Healing and Service

The big question

Why should Catholics tell their sins to a priest, when they could confess straight to God? What is the anointing of the sick for, if not only for the dying? Why do only some men become priests? And why does the Church say a valid marriage cannot be dissolved?

What the Church teaches

Penance is a sacrament instituted by Christ, in which priests forgive sins by Christ’s authority (Trent, Session XIV, Penance canons 1 and 10; DH 1701, 1710; CCC 1441–1442, 1461). Confession of all mortal sins is required by divine law (canon 7; DH 1707; CCC 1456).

The Anointing of the Sick is a true sacrament, for the seriously ill and elderly, not only the dying (Trent, Session XIV, Extreme Unction canon 1, DH 1716; CCC 1511, 1514).

Holy Orders is a sacrament instituted by Christ, conferred in three degrees: bishop, priest and deacon (Trent, Session XXIII, canon 3, DH 1773; Lumen Gentium 28–29; CCC 1536, 1554).

Marriage between baptised persons is a sacrament (Trent, Session XXIV, canon 1; DH 1801; CCC 1601). A valid, consummated sacramental marriage cannot be dissolved by any human power (canon 7; DH 1807; CCC 1640).

How sure is this? De fide for each. See CCC 1420–1666.

Where it comes from

Penance. On the evening of the Resurrection Jesus breathed on the apostles: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:22–23). They could not forgive or retain without knowing the sins, which is why confession is needed. St Paul speaks of “the ministry of reconciliation” entrusted to the apostles (2 Corinthians 5:18).

Anointing. “Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5:14–15).

Orders. The apostles laid hands on the first deacons (Acts 6:6) and on elders, and Paul tells Timothy not to neglect the gift given him “when the elders laid their hands upon you” (1 Timothy 4:14).

Marriage. Jesus returns to the beginning: “What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder” (Mark 10:9). St Paul sees in marriage an image of Christ and the Church: “This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the Church” (Ephesians 5:32).

How theologians explain it

The seven together.

Group	Sacrament	Gives
Initiation	Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist	New life, strengthening, nourishment
Healing	Penance, Anointing of the Sick	Forgiveness, strength in illness
Service	Holy Orders, Matrimony	Grace to serve the Church and build it up

Why confess to a priest? Sin is never purely private: it wounds our relationship with God and with the Church. In Penance, Christ forgives through the Church he founded, and the priest acts in his person. Confession also meets a human need: to name what we have done, to hear forgiveness spoken aloud, and to receive counsel. The penitent’s part is threefold: contrition (sorrow for sin with the resolve not to sin again), confession, and satisfaction (the penance) (CCC 1450–1460). Contrition out of love of God (perfect contrition) reconciles a person to God even before confession, provided they intend to confess (CCC 1452). The priest is bound by the absolute seal of confession: he may never reveal anything he hears, for any reason (CCC 1467).

The Anointing of the Sick. Formerly called Extreme Unction, it was often given only at the point of death. Vatican II restored its wider use for anyone in danger from serious illness or old age (Sacrosanctum Concilium 73). It gives strength, peace and courage, unites the sick person’s suffering with Christ’s, forgives sins, and sometimes brings bodily healing (CCC 1520–1523).

Holy Orders. The one priesthood of Christ is shared in three degrees: bishops have the fullness of the sacrament, priests are their co-workers, and deacons are ordained for service (CCC 1554). Orders imprint a character and cannot be repeated. In 1994 St John Paul II declared that the Church has no authority to ordain women to the priesthood, a teaching to be held definitively (Ordinatio Sacerdotalis 4).

Marriage. Marriage existed before Christ as a natural institution, created by the free consent of a man and a woman. Christ raised marriage between the baptised to a sacrament, a sign of his own faithful love for the Church. The spouses themselves are the ministers; the priest or deacon witnesses for the Church. Its two essential properties are unity (one man and one woman) and indissolubility (for life) (CCC 1644–1645).

Annulment is not divorce. A declaration of nullity is a finding by a Church court that a valid marriage never existed, for example because consent was not truly free or something essential was missing. It does not dissolve a real marriage; it recognises that there was none (CCC 1629). The moral questions surrounding marriage and sexuality belong to moral theology, which this course leaves aside.

Philosophy bridge

The philosophy course’s Ethics branch treats marriage as a natural institution created by the free consent of the spouses, with ends and properties given by nature. Christ did not invent marriage; he raised that natural bond to a sacrament, and restored its original indissolubility.

What the Church does not claim

• Not that the priest forgives by his own power. He forgives by Christ’s authority, as Christ’s instrument.
• Not that only serious sins may be confessed. Confessing venial sins is strongly recommended (CCC 1458).
• Not that the Anointing is only the “last rites”. It is for the seriously ill and elderly, and can be received more than once.
• Not that an annulment is a Catholic divorce. It declares that a valid marriage never existed.

Check your understanding

1. What is the scriptural basis for the sacrament of Penance, and why does it require confession?

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John 20:22–23: Christ gave the apostles power to forgive or retain sins. They cannot judge whether to forgive or retain without knowing the sins, so confession is needed.

2. Name the three acts of the penitent in the sacrament of Penance.

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Contrition, confession, and satisfaction.

3. Who may receive the Anointing of the Sick, and what does it give?

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Anyone in danger from serious illness or old age, not only the dying. It gives strength, peace and courage, unites suffering with Christ’s, forgives sins, and sometimes brings bodily healing.

4. Name the three degrees of Holy Orders.

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Bishop, priest and deacon.

5. What is the difference between a divorce and a declaration of nullity?

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A divorce claims to dissolve a real marriage, which the Church teaches cannot be done for a valid sacramental marriage. A declaration of nullity is a finding that a valid marriage never existed.