Sacrament of Reconciliation
Reconciliation is one of the seven Sacraments of the Church. It is one of the two sacraments of healing, the other being the Sacrament of the Sick.
Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation we receive God’s forgiveness for our sins, his pardon and healing and reconciliation with the Church.
As with the other sacraments it was instituted by Jesus Christ himself. It was on Easter Sunday when Christ first appeared to the Apostles after his Resurrection. Breathing on them, he said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained”.
We are all sinners and struggle in the pursuit of holiness. God gave us all free will to make our own choices and we often fail to follow his teachings or even to recognise our own sinfulness. Each time we sin, we deprive ourselves of God’s grace and distance ourselves from his love, but we can be reconciled to him by being truly sorry and asking for his forgiveness. We do this by confessing our sins to a priest who is, in this sacrament, “in persona Christi” (in the person of Christ). Jesus throughout his ministry welcomed sinners who were truly penitent. It is God, through the priest, who will forgive us and in so doing grace will be restored to our souls and we can once again try to resist sin.
In Year 3 children receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In preparation for this Sacrament, the children reflect on the fact that they are children of God and that this impacts on the way they treat others.
Through studying Bible stories and parables the children learn about Jesus’ teachings on repentance and forgiveness and learn to think about the consequences of their actions and how this affects their relationship with God.
The children learn the structure and sequence of the Rite of Reconciliation and are fully prepared to make their Reconciliation.
Prayer of Reconciliation
Act of Contrition
O my God, because you are so good,
I am very sorry that I have sinned against you,
And by the help of your grace I will not sin again.
Amen
