Reconciliation

When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the paralysed man, “Courage, my son. Your sins are forgiven.” Matthew 9:2

The Sacrament of Reconciliation was formerly known as Confession or Penance. For Catholics, the point of this sacrament is to provide healing for the soul, to be once again at peace with God and with ourselves. The three elements of Reconciliation are:

• Contrition, thinking through our failings and being sorry for these sins,
• Confessing our sins to a priest, either in the privacy of a traditional confessional, or in an open but still confidential discussion of one’s failings. The latter form is slowing growing in popularity, and
• Penance, some prayer or action intended to make amends for the harm our sins may have caused.

After a short act of contrition, the priest acting in the name of Jesus, says the prayer of absolution, “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen”

The Sacrament of Reconciliation should be a beautiful experience for Catholics, as we are healed, washed clean, forgiven, and reconciled with God and his Church. We can start again, knowing that having said “Sorry Lord”, he in turn has said “I forgive you!”

So, Reconciliation helps us to grow as a person and reminds us that God loves us.

Because of the closure of churches, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is not available at the moment; it is usually available Saturday 11:30-11:55am and 6:15-6:45pm. Please check for details when the churches reopen.

---

Having breathed on his disciples, Jesus said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven.” John 20:22,23