Sakrament pokuty i pojednania. Kryzys współczesny i kryzys doktrynalny

Abstract

The sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation – a confession – in the recent decades has become a subject of manifold theological interpretations which have influenced its practicing. Recursively suggested interpretations have resulted in various critical moments in its practicing, or at least they contribute to the rise of suspicions directed at it. The situation calls for reconsideration of certain aspects of the theology of the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. It appears that the Church doctrine preserved in this matter implies the need for consideration of the three most vital questions, namely: what is the specific grace of the sacrament of Penance, what does the likeness of Christ, resulting from this sacrament, consist in, and how is the actual ecclesiality of the sacrament manifested. This article focuses on these three questions, positioning itself in a direct reference to the mentioned symptoms of the crisis in the sphere of sacramental penance. In the case of the first question the reader’s attention is brought to the relation between the sacrament of Penance and Baptism, which makes it possible to grasp the specificity of sacramental penance. The second question emphasises the truth that the likeness of Christ the Redeemer, who through his death judges men’s sins, may be achieved only by penance. As far as the third question is concerned, it is reminded that through conversion and penance a Christian renews his bond with the Church that in turn supports the sinner in the act of conversion and penance.