Sacrament Of Contrition And Confession

The Medieval period in England was dominated by Roman Catholicism. In order to teach the basic principles of Catholicism to the general masses the church utilized theatre. The Sacrament of Confession and the Act of Contrition were both taught and exemplified in the plays of Medieval England. Contrition and confession are two symbiotic practices within the Catholic Church. For the Sacrament of Confession a person must privately confess the sins he or she have committed to a priest. The priest will then give the confessor a penance to perform in order for him or her to be absolved of their sins. However, in order for a person to be absolved of his or her sins he or she must first perform the Act of Contrition. ‘Contrition is “sorrow of the soul …show more content…
Penance is ‘a punishment undergone in token of penitence for sin.’ For Everyman’s penance his ‘body chastised be’ and the chastisement of his body will be a ‘penance strong’ ‘To remember thy Saviour was scourged for thee/ With sharp scourges and suffered it patiently’ This is to remind Everyman, that even though his penance is harsh, Jesus suffered more for him. It also reminds the audience that anything they suffer in their lives is nothing compared to the suffering Jesus experienced dying for their sins. The audience also is taught that the penance given depends on the multitude and severity of sins therefore they must try not to sin and go to confession often in order receive a less harsh punishment. However, if members of the audience have performed grievous sins they should should follow Everyman’s example and ‘rejoiced and lighteth [their] heart[s]/ Though the knots be be painful and hard with in.’ Even though the penance they have to perform may be harsh, they can rejoice by knowing that their souls are saved from eternal …show more content…
Everyman’s Confiteor as well as the official Confiteor both begin with the acknowledge of having sinned. For if a person is to actually feel remorse for the sins they have committed he or she must first openly admit to their sinfulness. Also keeping true to the official prayer Everyman also makes a plea to Mary for her to pray to her Son in Everyman’s favor. Mary is not simply and important figure in the Catholic church because she is the Mother of Jesus. As Brian W. Macmichael of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend ‘...the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose sinlessness by the grace of God is the perfect model for our own Christian lives.’ By Everyman retaining the plea to Mary it further emphasizes the importance of Mary as a religious role model for the