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240 • Part II. The Sacraments: The Faith Celebrated
grants absolution, that is, he sets us free from our sins, using the power
that Christ entrusted to the Church and by which he pardons the sins of
the penitent (cf. CCC, no. 1424). In the Latin Church, the priest, repre-
senting Christ and bringing us his forgiveness, absolves us from our sins
with these words:
God the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection
of his Son, has reconciled the world to himself, and sent the
Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the
ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace,
and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Satisfaction
“Absolution takes away sin, but does not remedy all the disorders sin
has caused” (CCC, no. 1459). It is obvious that we need to repair certain
damages that our sins have caused, such as restoring the reputation of
someone we have injured, returning money that we have stolen, or rec-
tifying an injustice. Sin also weakens the relationship we have with God
and others. Our inner life is harmed by sin and needs restoration.
This is the reason for acts of penance and satisfaction for sins. The
penance given by the priest helps us to begin making satisfaction for our
sins. Just as when we get physically out of shape, we need to take up
some exercise, so also when the soul is morally out of shape, there is the
challenge to adopt spiritual exercises that will restore it. Obviously, this
is always done in cooperation with God’s graces, which are essential for
the healing.
Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the dis-
orders that sin has caused. Raised up from sin, the sinner must
still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more
to make amends for sin: he must “make satisfaction for” or
“expiate” his sins. This satisfaction is called “penance.” (CCC,
no. 1459)