THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE (OR PENITENCE)

Penance is a sacrament in which a person who confesses his sins receives forgiveness from the priest, being invisibly released from his sins by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It is true that by the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation we are saved. However, we all know that after Baptism we commit different kinds of sins until the end of our lives, which we should confess and receive forgiveness from God. There are some people who think that they can sin whenever they want, because they have the Sacrament of Penance. This thought is already sin. If the person sins knowingly and continually, he abuses God's forgiveness and in this case the Sacrament of Penance will become false.

God doesn't want a sinner to die, because we are all His children; He loves us and His mercy is unlimited. This doesn't mean that we can relax and be negligent; vice versa, we should be very careful in whatever we do or say.

It is very important for the sinner to:
a) Repent and decide not to sin anymore.
b) Pray by devotion and piety.
c) Always remember that he was saved by the Blood of Jesus Christ.
d) Try very hard to follow in Chris's footsteps.

As Christians we must be sorry for our sins, expressing to the Lord our grief for having been unfaithful to Him. First of all, we should realize our sins, and then confess them to God. It is impossible to repent without confession.

In the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Sacrament of the Penance has special rules, which are fasting, prayer, confession, repentance, good deeds, etc.

As a lay person or clergy, our responsibility is to be clean before God and to have a clear conscience.

Whoever thinks that the Sacrament of Penance is artificial or not necessary in their lives is wrong, because it is something that we need to practice during our lifetime to be acceptable to God.

If we don't feel well physically we go to a doctor. Likewise, if we don't feel peaceful in our souls, we should go to a priest (of our choice) and ask his help for spiritual guidance. Doctors cannot give us the right medicine unless they know our problem. The priest should know our spiritual problems in order to give us advice and guidance.

Dear faithful, let us use this wonderful opportunity that the Sacrament of Penance allows us, to clean our hearts and spirits from all kinds of sins, because that is the Will of God and our gain.

"If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (1 John 1:9-10).

Rev. Fr. Hakob Gevorgyan