Reconciliation

True peace can be experienced in life only when we have received forgiveness for our faults and been reconciled with those we have offended. Jesus knew this well. The gospels show that bringing forgiveness into people’s lives was a major purpose of his ministry. When people sought healing, he first forgave their sins. Only then could they be truly healed in their whole person. Bodily cures alone could not bring lasting peace. 

Through the Sacrament of Penance, or Reconciliation, the Church continues Jesus’ ministry of forgiveness. The Catechism outlines four elements that combine to constitute the sacrament. On the part of the penitent these are: 

• Contrition: Aware of one’s sinfulness, one approaches God’s mercy in a spirit of sorrow for sin.  
• Confession: One makes an honest admission of one’s sins. The discipline of the Church requires that all mortal sins be confessed explicitly.  
• Satisfaction: Sin both injures others and weakens ourselves. One must make amends for this through repairing harm done or through suitable penance.  
• Absolution: We are reminded that Christ died and rose that we might be reconciled with God and obtain forgiveness of all our sins. That forgiveness is assured us: ‘I absolve you from your sins.’ 

The celebration of the sacrament has been revised in recent times to better reflect the positive nature of the encounter with Christ. The ritual begins with prayer, followed by a reading from Scripture. There is an examination of conscience and confession of sin in the light of God’s word. Absolution and imposition of penance follows and the rite concludes with praise of God’s goodness. 

There are rites of reconciliation to meet diverse circumstances. The first rite involves individual celebration and allows for fruitful dialogue between penitent and priest. It may be celebrated face to face or anonymously as desired. The second rite is a communal celebration, which better expresses the social dimension of sin and reconciliation. After prayers, readings, homily and guided examination of conscience, a brief individual meeting with the celebrant for confession and absolution follows. 

These are described as Rites of Reconciliation to celebrate the sacrament. They emphasise the dynamic nature of the sacramental encounter. God invites the penitent to repentance through the grace of conversion. God earnestly desires the salvation of every person. The penitent responds to the call to conversion and seeks reunion with God and all those harmed by one’s sins. The result is indeed a joyful reconciliation that puts behind the failures of the past and looks forward in confidence to a future to be lived in fidelity and harmony.