Catholic Concept of Freedom & Sacrament of Penance

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing the lecture’s key terms on Catholic freedom and the Sacrament of Penance.

Freedom (CCC 1731)

The power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to choose this or that, and so perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility.

Catholic view of Freedom

Sees freedom as the capacity to choose the good and live in accord with God’s design, not merely the absence of constraints.

GETCIGS

Acronym summarizing human yearnings that freedom serves: Goodness, Emotions, Truth, Conscience, Ideals, God, Self-gift.

Freedom 1 (Freedom from)

Lowest level of freedom focused only on removal of external limits and immediate gratification; ultimately self-defeating (e.g., addiction).

Freedom 2 (Freedom to do what I want)

Freedom that involves effort and discipline to reach personal goals yet remains self-centered, leading to competition and comparison.

Freedom 3 (Freedom for others)

Freedom directed toward loving service and the good of others, expressed through self-gift and obedience to moral law.

Freedom 4 (Surrender to God)

Ultimate freedom attained by abandoning self-will to God’s will—“Thy will be done”—and discovering true happiness.

Accountability

Responsibility for one’s own choices and their impact on oneself and others.

Moral Law

Objective standards of right action that guide the person to authentic freedom and fullness of life.

Happiness (Catholic understanding)

Fulfilment of human nature made in God’s image, achieved by freely choosing the good and ultimately resting in God.

“Our hearts are restless…”

St. Augustine’s insight: “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You,” highlighting humanity’s desire for God.

Sacrament of Penance

Sacrament of healing that reconciles the penitent with God and the Church, restoring freedom and peace of conscience.

Contrition

Sincere sorrow for sin coupled with the desire to change; first element of the Sacrament of Penance.

Confession (element of Penance)

Verbal acknowledgment of sins to a priest, taking ownership of one’s wrongdoing.

Satisfaction

Act of making amends through assigned penance to repair harm and foster growth in virtue.

Absolution

The priest’s sacramental forgiveness of sins in Christ’s name, cleansing the soul.

Three Rites of Penance

The three liturgical forms of the sacrament: individual, communal with individual confession, and communal with general absolution.

Seal of Confession

Absolute obligation of priests to keep secret everything revealed in confession.

Graces of Penance

Spiritual gifts received in the sacrament: reconciliation, peace of conscience, and strength to resist future temptation.

Transformation through Penance

Renewal of heart, mind, body, and soul effected by sacramental grace.

“Dying to self”

Choosing to set aside self-centered desires in order to follow God’s will, leading to true freedom.

Addiction

Example of how the pursuit of Freedom 1 can enslave a person, showing that unchecked desire undermines authentic freedom.