Confession–The Sacrament Of Penance And Reconciliation, by Chuck Elms

[Note: This book was provided free of charge by Reedsy Discovery in exchange for an honest review.]

It should be noted and freely admitted at the outset that I come to this book with somewhat of an outsider perspective, given that this work is written from a sincere lay Catholic perspective on the sacrament of Penance and its often neglected place within the world of practicing Catholicism. As someone who is definitely not a Roman Catholic, in many ways the specific internal nature of this book is not relevant to me as a reader–though it would be relevant to a potential reader who, like the author, takes the practice of Roman Catholicism seriously. On a larger scale, though, this book deals with an issue that is highly relevant to everyone, especially in an age like our own that is deeply concerned with questions of justice, and that is the nature of reconciliation, and how it is that reconciliation can be fostered in a world that is both often content and deeply frustrated with what appear to be sham apologies and the mere outward demands of apology and forgiveness. In order for a restoration of good relations between people who are estranged, those who have done wrong need to acknowledge their wrong and to make amends. The absence of this is at fault for a great deal of the estrangement that we find within society, as deep a problem as the failure to forgive and the maintenance of bitterness on the part of those who have been wronged–both of which are faults that this book deals with as they both spring from hearts that have been corrupted by sin.

Despite this book’s short length, it manages to speak eloquently both on the need for confession and repentance and reconciliation, as well as the costs of doing so under the Catholic economy as well as the rarity of confession being sought by those who practice to be Catholics. One might suspect that where confession is not regarded as a religious duty that it might even be less common a practice, which would be alarming given the degree of neglect of confession among Catholics. Although a great deal of this book is supported by the author’s copious references to Second Edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (abbreviated as CCC throughout the work), a few references are made as well to the New American Bible, and it is pleasing to see the author reference not only Catholic authorities but also the Bible as an authority. It is unclear how wide of an audience the author intends for his work. His work is clearly the fruit of labor and study from someone who takes his faith deeply and seriously, and who though not a scholar is equipped to deal rigorously with texts and authorities as he finds them. The subject matter of sin, confession, and reconciliation is one that has a relevance far beyond the confines of the Catholic church, but those readers who accept the authority of the Roman Catholic Church will likely find the author’s argument most persuasive, and hope for more works along these lines from the same perspective of a serious lay believer.

In terms of its contents, this work is less than 50 pages long regarding its text. The book–more like a pamphlet–begins with a short preface introducing the author and his perspective. This is followed by a short introduction and then his discussion of believers as members of a family, along with an introduction to the sacrament of confession and the need for reconciliation, which is simply and poignantly discussed. This flows quite naturally into a brief discussion of the nature of sin and law, where the author seeks to differentiate between venial and capital sins as well as Old Testament and New Testament law. Most of the rest of the work then discusses the sacrament of confession: its introduction by Jesus Christ (though some could point to its existence earlier, at least as early as the psalms of David, see Psalms 51 and 32 most particularly), a brief history of the sacrifice of penance and reconciliation, what the sacrament does, the need for reconciliation with God and the church, and a brief but organized discussion of the rite of penance and its various steps. The author then turns to briefly discuss interior conversion and repentance, of which penance is merely the outward manifestation, as well as the importance of making amends–satisfaction, and sometimes even reparation for the sins committed. The author then closes with a discussion of the gift of confession and its related forms, before the work closes with some brief information about the author.