instances in the Gospels where
Jesus forgave sins, for example, Matthew 9:1-3; Luke
7:47-48; and John 5:13-15. The earliest Christian communities
saw Baptism as the means of salvation, so much so,
that even until the middle of the fourth century some
men put off Baptism so that they could be baptized
on their death
beds, thus ensuring the forgiveness of all sins and
immediate entrance into heaven. Infant baptism apparently
became the normal thing to do after Constantine “converted” Europe
to Christianity and probably became widespread as late
as the fifth century. The only problem was that more
and more babies were being baptized and people needed
to be forgiven post-baptismal sins for which they were
truly sorry. Eucharist was received weekly and catechumens
and penitents (people who had committed the serious
sins of murder, adultery, or apostasy) were expected
to leave mass after the liturgy of the word. You could
only receive forgiveness for a serious sin once after
baptism and this evidently
remains in place until the seventh century. For less
serious sins fasting, alms giving, and prayer would
suffice for forgiveness. For penitents to be received
back into the Church there had to be public penance
and a ceremony of reconciliation. This rehabilitation
was
performed by the local bishop since the serious sin
not only affected the penitent’s relationship
with God but their relationship with the local church.
A new tradition was starting to grow in the west however
(remember at that time west meant Ireland.) At sometime
in the fifth century people who wanted to be forgiven
for sins of any nature would consult a local monastery.
As these monks then went eastwardly they carried
this tradition with them. More importantly they carried
lists of sins and
their appropriate penances. Perhaps this was due
to no nearby local bishops and perhaps also people
wanted
to be more private. Some suggest that Christians wanted
to participate in a Lenten practice. In any case these “Irish
penitentials” were carried into the body of the
Roman church. This type of penance became known as “tariff” penance.
By the
end of the ninth century this practice became known
as “Confession.” For some period of time
the forgiveness was given by any holy person (usually
a monk, nun, or hermit) but eventually became the duty
of an ordained priest. Unfortunately this practice
became one of individuation rather a communal rite
and responsibility. Could it be that the practice
of individual confession helped lead us into a practice
of Christianity for the person rather than for the
reign of God?
Things continued to go down hill. With a list of sins,
the tariff (payment) for forgiveness, and the theology
that Christ paid back God for our sins, the next step
to literally pay someone else to do the tariff is an
easy one. Thus indulgences get preached and offered.
This eventually leads to the reformation and the Council
of Trent. The transition starts with Lateran Council
IV (1215) which puts the emphasis on confession and
absolution and adds the obligation of confessing serious
sins (a list that was originally four) at least once
a year and receiving Eucharist during the “Easter
Time.” This is the first time that the Church
officially recognized Penance as a sacrament. The Council
of Trent (1545
–
1563) in its 14th session issued 15 decrees which taught
that a valid confession consisted of listing all one’s
sins, the number of times one committed them, and the
circumstances. St. Charles Borromeo is credited with
instituting the screen between the penitent and confessor.
By the end of the nineteenth century theologians were
exploring the liturgical roots of Christianity. By
the time of Vatican II it became apparent to the bishops
that the communal dimensions of the sacraments had
all but disappeared. They called (in paragraph 72 of
the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, promulgated
on December 4, 1963) for the rite and formulas for
the sacrament of penance to be revised so that they
more clearly express both the nature and effect of
the sacrament. The Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith in 1972 issued the document that called for
three general forms of the sacrament which is now called
Reconciliation. The third form is rarely used (general
absolution for all in attendance) although it is the
most communal. The first and second forms (individual
confession with the option of face-to-face and a general
penitential rite with the opportunity for individual
meeting with a priest for absolution) are the forms
most usually found in North American parishes, although
participation by the faithful is very low. The reasons
for this will be explored in another column.
Bibliography
De Gidio, Sandra. Sacraments Alive. (Twenty-third Publications,
2000)
Lawler, Michael G. Symbol and Sacrament. (Paulist Press,
1987)
Martos, Joseph. Doors to the Sacred. (Liguori/Triumph,
Rev Updated Edition, April 2001)
The New Dictionary
of Sacramental Worship. Peter E. Fink, S.J., ed.
(Michael Glazier, 1990)
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