Reconciliation: A Therapeutic Means of Growth

This article explores the theology and practice of sacramental confession within the three principal traditions of the Catholic communion: the Latin, Eastern, and Anglican traditions. Beginning from the biblical understanding of sin as a rupture of covenant relationship, it traces the historical development of confession through Greek philosophical and Roman juridical influences, leading to distinct paradigms of repentance: juridical in the Latin West, therapeutic in the Christian East, and pastoral-directive in the Anglican tradition. The study argues that while the Latin model emphasised guilt, law, and satisfaction, the Eastern tradition preserved a therapeutic vision of sin as spiritual illness and confession as healing, whereas the Anglican approach stressed spiritual counsel and freedom of conscience. The article briefly examines twentieth-century developments, especially through Vatican II, Karl Rahner, and recent papal teaching, which increasingly interpret reconciliation in terms of healing, mercy, and transformation rather than mere legal absolution. Special attention is given to the Parable of the Prodigal Son as a dominant interpretive key in contemporary magisterium. Finally, the study proposes a renewed theology of confession integrating juridical truth, therapeutic restoration, and pastoral accompaniment, emphasising discernment, spiritual direction, and growth in virtue as essential dimensions of authentic metanoia and ecclesial reconciliation.