Confession or Reconciliation is
known as the Sacrament
of Penance (a sacrament is an outward sign of inward grace instituted
by Christ for our sanctification.
Reconciliation is the sacrament
in which we celebrate Christ's forgiveness. Working through the priest, Christ
forgives us, reconciles us to himself and to one another, and gives us the
grace and strength to make the right choices in the future.
Confession eases our guilt and
helps us to reflect on our sins and to verbalize them, and then to hear God's
forgiveness actually spoken to us through the priest.
Reconciliation helps open our
hearts to Christ's forgiveness, but we must be open to it, accept it, and
try to not sin again. In the parable of the woman being stoned for adultery
Jesus said "and neither do I condemn you" but he also said "go
and sin no more".
God freely loves us and forgives
us, but he also expects us to love and forgive all others, especially those
who have hurt us (this is the essence of his 'new covenant').
God gives us free will to choose
evil (sin) or good (God). Evil happens when we choose not to love God or each
other.
Reconciliation is our opportunity
to reconcile with God, much in the same way that we 'make up' with a friend
when we have offended them (hence the term reconciliation).
