We want to thank our friends at Lighthouse Catholic Media (LCM) for allowing us to use portions of the wonderful CD by Dr. Scott Hahn entitled: “The Healing Power of Confession.” We invite you to use our direct link to the Lighthouse Catholic Media website:
http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/refer/100337
You can order this CD for only $3.00. Or, if you prefer, you can order an MP3 download for $2.00. You’ll find a great selection of seasonal (i.e. Lenten) and topical CD’s: Sacraments, Scriptural, Marian, Eucharist and others. At Catholic Vitamins, we highly recommend your use of these tools to help make this a wonderful and healing Lent.
In THE HEALING POWER OF CONFESSION, Dr. Scott Hahn presents the historical and biblical origins of the Sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation), which is probably the most misunderstood of the Seven Sacraments. He provides an important guide for new Catholics, a source of renewal for “old hands”, and a challenge to all of us to deepen our relationship with Christ through regular use of the Sacrament of Penance.
LISTENER FEEDBACK TO LCM
This is an outstanding talk on Confession that cuts to the heart of this great Sacrament of Mercy. Father Joseph – Baltic, CT
This helped me to better understand scripturally why confession is so important, and it gave me a desire to go to confession more often. I want to pass this information on to others. Steven – Jasper, IN
CATHOLIC VITAMINS/LIGHTHOUSE CATHOLIC MEDIA CD Gift
We bring this Catholic Vitamin podcast on RECONCILIATION to help us prepare for Lent. Tom & Dee hope you’ve listened to the 3 segments from Dr. Scott Hahn’s talk called the HEALING POWER OF CONFESSION. Now in addition, we’ve ordered two copies of a powerful and challenging talk by Fr. Larry Richards. This LCM CD is entitled CONFESSION. It has been called “one of the best instructional CD’s ever. Fr. Larry is a riveting, honest, yet very human and humorous teacher.
We are offering you a chance, now through the end of the second week in March to call our feedback number (206-350-3789) or send us an email to catholicvitamins@gmail.com
In either situation, mention CONFESSION CD and we’ll put names (give us your name and contact information) into one of Dee’s famous prize baskets. Two winners will be pulled and we’ll send you this wonderful talk by Fr. Larry Richards. We’ll include a Catholic Vitamins Sweet Treat along with a dispensation to enjoy it even in Lent 🙂
RECONCILIATION QUOTES
When a Catholic comes from confession, he does truly, by definition, step out into that dawn of his own beginning… in that brief ritual God has really remade him in His own image. He may be grey and gouty; but he is only five minutes old.
– G. K. Chesterton
Confession heals, confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin. All hope consists in confession. In confession there is a chance for mercy. Believe it firmly. Do not doubt, do not hesitate, never despair of the mercy of God. Hope and have confidence in confession. –St. Isidore of Seville
The Didache
Confess your sins in church, and do not go up to your prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of life. . . , On the Lord’s Day gather together, break bread, and give thanks, after confessing your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure (Didache 4:14,14:1 [A.D.70]).
The Letter of Barnabas
You shall judge righteously. You shall not make a schism, but you shall pacify those that contend by bringing them together. You shall confess your sins. You shall not go to prayer with an evil conscience. This is the way of light (Letter of Barnabas 19 [A.D. 74]).
Ignatius of Antioch
For as many as are of God and of Jesus Christ are also with the bishop. And as many as shall, in the exercise of penance, return into the unity of the Church, these, too, shall belong to God, that they may live according to Jesus Christ (Letter to the Philadelphians 3 [A.D. 110]).
For where there is division and wrath, God does not dwell. To all them that repent, the Lord grants forgiveness, if they turn in penitence to the unity of God, and to communion with the bishop (ibid. 8).
Irenaeus
[The Gnostic disciples of Marcus] have deluded many women. . . Their consciences have been branded as with a hot iron. Some of these women make a public confession, but others are ashamed to do this, and in silence, as if withdrawing from themselves the hope of life of God, they either apostatize entirely or hesitate between two courses (Against Heresies 1:22 [A.D. 189]).
Tertullian
[Regarding confession, some] flee from this work as being an exposure of themselves, or they put it off from day to day. I presume they are more mindful of modesty than of salvation, like those who contract a disease in the more shameful parts of the body and shun making themselves known to the physicians; and thus they perish along with their own bashfulness (Repentance 10:1 [A.D. 203]).
The Church has the power of forgiving sins. This I acknowledge and adjudge (ibid. 21).
Hippolytus
[The bishop conducting the ordination of the new bishop shall pray:] God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . pour forth now that power which comes from you, from your Royal Spirit, which you gave to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and which he bestowed upon his holy apostles. . . and grant this your servant, whom you have chosen for the episcopate, [the power] to feed your holy flock and to serve without blame as your high priest, ministering night and day to propitiate unceasingly before your face and to offer to you the gifts of your holy Church, and by the Spirit of the high priesthood to have the authority to forgive sins, in accord with your command (Apostolic Tradition 3 [A.D. 215]).
Origen
[A filial method of forgiveness], albeit hard and laborious [is] the remission of sins through penance, when the sinner . . . does not shrink from declaring his sin to a priest of the Lord and from seeking medicine, after the manner of him who say, “I said, to the Lord, I will accuse myself of my iniquity” (Homilies in Leviticus 2:4 [A.D. 248]).
Cyprian
The Apostle [Paul] likewise bears witness and says: “Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord “[I Cor. 11:27]. But [the impenitent] spurn and despise all these warnings; before their sins are expiated, before they have made a confession of their crime, before their conscience has been purged in the ceremony and at: the hand of the priest . . . they do violence to his body and blood, and with their hands and mouth they sin against the Lord more than when they denied him (The Lapsed 15:1-3 (A.D. 251]).
Of how much greater faith and salutary fear are they who . . . confess their sins to the priests of God in a straightforward manner and in sorrow, making an open declaration of conscience. . . I beseech you, brethren; let everyone who has sinned confess his sin while he is still in this world, while his confession is still admissible, while the satisfaction and remission made through the priests are still pleasing before the Lord (ibid. 28).
Sinners 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. [But now some] with their time [of penance] still unfulfilled . . . they are admitted to Communion, and their name is presented and while the penitence is not yet performed, confession is not yet made, the hands of the bishop and clergy are not yet laid upon them, the Eucharist is given to them; although it is written, “Whosoever shall eat the bread and drink the cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord” [I Cor. 11:27] (Letters 9:2 [A.D. 253])
John Chrysostom
Priests have received a power which God has given neither to angels nor to archangels. It was said to them: “Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose, shall be loosed.” Temporal rulers have indeed the power of binding: but they can only bind the body. Priests, in contrast, can bind with a bond which pertains to the soul itself and transcends the very heavens. Did [God] not give them all the powers of heaven? “Whose sins you shall forgive,” he says, “they are forgiven them; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.” The Father has given all judgment to the Son. And now I see the Son placing all this power in the hands of men [Matt. 10:40; John 20:21-23]. They are raised to this dignity as if they were already gathered up to heaven (The Priesthood 3:5 [A.D. 387]).