Chapter 18. Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation • 241
1. How can we prepare for the Sacrament of Penance?
The reception of this sacrament ought to be prepared
for by an examination of conscience made in the light of
the Word of God. The passages best suited to this can be
found in the Ten Commandments, the moral catechesis of
the Gospels and the apostolic Letters, such as the Sermon
on the Mount and apostolic teaching. (CCC, no. 1454)
2. What is the seal of Confession?
The Church declares that every priest who hears confes-
sions is bound under very severe penalties to keep abso-
lute secrecy regarding the sins that his penitents have
confessed to him. He can make no use of knowledge that
confession gives him about penitents’ lives. This secret,
which admits of no exceptions, is called the “sacramental
seal,” because what the penitent has made known to the
priest remains “sealed” by the sacrament. (CCC, no. 1467)
3. How does reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation
anticipate a person’s judgment before God?
In this sacrament, the sinner, placing himself before the
merciful judgment of God, anticipates in a certain way
the judgment to which he will be subjected at the end of
his earthly life. For it is now, in this life, that we are offered
the choice between life and death, and it is only by the
road of conversion that we can enter the Kingdom, from
which one is excluded by grave sin. In converting to Christ
through penance and faith, the sinner passes from death
to life and “does not come into judgment.” (CCC, no. 1470,
citing Jn 5:24)
FROM THE CATECHISM