Sacramental Consultation

Finding a New Orientation

There are moments in life when we need to find a new direction. Old ways of thinking and coping no longer serve us, and we must let go of what is familiar to make space for the future. These moments can be painful and may bring crisis, yet in hindsight we often sense that our true self was drawing nearer.

At other times, we may simply feel stuck – unable to see how to move forward, struggling to find meaning and purpose in our lives.

The Sacramental Consultation offers support in these processes without imposing external answers. After a conversation or a series of conversations, we receive a verse that points us towards the love at the heart of the universe – giving us the strength to move forward.

Illness or Personal Guilt?

If someone is confined to bed with the flu, we do not judge them as weak or deficient. Illness comes of its own accord, yet we take responsibility for our healing.

In the New Testament, the Greek word hamartia, often translated as ‘sin’, originally meant ‘to miss the mark’. We may miss our purpose through weakness, illness, or simply because we are human. In the Act of Consecration of Man, this condition is called the ‘sickness of sin’.

It appears physically in hunger, thirst, and fatigue – reminders that we are not always in balance. It also reveals itself in the soul, when we misunderstand one another, act from anger, pride, or even self-hatred. Here, suffering extends beyond ourselves to others, and we begin to share responsibility for healing.

Destiny and Freedom

If life were predetermined, responsibility would be meaningless. Yet we all experience events beyond our control. Still, in any situation, we retain the freedom to choose our response. These choices shape our path.

Looking back on our experiences can bring insight and release, allowing us to find freedom in the present. In this way, we become active participants in shaping our own lives and the world around us.

A New Understanding of Confession

The word ‘confession’ carries heavy associations, yet its original meaning is simply to acknowledge or affirm. True acknowledgement of where we stand in life allows us to loosen rigid thought patterns and see reality more clearly.

This process is linked to metanoia, the call of John the Baptist. Often translated as ‘repentance’, it refers not to remorse but to transformation – an expansion of awareness that is not crushing but liberating.

We all know moments of sudden clarity, sometimes bittersweet, when we recognise what we might have done differently. Alongside regret arises understanding – an impulse to learn and grow. The priest’s questions, or even the silences within the conversation, help us find this perspective. In this way, we develop a freer, more creative relationship with our destiny, strengthening both our will and the well-being of the soul.

The Form of the Sacrament

A Sacramental Consultation consists of a conversation with a priest, concluding with a short ritual verse that describes how we can offer up our thoughts in order to receive our will from God. It also speaks of a new relationship between human beings and God that can come about through this work.

The priest may wear vestments during both parts, or they may change before reading the verse. There is no fixed structure for the conversation, and silence may be as meaningful as words. It can help to find one’s own question, statement, or prayer to bring before Christ before the verse is spoken.

Many seek this sacrament in times of difficulty – when facing a decision, or in grief or uncertainty. Yet it is not only for moments of crisis; it can also become a regular part of spiritual life, offering clarity and a deeper connection with oneself, perhaps with a feeling of gratitude for our lives.

Everything shared is held in the strictest confidence.

The great work of letting go and opening to the divine is complemented by the Offering and Communion in the Act of Consecration of Man. In this way, the Sacramental Consultation can be a meaningful preparation for receiving Communion.

Personal Questions and Community Life

When the Sacramental Consultation flows into the Act of Consecration of Man, personal concerns become part of something greater. Just as Christ takes the earthly substances of bread and wine into himself so that they become part of his being before being offered to us, so too can we imagine him taking up what we carry into the service and making it his own.

In this way, our struggles – transformed at the altar – are returned to us as a source of healing. The Sacramental Consultation is therefore not only a help for the individual but also an invisible gift to the whole community.

Text by Claudio Holland.
Edited by Tom Ravetz.