Penance and anointing of the sick are sacraments of healing. According to the Baltimore Catechism, “Penance is the sacrament by which sins committed after baptism are forgiven through the absolution of the priest.”

The minister of the sacrament of penance is the priest. The form of the sacrament is the words of absolution: “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

According to St. Thomas Aquinas, “The acts of the penitent are the proximate matter of this sacrament.” These acts are contrition, confession, and satisfaction.

The effect of the sacrament of penance is the forgiveness of sin and the remission of punishment. Father Bennet Kelley, CP, pointed out that the sacramental grace of penance “helps to cure the deeper inclinations to evil that actual sins have put in our soul and makes it easier for us to keep out of sin in the future.”

According to the Baltimore Catechism, “To receive the sacrament of penance worthily, we must: first, examine our conscience; second, be sorry for our sins; third, have the firm purpose of not sinning again; fourth, confess our sins to the priest; fifth, be willing to perform the penance the priest gives us.”

Examination of conscience is the sincere effort to remember the sins committed since the last good confession.

We can examine ourselves in detail considering the Ten Commandments, the precepts of the Church, and the duties of our state in life.

Regarding mortal sins, we must examine the number of times each of them has been committed, together with any circumstances which might change the nature of the sin or add to its gravity.

According to the Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, “Contrition is heartfelt sorrow and detestation of one’s sins, because they have offended God.”

“Contrition is most necessary. Nobody who has come to the use of reason can have his sin forgiven without contrition.”

True contrition must be sincere (from the heart), supernatural (spring from faith), supreme (hate mortal sin above all other evils), and universal (sorry for all mortal sin).

There are two kinds of contrition: perfect and imperfect. Perfect contrition is sorrow for sin rising out of love for God, and imperfect contrition is sorrow for sin rising out of fear.

The Catechism of Catholic Doctrine states: “If we have perfect contrition, God forgives our sins even though we cannot go to confession, but our contrition must include the intention of confessing our sins.”

“If we have imperfect contrition, we can get forgiveness of our sins through the sacraments of baptism or of penance.”

“An act of perfect contrition is essential to save our souls when we are in danger of death and in a state of mortal sin but cannot go to confession.”

True contrition must include a sincere purpose of amendment. A purpose of amendment is a firm resolution not to sin again, and to strive to avoid all near occasions of sin: this means the persons, places, and things which cause us to sin.

To obtain forgiveness we must confess all our mortal sins since our last good confession, telling their kind, number, and any circumstances changing their nature or adding to their gravity.

A good confession should be humble (no excuses), sincere (no falsehoods), and entire (no omissions). We must never knowingly conceal any mortal sin in confession.

In the confessional the priest imposes satisfaction or penance in order that we may do penance for our sins, and to help us to amend our lives.

“Confession makes the soul strong because a really good confession – the confession of a child in sin coming back to the Father – always begets humility, and humility is strength” (Mother Teresa).