Penitential Rite
Fr. Roch Kereszty, O. Cist.

Normally, the Greeting of the Congregation by the priest is followed by a short penitential rite, either in the form of what is called traditionally the Confiteor, (“I confess to almighty God and to you my brothers...) or in the form of a short penitential litany.

If we examine our conscience simply according to the Ten Commandments, we may not find too much to be sorry for. But if we look at ourselves in the light of what Jesus wants us to become and specifically in the light of what the priest’s greeting assumes about us, there is much to be sorry for. Remember, last time we meditated on the greeting, “The Lord be with you” and “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Is the Lord truly with us or rather within us? Does the Spirit of God really join us together into the one Body of Christ, does He inspire our actions, our thoughts, our feelings, the way we look at ourselves and our fellow men and women? Do we treat people around us as members of the one family of God, do we see the face of Christ in them, especially in the needy, the poor and the sick?

St. Augustine liked to address those who came to Mass with the words, “You are the Body of Christ. Be what you are.” Are we truly the Body of Christ? Does the love and the light of Christ shine through us, or are we just a dark spot in his body, a sick or dead member of his Body? In the work place, in our family, among our friends, do people wonder about what our secret is, the secret of our peace, the secret of our sincere interest in them, the secret of our ability to forgive and to forget the offense we have suffered? If a Christian is not a puzzle for those around him, if a Christian does not make people wonder about the source of his or her energy and goodness, this person is most likely a sick or dead member of Christ. Then there is a lot to confess and a lot to ask forgiveness for.

In this process of penance, sorrow and forgiveness we are not alone. We confess our sins to each other and to all the saints, and we ask for each other’s prayers and for the prayers of the saints. What a relief to know that we are within the communion of the saints, that we can draw on the prayers of so many saints, those fully purified in heaven and those around us who are still struggling like us.

If we are sincere in asking for forgiveness, if we are sorry because we failed to love Love itself, we are forgiven and cleansed in the Mass.

If we were in the state of mortal sin, perfect contrition forgives even mortal sins provided that we intend to confess them as soon as we can In other words, if we sincerely repent of our sins out of love for God and resolve with God’s help to avoid that sin in the future, we are forgiven in that very instant when we ask for forgiveness with love of God in our hearts. In fact, this love for God in our hearts is already a sign that He has forgiven us; otherwise, we could not love him. His grace in our hearts is the source of our love for Him. Thus perfect contrition , as it were, anticipates the grace of the sacrament.

Yet, if we come to Mass with mortal sins, forgiven perhaps but not yet confessed, we should not go to Holy Communion without first going to confession. (Of course, it is most advisable to go to confession regularly even with venial sins). Why? Because a Christian offends not only God by his sins, but he also gravely wounds the Body of Christ the Church. If a Christian sins, then rather than making Christ present through his actions, words and feelings, he becomes a dead member of the Body of Christ. Such a person causes scandal, extinguishes the light of Christ that should radiate from him, expels the love of the Holy Spirit from his heart, the love that should warm and heal people around him. Thus, a mortal sinner must ask not only God directly for forgiveness but also the Church he has wounded by his sins through the priest who represents the Church and Christ.

When I distribute Holy Communion to almost everybody in the congregation, I often wonder, are all of them aware of this obligation? Are they all in the state of sanctifying grace or, are they eating and drinking judgment for themselves as Paul says (1 Cor 11:29)?

Thus the Penitential Rite fulfills an essential role in preparing us for the Eucharist where Christ wants to feed us with his pure, living and holy body. He cannot feed a dead member; he must first raise him up to new life, and he will not do so unless the person is also ready to submit his sins to the Church in the sacrament of reconciliation. If we are only sick, sick with many daily sins, he will heal us through Holy Communion provided that we sincerely ask for it.