Sacramental Forgiveness As A Gift Of God

What is the theological place of the Holy Spirit with respect to the forgiveness of sins in the sacrament of penance? This study examines the role of the Spirit in the theology of sacramental forgiveness of Thomas Aquinas (1224/5-1274), who is often blamed for the "Geistvergessenheit" of Western theology. In the first part of this study it is shown that in Thomas' theology notions like guilt and forgiveness function within the context of a relationship of friendship between God and human beings. Constitutive for this relationship is the indwelling of God, which is 'appropriated' to the Holy Spirit. It is explained that Thomas understands appropriation, i.e. the practice of ascribing to divine Persons individually what belongs to the divine essence in general, as a part of proper God-talk, which takes into account the limitations of our language vis-a-vis God. In the second part of this study, it is argued that the notion of the causality of the sacrament of penance, i.e. that it effects the forgiveness of sins that it signifies, can only be evaluated properly if the sacrament of penance is not only seen as prolongation of the incarnation, i.e. the visible mission of the Son, but also as accompanied by the continous invisible mission of the Holy Spirit. Eric Luijten (1964) has been a research-fellow of the Catholic Theological University at Utrecht, the Netherlands, and at present is rector of studies of the Arienskonvikt, the priest seminary of the archdiocese Utrecht and the diocese Groningen.

Whether its been a few months or several years since parents have been to Confession, theyll find this refreshing resource helpful as they prepare children for First Reconciliation. Its filled with practical advice and detailed explanations of what happens before, during and after the sacrament. With an Imprimatur, and a collection of family prayers, its the perfect take-home resource for every parent in your sacramental program.

The author discusses the theology of the sacrament of Reconciliation that emanated from the reformed rites that were promulgated after Vatican II. He treats the public nature of sin and forgiveness and shows that the Church has always been concerned to continue Christ's reconciling ministry in a public and sacramental way. Further, he treats the constitutive "parts" of the developed sacrament and analyzes the sacramental forms of reconciliation as well as the non-sacramental form in a way that reveals their complementarity. He concludes by suggesting some possibilities for the development of the sacrament.

The sacrament of Reconciliation brings us Gods wonderful gift of forgiveness and peace. God loves us unconditionally, and is always willing to forgive us, and to help us follow Jesus by forgiving others.Complete with remembrance pages to record every detail of a childs first Reconciliation, Jesus Give Us Peace uses scriptural and contemporary stories to gently teach Jesus message of love and forgiveness. Lovely prayers that each child can personalize, as well as a section containing traditional Catholic prayers for Reconciliation, make this a book to be treasured by the whole family!

Understanding forgiveness as the heart of the Christian message.

The fifth volume of Prof. Michael Schmaus's series of six self-contained but integrated texts takes as its starting-point the sacramental character of the Church which derives from the understanding of Jesus as the original sacrament. From this base, it goes on to discuss the sacraments in general, and to provide an account of the historical development of the seven sacraments as we know them.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a comprehensive and accessible resource for undergraduate, graduate, and seminary courses on the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It offers an overview of the sacrament in terms of its anthropological, scriptural, historical, and theological roots as well as an analysis of the key components of the sacrament itself (matter, form, minister, recipient, etc.). With the knowledge of a theologian and the skill of an historian, Robert Fastiggi links the Sacrament of Penance to its anthropological foundations, grounded in the recognition of human failure and the need for forgiveness. This anthropological foundation includes a brief overview of how non-biblical religions deal with sin and purification as well as the revelation of the human need for reconciliation presented in Sacred Scripture. He carefully unwraps the Old Testament and New Testament narratives that cover original sin, human rebellion, the need for reconciliation, conversion, forgiveness, and the remission of sin. Dr. Fastiggi understands the sacrament in the context of spirituality or ascetical and mystical theology. His section on the Sacrament of Penance in Church history lays out comprehensive overview of the development in the sacrament of Penance from the Patristic period to the period immediately before Vatican II. At the heart of the new evangelization is the proclamation of Christ, who has come into the world to reconcile sinful human beings with the transcendent love of God. For those living today in a post-Christian world, the powerful message of God’s merciful love expressed through the sacrament of reconciliation is a most valuable way of knowing the “joy of the Gospel.”