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Penance/Reconciliation
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
What is Reconciliation?
Reconciliation (officially called the Sacrament of Penance, and also known as Confession) is a Sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ in his love and mercy to offer us forgiveness for the times we have sinned and turned away from God. At the same time, we are reconciled with the Church because it is also wounded by our sins.
Every time we sin, we hurt ourselves, other people and God. In Reconciliation, we acknowledge our sins before God and the Church. We express our sorrow in a meaningful way, receive the forgiveness of Christ and his Church, make reparation for what we have done, and resolve to do better in the future.
The Four parts of Reconciliation:
- Contrition: A sincere sorrow for having offended God, and a firm resolve not to repeat our sin.
- Confession: Confronting our sins to God by speaking them aloud to the priest.
- Penance: An important part of our healing is the penance the priest gives us in reparation for our sins.
- Absolution: The priest speaks the words by which we are reconciled to God and are absolved from our sins.
Examination of Conscience:
Click Here to see choices from the USCCB
How to go to Reconciliation:
Click Here to see a step-by-step guide from the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)
Click Here to see a step-by-step guide for use during a parish penance service
