Confession (religion)
The Catholic rite, obligatory at least once a year for serious sins, is usually conducted within a confessional box, booth, or reconciliation room.
For the Catholic Church, the sacrament intends to provide healing for the soul as well as to regain the grace of God, lost by sin.
The Council of Trent (Session Fourteen, Chapter I) quoted John 20:22–23[3] as the primary Scriptural proof for the doctrine concerning the sacrament.
[8] The concept of confessing in private is called sub rosa, which comes from Hellenistic and later Roman mythology and was eventually adopted into Christian symbolism.
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.
God's forgiveness restores the person to "the brightness of the white robe of baptism, a garment specifically required to participate in the [wedding] feast.
"[14] In Catholicism, it is considered the duty of priests not to reveal anything learned during the Sacrament of Penance; this protection against disclosure is known as the Seal of Confession.
Orthodox Christians as well as members of the Assyrian Church of the East and Eastern Rite Catholics choose an individual to trust as their earthly guide to help them grow in Christ.
Orthodox Christians tend to formally confess only to this individual, with their spiritual guide assisting them with their growth in Christ and through Theosis.
[citation needed] Confession does not take place in a confessional, but normally in the main part of the church itself, usually before an analogion (lectern) set up near the iconostasion.
It is not uncommon for a person to confess their sins to their spiritual guide on a regular basis but only seek out the priest to read the prayer before receiving Holy Communion.
Eastern Christians also continue to practice a form of general confession, (or manifest contrition), referred to as the rite of "Mutual Forgiveness".
The rite of Mutual Forgiveness does not replace the Mystery of Confession and Absolution, but is for the purpose of maintaining Christian charity and a humble and contrite spirit.
Here the person confessing (known as the "penitent") confesses individually their sins and makes an act of contrition as the pastor, acting in persona Christi, announces this following formula of absolution (or similar): "In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
[24] The Order of Worship in the Bible Presbyterian Church, for example, enjoins the following:[24] Each Sunday we have a corporate confession of sins with an announcement of assurance of pardon from sin—this is great news for all believers.
We strive to use the form of confession sincerely, to acknowledging our brokenness—in thought, word, and deed—and to receive God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ in thankfulness.
In cases where sin has resulted in the exclusion of a person from church membership due to unrepentance, public confession is often a prerequisite to readmission.
The seal of the confessional, as with Roman Catholicism, is absolute and any confessor who divulges information revealed in confession is subject to deposition and removal from office.
When priests began to hear confessions, they responded to criticisms by pointing to the fact that such is explicitly sanctioned in "The Order for the Visitation of the Sick" in the Book of Common Prayer, which contains the following direction: Here shall the sick person be moved to make a special Confession of his sins, if he feel his conscience troubled with any weighty matter.
Private confession is also envisaged by the canon law of the Church of England, which contains the following, intended to safeguard the seal of the confessional: [I]f any man confess his secret and hidden sins to the minister, for the unburdening of his conscience, and to receive spiritual consolation and ease of mind from him; we [...] do straitly charge and admonish him [i.e., the minister], that he does not at any time reveal and make known to any person whatsoever any crime or offence so committed to his trust and secrecyThere is no requirement for private confession, but a common understanding that it may be desirable depending on individual circumstances.
In the Communion Service of the 1662 English Prayer Book, for example, we read: And because it is requisite, that no man should come to the holy Communion, but with a full trust in God's mercy, and with a quiet conscience; therefore, if there be any of you, who by this means [that is, by personal confession of sins] cannot quiet his own conscience herein, but requireth further comfort or counsel; let him come to me, or to some other discreet and learned Minister of God's Word, and open his grief; that by the ministry of God's holy Word he may receive the benefit of absolution, together with ghostly counsel and advice, to the quieting of his conscience, and avoiding of all scruple and doubtfulness.
The form of absolution provided in the order for the Visitation of the Sick reads, "Our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath left power to his Church to absolve all sinners who truly repent and believe in him, of his great mercy forgive thee thine offences: And by his authority committed to me, I absolve thee from all thy sins, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
"[34] Despite the provision for private confession in every edition of the Book of Common Prayer, the practice was frequently contested during the Ritualist controversies of the later nineteenth century.
[36][37] John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, held "the validity of Anglican practice in his day as reflected in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer",[38] stating that "We grant confession to men to be in many cases of use: public, in case of public scandal; private, to a spiritual guide for disburdening of the conscience, and as a help to repentance.
[40] The Book of Worship of The United Methodist Church contains the rite for private confession and absolution in "A Service of Healing II", in which the minister pronounces the words "In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
"[45]In Methodism, the minister is bound by the Seal of the Confessional, with The Book of Discipline stating "All clergy of The United Methodist Church are charged to maintain all confidences inviolate, including confessional confidences"; any confessor who divulges information revealed in confession is subject to being defrocked in accordance with canon law.
[52][50] The confession to the priesthood leader must be held in strict confidence unless the confessor grants permission to disclose it to the disciplinary council.
[58][56][59] Those texts that discuss Prāyaścitta, states Robert Lingat, debate the intent and thought behind the improper act, and consider penance appropriate when the "effect" had to be balanced, but "cause" was unclear.
[60][61] In the AA Twelve-Step Program, confession is made in Step 5: "Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
[65] That part of the Pali Canon called the Vinaya requires that monks confess their individual sins before the bi-weekly convening for the recitation of the Patimokkha.
