Theology and pastoral practice did not sufficiently recognize the anthropological dimensions of the sacrament of penance and are partly responsible for the observed loss of meaning and the receding of this sacrament. In this perspective the author analyses the terms reconciliation and penance, considers the consciousness of guilt, its affective ambiguities, and the consciousness of sin specific to monotheistic religion. He compares the loss of meaning of the sacrament with the contemporary impressive spread of psychotherapies and counselling. He analyzes «confession» as a speech act involving a typical time structure and the link with the to be accomplished «penance».