Sacraments

Reconciliation / Confession

One difficult human reality is that we sin. We harm ourselves, others, relationships and God our Father with our sinful and evil actions. However, our God is loving and will always pour out His mercy and forgiveness; we need only seek to reconcile ourselves with Him and with our community.

Our sins are forgiven by God. As Catholics we believe that Christ gave the power to his Apostles (and in turn, His priests) to reconcile sinners with God and the Church: “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:19) The priest, acting in persona Christi, listens to the sins of the contrite person, gives counsel and penance. The priest then absolves the sinner of their sins, and sends them on their way, to sin no more.

In order to receive absolution, the sinner must be truly sorry, confess all their sins to the priest, and perform the penance given to him.

The Sacrament

The Sacrament of Reconciliation (also called Confession or Penance) is one of two sacraments of healing. The other one is the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

God the Father has shown forth his mercy by reconciling the world to himself in the person of Jesus Christ and by making peace for all things on earth and in heaven by the blood of Jesus on the cross. The Son of God became one of us and lived among us in order to free us from the slavery of sin and to call us out of darkness into his own wonderful light. He therefore began his work on earth by preaching repentance and saying: “Turn away from sin and believe the good news.”
Rite of Penance, Introduction #1