This sacrament is also known as the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Confession. Jesus gave the Apostles power to forgive sins when he said.
“Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they
are forgiven.” (John 20:21)
Through the Apostles, this power has
been handed on to the bishops and priests. They continue to share with us God's
love and mercy through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Every time we celebrate
this sacrament, we are given a new beginning as we leave behind the wrong
things we have done and start again. Before the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we
spend time thinking about the things we have done that have turned us away from
God's love. In Confession, we tell the priest the things we have done that we
are sorry for. The priest represents God and through him we receive God's
forgiveness. This is a wonderful sacrament as it gives us the chance to make a
new start, trying to be a better person and more like Jesus.
CCC 1446 Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as "the second plank [of salvation] after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace."
For resources about the sacrament of confession visit Diocesan website
