RECONCILIATION
Restoring Our Relationship with God
"In the Sacrament of Penance the faithful, confessing their sins to a legitimate minister, being sorry for them and at the same time proposing to reform, obtain from God forgiveness of sins committed after baptism through the absolution imparted by the same minister; and they likewise are reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by sinning" (Canon 959).
God calls us to holiness, to live in his divine grace by abiding in his Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ. “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). We were made for holiness and any attempt to live our lives outside of God’s grace leads us to sin. God entrusted His Church with the ministry of His sacraments. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is necessary to restore our relationship with God which is damaged as a result of our sin. In disobedience we reject God’s will in order to satisfy our own and so we separate ourselves from the loving grace of God. In this state of separation we are in darkness and outside the protection of sanctifying grace. Only through the Sacrament of Reconciliation can we return to the loving embrace of our merciful God. Through our acts of contrition and confession, the redemptive power of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross forgives our sins and heals our soul. We are made new again and return to God and the sanctified life he laid out for us.
Through the work of Reconciliation:
"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" (Catechism 1422).
- It is a necessary means for reconciling ourselves with those we have harmed either directly or indirectly.
- Reconciliation calls the heart of the repentant seeking to return to a life with Christ.
Reconciliation Resources: