Chapter 4 // Confessions Flashcards
Define the Sacrament of Penance.
Confession is the sacrament in which Jesus, through the ministry of His church forgives sins committed after Baptism.
Sin is the result of failure to love. Explain.
When human beings place themselves and their desires before the will of God and allow created things to become more important than God in their lives, their relationship with God is damaged.
How does Original Sin affect each and every person?
Due to Original Sin, human nature is wounded in the natural powers proper to it, subject to ignorance, suffering and the dominion of death, and inclination to sin.
Explain the original sin of Adam and Eve. How do we still commit the same sin today?
In disobeying the command not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, Adam and Eve chose to be their own arbiters of right and wrong. They placed their own wills above Gods. We commit the same sin when we choose our own wisdom and wills over God’s.
What is concupiscence? How does it affect us?
Concupiscence is the weakened will and disordered desire we possess as a result of our fallen state. We are inclined to sin, and so, even after Baptism, each person has to struggle to live a life modelled on Jesus Christ.
What is moral law, and what is its source?
Moral law is the ethical code, authored and revealed by God and safeguarded by the Church, that informs the conscience of each person as to correct moral behaviour.
How can sin be said to be a form of idolatry?
Sin can be a form of idolatry because, when someone disobeys God, he is placing someone or something above God in importance.
How does the Original Sin affect our first parents relationship with God? How does sin affect our relationship with God?
After Adam and Eve committed Original Sin, their friendship with God was ruptured, and they were now separated from him, both in heart and mind. Similarly, sin damages our relationship with God, separating us from his love and his will in our lives.
What does the Old Testament teach us about the nature of sin and our relationship with God?
In the Old testament, sin was not only a simple violation of some ethical norm of conduct, but an offence against God.
Explain the analogy between sin and an unfaithful spouse.
The prophet Hosea married an adulterous wife, a situation that was analogous to the relationship between God and Israel. After sending his wife away, Hosea was instructed by God to forgive her and to receive her once again into his household. The Israelites were God’s chosen people with whom he had established a covenant. By their sins of disobedience and idol worship, they had betrayed their relationship with him. God withdrew his blessings, allowing the Israelites to be conquered and sent into exile in Babylon. While in exile, God prepared them once again to be received into his friendship and to return to the Promised Land.
How did the advent of Christ add a new dimension to the nature of sin and our relationship with God?
With Christ’s coming, sin took on a much more personal nature. In his plan of salvation, God sent his own Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to redeem us from our sins. The sacrifice of Christ was not made out of some vague concept of sin in general, but out of his infinite love for each and every one of us and his desire to bring us to Heaven.
What are the implications of free will?
We can say that sin is always the result of free choice. Sin is a personal act, and the first and most important consequence of sin is the sinner himself. Each sin damages our relationship with God, and also damages our spirit, weakening the will and clouding the intellect.
Why would God give us free will is he knew many would misuse the gift and cause immeasurable suffering?
God wanted us to love him freely. The price of freedom is that somebody may misuse it.
Name at least three people who are affected by every sin.
I offend God by breaking him commandment not to bear false witness, myself by becoming a liar and the reputation of the person I have attacked.
What are the conditions for a mortal sin? Choose an example of a mortal sin and a venial sin, and apply these conditions to each.
A. Grave or serious matter , ex. Ten Commandments
B. Full knowledge in that you know its serious
C. Complete consent or freedom to act
What was the mission of Jesus Christ?
Forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with the Father.
If only God can forgive sins, then how was Jesus able to forgive the sins of the paralytic?
Because he is God. By claiming to forgive sins, Jesus was proclaiming his divinity.
