Sacramental Life and Liturgy

Design Element
Design Element
 
Charism
Charism

Let us trust in the Spirit’s power to inspire conversion, to heal every wound, to overcome every division, and to inspire new life and freedom. How much we need these gifts! And how close at hand they are, particularly in the Sacrament of Penance! The liberating power of this sacrament, in which our honest confession of sin is met by God’s merciful word of pardon and peace, needs to be rediscovered and reappropriated by every Catholic. To a great extent, the renewal of the Church in America and throughout the world depends on the renewal of the practice of Penance and the growth in holiness which that sacrament both inspires and accomplishes. (Pope Benedict XVI)

The Sacrament of Penance engages us in the embrace of God’s mercy. Striving to conform our lives more perfectly to the life of Jesus, we make frequent use of this sacrament. At the Motherhouse, two priests are available to hear the sisters’ confessions each week. On the missions, priests from nearby parishes or other religious institutes serve as the sisters’ confessors.

All who are in mortal sin need the Sacrament of Penance to be restored to a state of grace. However, this is not the only purpose of this great sacrament. On a natural level, consideration of our sins and failings, along with resolution for improvement, is a necessary tool for human growth. On the supernatural level, we know that we are dependent upon God’s grace for any good that we can accomplish, whether for the good of our own souls or that of others.

Growth in the spiritual life requires rejection of even venial sin. No sin is compatible with the life of charity to which we are called. Christ’s love for the Father and for His brethren is the love we desire in our own lives. Sin separates us from God’s will and causes division among men. If we are to work toward the establishment of God’s kingdom we must be vigilant in rooting out sin.

St. Dominic expressed great pity for sinners and offered himself for their conversion. He also encouraged the friars to ever greater growth in perfection. The early brethren even commented that they were happy to receive correction from him, as it was given with obvious solicitude for their souls. We can imagine St. Dominic today urging us to fervent use of the Sacrament of Penance, with pity for our sins and desire for our holiness.



Mercy in itself, as a perfection of the infinite God, is infinite. Also infinite therefore and inexhaustible is the Father’s readiness to receive the prodigal children who return to His home. Infinite are the readiness and power of forgiveness which flow continually from the marvelous value of the sacrifice of the Son. No human sin can prevail over this power or even limit it. On the part of man only a lack of good will can limit it, a lack of readiness to be converted and to repent, in other words persistence in obstinacy, opposing grace and truth, especially in the face of the witness of the cross and resurrection of Christ. Therefore, the Church professes and proclaims conversion. Conversion to God always consists in discovering His mercy, that is, in discovering that love which is patient and kind as only the Creator and Father can be. (Dives in Misericordia, 13)

Charism