RECONCILIATION

Our Catholic church treasures the sacrament of Reconciliation. When we regret what we have done wrong, we have the opportunity to confess our sins to God through the ministry of a priest. As a result, many of us experience profound peace, acceptance, forgiveness and freedom from the burden of our sins.

During Advent and Lent many parishes offer communal Penitential celebrations, but private Reconciliation or Confession is usually available every week of the year, and a priest will generally arrange an appointment if you are unable to meet with him at the regularly scheduled times.

When we have a desire to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation, here is what we need to do:

We prepare by prayerfully recalling our sins. Some will be specific actions or things we have failed to act upon. Sometimes sin represents a more general pattern of behaviour.

We arrange to see the priest. This can be when he is in the Reconciliation room in our parish where we may either kneel anonymously behind a screen, or sit in a chair where we may speak facing each other.  Perhaps we would rather make an appointment when scheduled times are not possible or we need more time.

We are welcomed.  We begin by greeting each other and making the sign of the cross.  He may urge us to have confidence in God. We may indicate the interval since our last confession or anything else that will help. Just use common sense. Either of us may read from Scripture if you like.

We confess our sins. Some penitents begin with a formula like, "Bless me Father, for I have sinned." But we do not have to begin this way, but we do let the priest know our sins.  We may discuss the sins we are confessing, so the priest can give us the best counsel.

We receive a penance. The priest will recommend some action after we leave, to indicate to God the sincerity in our hearts. Usually he suggests prayer or self-denial. If it sounds difficult, we need to let him know.

We pray for forgiveness. The priest may invite us to say a prayer of sorrow aloud.  We may use the Act of Contrition, or we may choose to speak simply from our hearts.   We just need to tell God we are sorry and we will try to do better.

We receive absolution. This is the best part. The priest proclaims absolution, and God forgives our sins.

Conclusion.  The priest may say, "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good." If so, answer, "His mercy endures forever." Or he may conclude informally.

We are called to change! Go forth, and with God's help, we strive once again to live a new life of freedom from the slavery of sin!