Dear young people: “Put on Christ” in your lives. In these days, […] he awaits you in the sacrament of Penance, to heal by his mercy the wounds caused by sin. Do not be afraid to ask God’s forgiveness! He never tires of forgiving us, like a father who loves us. God is pure mercy!
Pope Francis at World Youth Day, 2013
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Tuesday 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
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The Sacrament of Reconciliation (AKA Penance or Confession)
Sometimes referred to as a “second baptism” this sacrament was given to us by Christ through the apostles. A fresh start; a second (or sixty-second) chance. Call it what you will, in this sacrament the saving healing power of Christ’s death and resurrection heals the wounds caused by sin. For Catholics this sacrament is the ordinary means for the forgiveness of serious sins.
Pope Francis’ Teaching on the Sacrament of Reconciliation
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Through the Sacraments of Initiation, we receive new life in Christ. This life we carry in earthen vessels, however, and we still experience temptations, suffering, and death. Because of sin, we can even lose this new life. Jesus therefore willed that the Church continue his works of salvation for her members, in particular through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which flows from the Paschal Mystery.
The forgiveness we receive is not the result of our own efforts, but is the gift of the Holy Spirit reconciling us to God and to each other. While the celebration of the Sacrament is personal, it is rooted in the community of the Church, in which the Holy Spirit is present, uniting us all in Jesus Christ. When confessing our sins then, we confess to the priest who represents not only God but also the community of the Church that accompanies us on the path of conversion.
Though this Sacrament is a great treasure, we may be tempted to dismiss it, perhaps due to laziness or embarrassment, or because of a diminishing sense of sin and its effects. Too often, we see ourselves as the centre and measure of all things, and our lives can go adrift. The Sacrament of Reconciliation calls us back to God, and embraces us with his infinite mercy and joy. May we allow his love to renew us as his children and to reconcile us with him, with ourselves, and with one another.
February 19, 2014 at the Vatican