Sacrament of Reconciliation
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered every Saturday from 3:00 to 3:45 PM [Please note: There are no scheduled confession times on Holy Saturday]
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
~ Romans 8:38-39
Reconciliation is a process of conversion, confession and celebration. This process is beautifully illustrated for us by Jesus himself in the parable of the Prodigal Son [Luke 15:11-32].
Jesus told us this parable so we might understand how much God loves us and how readily God forgives us. As the parable goes, a young man demands his inheritance from his father. Once he has it, he spends his life breaking every rule his father ever taught him. He loses all of the money and, with the prospect of starvation before him, returns home hoping the father will allow him to be a servant in his household.
The reception he gets is not what he expected. His father barely listens to his confession, instead he embraces him and welcomes him home; not as a servant but as his son. The father seems only interested in celebrating the son’s return to the family. Jesus reveals to us a loving God who is like the merciful parent in the parable. God is not out to catch us in our sin. Rather God is intent on reaching out to us and drawing us back to the family in spite of our sin.
The first necessary step to the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is conversion. Like the Prodigal Son we must come to our senses and see the wrong that we do. We examine our lifestyle and our relationships in the light of the Gospel. We then make a decision to not only repent of our wrongs but to repair the relationships with God, with others and with ourselves that have been damaged by our sinful behavior. God loves us unconditionally. Conversion and transformation of heart is a positive response to God’s love. Through the grace God has given us, we allow God to work in us. To make us “holy as God is holy.” This is not a once in a lifetime event. Conversion and transformation is an ongoing, lifelong process.
If God Forgives Us So Readily, Why Do We Still Have to Confess Our Sins?
Confession of our sins remains an important part of the Sacrament of Reconciliation because it is the external sign of our internal conversion. We need to see, hear and feel forgiveness. We need the pardon and peace that comes with sitting before Jesus and having our sins absolved. This is a true encounter with the living Christ. We come to feel that love and experience the healing that only Jesus can give.
This is truly something to celebrate! We have been converted by God’s love, we have repented of our wrong behavior, we have confessed and now we begin anew.
Come and Celebrate this Tremendous Sacrament of God’s Unconditional Love!
Please click on the links below for resources to aid you in making a good confession.
What to Say When You Are Making Your Confession
Benjamin Gorewitz’s talk on Confession (7-21-19)
Related Documents:
Examination of Conscience for Young Children
Examination of Conscience for Middle School
Examination of Conscience for Teens
Examination of Conscience for Adults