What is the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
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| Sacrament of Reconciliation |
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the most unique and
beautiful aspects of the Catholic Church.
JESUS CHRIST, in His abundant love and mercy, established the Sacrament of Confession, so that we as sinners can obtain forgiveness for our sins and reconcile with God and the Church. The sacrament “washes us clean,” and renews us in Christ.
“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the
Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he
breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you
forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of
any, they are retained’” (John 20:21-23).
Here, the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the Sacrament of Reconciliation, its various names and the graces that flow from the sacrament:
IMPORTANT
It is a reconciliation between GOD and YOU. Not PRIEST and YOU.
You a student, youth, boy or girl never hesitate to go for confession.
Remember, The MORE you ADMIT your mistake and confess it the MORE you are becoming HOLY and get a greater chance to talk to God, and that your prayers for your exams and your life are kindly heard.
Use this opportunity wisely, frequently for Your benefit! Remember, its between YOU and GOD.
How can one prepare for Holy Confession?
Preparation for Holy
Confession is a prayerful examination of feelings, thoughts, words,
acts, attitudes, habits, values, priorities, goals, direction and way of
life. This prayerful self-examination includes not only the personal
religious life, but also family relationships, social activities, job
conduct, business dealings, political commitments and even recreational
pursuits, because our entire existence should be lived in under the
light of the Holy Spirit is not to condemn ourselves, but to affirm our
true selves in Christ who has given us access to God’s mercy and
forgiveness and who has taught us to live for God’s glory.
Pray and think and your confession over several days. Ask God to help you perceive your sins and to make a thorough confession of them. Sometime before the sacrament of Holy Confession, offer selected prayers from the following Confessional Prayers, Psalm 51 or the following prayer of repentance:
PRAYER OF REPENTANCE
Now, without justification or self-pity, make a prayerful
examinations of your conscience regarding all things. As a help, reflect
on your life in the light of the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes.
Take pencil and paper and specify your sins so that, at the time of the
sacrament, you will be able to make a thorough confession from the list,
without confusion or lapse of memory.
JESUS CHRIST, in His abundant love and mercy, established the Sacrament of Confession, so that we as sinners can obtain forgiveness for our sins and reconcile with God and the Church. The sacrament “washes us clean,” and renews us in Christ.
“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the
Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he
breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you
forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of
any, they are retained’” (John 20:21-23).Here, the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the Sacrament of Reconciliation, its various names and the graces that flow from the sacrament:
“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 (CCC 1422).
“It is called the sacrament of conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father from whom one has strayed by sin.
It is called the sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian sinner's personal and ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction.
“It is called the sacrament of confession, since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a ‘confession’ - acknowledgment and praise - of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man.
It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the priest's sacramental absolution God grants the penitent “pardon and peace.”
“It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles: ‘Be reconciled to God.’ He who lives by God's merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord's call: ‘Go; first be reconciled to your brother’” (CCC 1423).
“It is called the sacrament of conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father from whom one has strayed by sin.
It is called the sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian sinner's personal and ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction.
“It is called the sacrament of confession, since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a ‘confession’ - acknowledgment and praise - of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man.
It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the priest's sacramental absolution God grants the penitent “pardon and peace.”
“It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles: ‘Be reconciled to God.’ He who lives by God's merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord's call: ‘Go; first be reconciled to your brother’” (CCC 1423).
IMPORTANT
It is a reconciliation between GOD and YOU. Not PRIEST and YOU.You a student, youth, boy or girl never hesitate to go for confession.
Remember, The MORE you ADMIT your mistake and confess it the MORE you are becoming HOLY and get a greater chance to talk to God, and that your prayers for your exams and your life are kindly heard.
Use this opportunity wisely, frequently for Your benefit! Remember, its between YOU and GOD.
How can one prepare for Holy Confession?
Preparation for Holy
Confession is a prayerful examination of feelings, thoughts, words,
acts, attitudes, habits, values, priorities, goals, direction and way of
life. This prayerful self-examination includes not only the personal
religious life, but also family relationships, social activities, job
conduct, business dealings, political commitments and even recreational
pursuits, because our entire existence should be lived in under the
light of the Holy Spirit is not to condemn ourselves, but to affirm our
true selves in Christ who has given us access to God’s mercy and
forgiveness and who has taught us to live for God’s glory.Pray and think and your confession over several days. Ask God to help you perceive your sins and to make a thorough confession of them. Sometime before the sacrament of Holy Confession, offer selected prayers from the following Confessional Prayers, Psalm 51 or the following prayer of repentance:
PRAYER OF REPENTANCE
"O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, andAmen”
I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments,
but most of all because they offend Thee, my God,
Who art all-good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.
4 comments:
It is real, we need to be go for confession regularly. We have to use this chance with joyful heart and not as a punishment
i have a question? Someone told me they need not to tell a priest their sins. Only Jesus is enough for confession. What should i answer?
I think we can be forgiven if we confess our sins to Jesus himself directly, but in order to get spiritual assistance and advice on the normal life[life we are living today] in relation to Christ's life we need the priests, for example if i confess on taking some ones property if I confess to a priest he will ask me to return the property and give me counselling on that sin.......tumsifu Yesu Kristu
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