Przyczyny współczesnego kryzysu praktyki sakramentu pokuty

Józef Matuszyński

International European School Warsaw , Poland

Abstract

The Author’s aim is a brief presentation of an issue regarding practice of the Sacrament of penance. Contemporary scientific research in theology and its respective disciplines point to multiple threats which have a direct or indirect influence on forming moral attitudes among the faithful ones. Having made technological achievements available to the society as well as raising life standards, both make a significant impact on psychological formation and religious attitude. In a contemporary religious attitude of the faithful a gradual loss of necessity for the sacramental confession is being observed. These practices often might lead to disappearance of individual confession. Theologians claim, that the frequent reasons of crisis are the following: loss of sense of sin, loss of spirit of penance, confusion proceeding from lack of information or from its false interpretation. These situations many a time lead to an abandonment of God and human dignity. The Sacrament of penance is a gift of God’s mercy and love and one of the most difficult sacraments. Pleading guilty and confessing sins before a priestrequires tremendous amount of humility of a penitent. Moreover, the Sacrament of penance quite often is being falsely understood and comprehended exclusively as a therapeutic means. Lack of spiritual guidance and conviction about its magic power narrows the sacrament solely to ritualism and devotion. A number of contemporary theologians share an opinion that a reason for an abandoning of penance as a sacrament lies in “identity crisis” among clergy, within religious communities, yet secularization of lifestyle and an absence of profound systematic catechesis.