Confession and Absolution|書籍線上App不用買-HotApp4Game

Fragment: The necessity of repentance as the essential condition for the sinner obtaining God's forgiveness is plainly taught both in the Jewish and Christian dispensations.

Prophets and penitents throughout the Old Testament bear evidence to this truth. The words of the Psalms of David, the exhortations of Jeremias and Isaias to the people of God to be converted, have become household words in our books of piety, exciting the soul in sin to arise and go to the God of mercy.

The New Dispensation was ushered in by the Forerunner of Christ preaching the Gospel of Repentance: "Do penance, for the kingdom of God is at hand." Our Lord announces His own mission to be to call sinners to repentance: "Unless you all do penance, you shall all likewise perish." He sent His Apostles that "penance and remission of sin should be preached in His name among all nations." And, while on earth, Jesus sent them, two and two, to preach that "men should do penance." And, after the ascension of the "Saviour whom God hath exalted with His right hand to give penitence to Israel, and remission of sins," the Apostles proclaimed the same truth. Peter's very first sermon is: "Do penance and be baptized, every one of you." He, on the occasion of the cure of the lame man, preaches: "Be penitent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." The same Apostle writes: "The Lord beareth patiently for your sake, not willing that any should perish, but that all should return to penance." St. Paul, in like manner. "God commandeth all men, everywhere, to do penance."

This contrition or repentance does not mean a mere cessation from wrong doing, and starting anew in the way of goodness, drowning in the past theevil done. On the contrary, as by sin we turned our backs on God to go into a far off country, to spend there our substance, so by contrition must we turn main, retrace our steps, and journey to that Father and home whence we departed. Hence is the process named conversion to God, just as sin is defined to be an aversion from God.