... We Catholics believe that God has given us the sacraments as a way of showing that we are receiving the gift of his love in very real and down-to-earth ways. ...One of these sacraments is the sacrament of Reconciliation, more popularly known as “confession.” Reconciliation is a more accurate name, since the purpose of the Sacrament is to provide those of us who celebrate it with a tangible experience of God’s forgiveness and our reconciliation with the church. ...The Mass itself is a Sacrament which conveys God’s forgiveness. Many parishes offer “Communal” celebrations of Reconciliation which may or may not include an opportunity for individual confession. When we have sinned, one of these forms of experiencing God’s forgiveness may well serve to heal us and restore us to our union with the church and to an awareness of God’s grace at work in our lives. ... The church asks that we make an individual confession of our sins to a priest (representing the Holy Spirit present in the community of the church) in case of serious sin. More importantly, whenever we commit such a sin we will likely feel the need to confess it and won’t feel completely comfortable until we do. And when we do confess, we often feel a tremendous sense of relief and joy. ...Individual confession and celebration of the sacrament of Reconciliation can be of great value even when we have not committed a serious sin. It is a way of taking an honest look at our own lives and “taking inventory” of our relationship with God. “Naming” the tendencies or habits that cause us to drift from that relationship may be the beginning of a process of our re-centering our thoughts and actions on God. ...So let us have a confession regularly! A Blessed Sunday to Everyone!
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 02:33:08 +0000