YOUCAT Question n. 151 - Part I. What possibilities are there for the forgiveness of sins in the Church?
(Youcat answer) Fundamentally the forgiveness of sins
occurs in the sacrament of Baptism. After that the sacrament of Reconciliation
(Penance, confession) is necessary for the forgiveness of serious sins. For
less serious sins, confession is recommended. But reading Sacred Scripture,
prayer, fasting, and the performance of good works also have the effect of
forgiving sins.
A deepening through
CCC
(CCC 976) The
Apostle's Creed associates faith in the forgiveness of sins not only with faith
in the Holy Spirit, but also with faith in the Church and in the communion of
saints. It was when he gave the Holy Spirit to his apostles that the risen
Christ conferred on them his own divine power to forgive sins: "Receive
the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain
the sins of any, they are retained" (Jn 20:22-23). (Part Two of the
catechism will deal explicitly with the forgiveness of sins through Baptism,
the sacrament of Penance, and the other sacraments, especially the Eucharist.
Here it will suffice to suggest some basic facts briefly.) (CCC 977) Our Lord
tied the forgiveness of sins to faith and Baptism: "Go into all the world
and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized
will be saved" (Mk 16:15-16). Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of
forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ, who died for our sins and
rose for our justification, so that "we too might walk in newness of
life" (Rom 6:4; cf. 4:25).
Reflecting and
meditating
(CCC Comment)
(CCC 978) "When we made our first profession of faith
while receiving the holy Baptism that cleansed us, the forgiveness we received
then was so full and complete that there remained in us absolutely nothing left
to efface, neither original sin nor offenses committed by our own will, nor was
there left any penalty to suffer in order to expiate them.... Yet the grace of
Baptism delivers no one from all the weakness of nature. On the contrary, we
must still combat the movements of concupiscence that never cease leading us into
evil" (Roman Catechism I, 11,3).
(This
question: What possibilities are there for the forgiveness of sins in the
Church? is continued)
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