Sacramental Theology 101

A valid sacrament is one where the sanctifying grace unique to that sacrament is conferred upon the recipient.[1] A valid sacrament must have the proper matter and form.[2] For example, in Baptism valid matter constitutes water poured over the forehead and the valid form are the words “N., Ego te baptizo in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.”[3] It behooves Catholics to be familiar with the proper matter and form of each sacrament. This is particularly important in these times of diabolical disorientation when modernists regularly alter, even on a whim, the Church’s liturgical rubrics.

Sacramental Confession Requires Proper Matter and Form for Validity

Valid matter for the Sacrament of Confession requires four elements:

1) contrition (i.e., real sorrow for sin),

2) confession of sins, in case of mortal sins they are to be confessed in kind and number (i.e., what you did and how many times),

3) desire to amend one’s life, and

4) completing the penance judged by the priest as necessary reparation.

In addition to the matter, provided by the penitent, a valid confession requires the proper form. The form of the sacrament are the words of absolution instituted by Our Lord and administered by a validly ordained priest. Without proper matter and form, the Confession is null and void. In practical spiritual terms, this means the sins are not remitted from the person’s soul. For more on these requirements, see “The Four Requirements for a Valid Confession.”

One of those essential elements, which is not often thoroughly discussed, is the desire to amend one’s life. This requirement demands many penitents to make changes in their lives. In some cases, the changes are necessary for the Confession to be valid.

Amending One’s Life Is Avoiding the Near Occasions of Sin

The Act of Contrition is a prayer which all Catholics should know. It should be memorized as a child and recited every night after we examine our conscience. The priest should ask us to pray it at every Confession. Since one should ideally go to Confession every two weeks, this is a prayer which Holy Mother Church requires us to recite many times throughout our lives. A commonly taught version of the prayer is as follows:

“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.”

But how often do we really think about this prayer?

The last phrase “amend my life” is changed in some versions to “avoid the near occasions of sin.” What does this mean, and why is it so important that we understand it and live it out?

What Are Near Occasions of Sin?

A near occasion of sin is specific to each individual, encompassing situations and circumstances that present a temptation to commit a mortal sin. Some are fairly common, such as being alone with an attractive member of the opposite sex. Others are less common but still relevant, like going to a bar if one has an alcohol addiction. It is primarily the individual’s responsibility to avoid deliberately placing himself in near occasions of sin that pertain to him.

Fr. Dominic Prummer, in his Handbook of Moral Theology, describes occasions of sin as following:

“Penitents are said to be in the occasion of sin when they are in a proximate occasion of sin. An occasion of sin is any extrinsic circumstance (person, thing, book, play, etc.) which offers a strong incitement to sin and a suitable opportunity.”

Fr. Prumer also separates occasions of sin into several categories: remote and proximate. The latter is further divided into absolutely proximate or relatively proximate. Occasions of sin are also classified as free or necessary, depending on how easy it is for one to avoid them.[4] For example, it is easy for a married man to avoid going out on Friday night with a woman who is not his wife. On the other hand, a young man and woman who are courting chastely and discerning marriage will nonetheless face a certain amount of necessary proximate occasion for sin. They are obligated to do their best to limit the strength of these temptations, which is one reason why Catholic tradition has always favored the practice of chaperones.

Avoiding Proximate Near Occasions of Sin Is Absolutely Necessary for Valid Confessions

Why does this matter? Because it affects the validity of the Confession. Fr. Prummer mentions the following rules for those in occasions of sin:

“FIRST RULE. a) A penitent in a remote occasion of sin may be absolved; b) penitents in necessary proximate occasions of sin may also be absolved if they are truly contrite and seriously resolve to use all the means necessary for avoiding sin.

“SECOND RULE. Absolution must be denied to any penitent refusing to relinquish a free proximate occasion of sin. Such a penitent is considered to lack a sincere desire of avoiding sin. Thus Innocent XI, March 2, 1679, condemned the following proposition (n. 61): ‘It is sometimes possible to absolve a penitent who is unwilling to abandon a proximate occasion which he could avoid, even though he directly and deliberately seeks this occasion or exposes himself to it’ (cf. props. 62 and 63).”

Resources to Help Avoid the Occasions of Sin

While we can and should strive for perfection in the avoidance of all sins, we are required at a minimum to avoid the proximate near occasions of sin. Thus, requiring college dorm rooms to be separated by gender is non-negotiable. Sadly, some so-called Catholic universities are now offering co-ed dorms, which we can never support.

For those struggling with addictions to pornography, there are great resources that should be utilized, such as software that will remove the occasions of sin from devices that can access the Internet. This is something more Catholics should be willing to utilize. Parents especially have a grave responsibility to ensure their children can’t easily access such filth, especially since parents are the ones paying for the device.

All of us should be more zealous in combating this crisis of sin affecting so many Catholics throughout the world. Hopefully the words of Our Lady of Fatima will spur us in this effort: “More people go to hell for sins of impurity than any other sin.”

Prayers Against Temptation

If we have recourse to prayer when we are tempted then we will not sin. Too often we simply forget, or ignore, prayer in these moments. A simple ejaculatory prayer does wonders, such as “Jesus and Mary, help me!” One’s guardian angel is also always ready to help and we should have frequent recourse to him. An excellent devotion to practice purity is to pray three Hail Mary’s each day. After each prayer we can add:

“O Mary, by Thy pure and Immaculate Conception, make my body pure and my soul holy.”

Let us pray that we will be able to resist temptations in the future, including those from occasions of sin, and that we will have the courage to continue to avoid these occasions whenever they arise.

“Behold me, O my God, at Thy feet! I do not deserve mercy, but O my Redeemer, the Blood which Thou hast shed for me encourages me and obliges me to hope for it. How often have I offended Thee, repented, and yet have I again fallen into the same sin!

“O my God, I wish to amend; and in order to be faithful to Thee, I will place all my confidence in Thee. I will, whenever I am tempted, instantly have recourse to Thee.

“Before, I have trusted in my own promises and resolutions and have neglected to recommend myself to Thee in my temptations. This has been the cause of my repeated failures. From this day forward, be Thou, O Lord, my strength; and thus shall I be able to do all things, for ‘I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me.’ Amen.”

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ENDNOTES:

[1] This statement does not address the subjective moral condition of the recepient to the grace which God objectively confers in a valid sacrament.

[2] The third condition for a valid sacrament is the intention of the minister. He is to intend what the Church intends by the sacrament. If the minister actively opposes the Church’s intent, then the sacrament is undoubtedly rendered invalid.

[3] It is preferred if these words are said in Latin, but the use of the vernacular does not invalidate baptism. However, the proper words must be said. Sadly, there have been terrible abuses where a vernacular form is used that is not a faithful rendition and in such cases the Church has ruled the sacrament to have been invalid, that is, the baptism never took place.

[4] “A remote occasion of sin is one which offers a slight danger of sin in which a person rarely commits sin.

“A proximate occasion is a grave external danger of sinning either for all men or only for certain types. The gravity of the danger depends on a) general experience (such as the reading of an extremely obscene book), b) the frequency of relapse into the same sin (e.g., an inn for a habitual drunkard), c) the character of the penitent (e.g., a girl for an unchaste youth).

“The occasion is said to be absolutely proximate if some external circumstance causes a serious danger of sinning for all men (such as the reading of extremely obscene literature); it is relatively proximate if it is dangerous for a certain individual (such as an inn for a habitual drunkard).

“A proximate occasion is either free or necessary. It is free if it can be avoided easily (e.g., an inn); it is necessary if it cannot be avoided (e.g., a minor’s parental home). A proximate occasion may be continually present if a person remains in the occasion always and continually (e.g., keeping a mistress in the house); it is not continually present if a person is in the occasion only at certain times (e.g., an inn for the inebriate).”

The post How & Why to Avoid the Near Occasions of Sin first appeared on The Fatima Center.

These views are those of the Fatima Center and do not necessarily reflect the views of Immaculata South Africa

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