Reconciliation

Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Penance, or Reconciliation, to dispel any doubts we might have about God’s forgiveness. The priest’s absolution assures the forgiveness of our sins, and in the same way Jesus said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good heart: thy sins are forgiven thee”, so the words of the priest absolve us from our sins and free us to live in the way God meant us to live. The sinner who repents plainly expresses by his words and actions that he has turned his heart from sin; while from the words and actions of the priest we easily recognize the mercy of God in the remission of sins.