Reconciliation
It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it
imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles: "Be reconciled to
God (2 Cor 5:20). He who lives by God's merciful love is ready to respond to
the Lord's call: "Go; first be reconciled to your brother. (Mt 5:24)
It is called the sacrament of conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' call to conversion, the first
step in returning to the Father from whom one has strayed by sin. (Mk 1:15, Lk
15:18) It is called the sacrament of Penance, since it
consecrates the Christian sinner's personal and ecclesial steps of conversion,
penance, and satisfaction. Christ's call to conversion continues to resound in
the lives of Christians. (#1423)
It is called the sacrament of confession , since the disclosure
or confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In
a profound sense, it is also a "confession" - acknowledgment and
praise - of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man.(#1424)
Only God forgives sins.(Mk 2:7) Since he is the Son of God, Jesus says of
himself, "The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" and
exercises this divine power: "Your sins are forgiven” (Mk 2:5, 10, Lk
7:48). Further, by virtue of his divine authority he gives this power to men
to exercise in his name.(Jn 20: 21:23, #1441)
During his public life Jesus not only forgave sins, but also made plain the effect of
this forgiveness: he reintegrated forgiven sinners into the community of the
People of God from which sin had alienated or even excluded them. A remarkable sign
of this is the fact that Jesus receives sinners at his table, a gesture
that expresses in an astonishing way both God's forgiveness and the return to
the bosom of the People of God.(#1443)
Those who approach the sacrament of Penance
obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him, and are,
at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their
sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion.
(#1422)
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated
Saturday from 3:30 – 4:30PM (or anytime by appointment)
First Wednesday of the Month at 7:00pm in the Church.
For Examination of Conscience and How to go to Confession guidlines for adults, click here;
for children, click here.
