In 1953, a Saint Louis Jesuit priest named Edward Dowling began to document the similarities of the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous to the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.
In his analysis, Father Dowling discusses two liabilities involved in the sins we commit: The first liability he refers to as reatus culpae, which refers to the personal guilt of the sins we commit. The other liability he refers to as reatus poenae, which refers to the obligation of restitution for the sins we commit.
Our first reading refers to reatus cuplae.
As I break this down, I would like to first reiterate some things I said a few weeks ago.
There are certainly times in our lives when we are tempted to think we know better than the Church. That temptation may lead us to choose to break one of the Ten Commandments or choose to not follow one of the Precepts of the Church. Objectively speaking, when we make that choice, we have committed a mortal sin. We have turned from the path of virtue to do evil. At that point, none of our virtuous deeds can be remembered because we are no longer in a state of grace.
Because we are no longer in a state of grace, we have been effectively cut off from the grace of God. We are no longer in a relationship with God, until that relationship has been repaired in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Some of you have been in other talks where I have mentioned one of my favorite scenes from the show, “The Chosen”. Mary Magdalene had effectively turned from the path of virtue to do evil. She had returned to her sinful way of life.
Jesus sends Peter and Matthew to find Mary in order to bring her back. When she comes back, she is very hesitant to approach our Lord as she is filled with guilt and shame. Our blessed Mother Mary holds her hand, encourages and strengthens her, and leads her into a private room with Jesus where her contrite heart meets the Sacred Heart. Jesus gives her absolution, pardon, and peace.
That is what happens when we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we sacramentally turn from the sins we have committed and resolve to live by His statues.
Through the priest, we sacramentally encounter Jesus in the confessional just as Mary Magdalene encountered Him in that private room. We receive absolution, pardon, and peace from Jesus. Through the voice of the priest, we hear Jesus say “I absolve you of your sins!”
At that point we hear those words of Jesus, none of the crimes we have committed will ever be remembered against us. We are brought back to the path of virtue, to live out the sacramental life of the Church. Our life of grace is restored. Our relationship with the Father is restored. We can be at peace.
But, there is that other liability of sin, reatus poenae, which we see a reference to in our Gospel reading.
When I was kid, we played a lot of baseball, which translated to a lot of broken windows.
When a window was broken, of course we had to confess to our parents that we had broken a window. We were generally forgiven right away although there was some immediate penance involved such as cleaning up our mess and being sent to our rooms. But after all of that, the window still had to be replaced. The forgiveness from my parents did not somehow fix the window. Additional action was necessary.
The same is true for our spiritual lives. When we receive absolution for our sins, we are forgiven and our crimes are forgotten. But, the hurt we caused to others or how we otherwise impacted others through our sinfulness does not simply disappear as a result of our Sacramental absolution. We need to be willing to make amends to those we have hurt, even if it means paying the last penny in purgatory.
Making proper amends to those we have hurt can help alleviate feelings of guilt, remorse, fear, and shame that some of us may continue to carry in spite of receiving the graces of Sacramental Reconciliation. Further, making amends in accordance to God’s will only aids us as we progress in holiness.
Whether you are growing spiritually through a particular rule of life such as the 12 Steps or the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, or if you are like me and you are simply trying to live out the Sacramental life of the Church to the fullest extent possible, reatus culpae and reatus poenae are two important realities in our quest to grow spiritually and to ultimately obtain the promises of Christ.
After all, if the Lord marks our iniquities, who can stand?
Thanks be to God!
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