The Sacrament of Reconciliation

Lesson 6: Jesus Continues to Forgive us Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation

Unit 3 Second Quarter

Video Analysis: The Prodigal Son

Questions for Discussion

What can you say about the three characters in the video?
To whom can you identify yourself? Why? Did the Father do the right thing in forgiving His son? What can you say about the elder brother?

WE CONNECT
Sin weakens our relationship with God and others. The story of the Prodigal Son reminds us that even when we sin, others are very willing to forgive us.
So much so, God is always merciful to forgive us. This is done through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

I. What is the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Why is it important to receive Reconciliation?

What is the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

Jesus continues to forgive our sins through the Church. 2,000 years ago, He instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation when He gave His apostles the power to forgive sins(CFC 1850/ R Pen.2).

Why is it important to receive Reconciliation?

Through this sacrament, Jesus heals us from our spiritual sickness, which is our sin.
Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Jesus leads us to the Father to ask for His forgiveness. It is important then to receive this sacrament because through this sacrament, Jesus gives us the chance to build again our relationship with God and with the Church, which is broken when we commit sin.

II. EFFECTS OF THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

What happens to us after we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

We receive Gods forgiveness. Our sins are forgiven through the priest in the name of Christ and the Church and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

What happens to us after we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation? We are reconciled with God.

We are reconciled with the Church.

What happens to us after we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

We are strengthened to live the Ten Commandments and teachings of Jesus. We promise not to sin anymore.

A REVIEW OF HOW WE CELEBRATE THE SACRAMENTS OF RECONCILIATION

STEPS IN RECEVING THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

1. EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE We ask the Holy Spirit to help us think about how well we are doing Gods loving will. We have to recall our sins including the time we committed them.

STEPS IN RECEVING THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

2. CONTRITION This part helps us to make a sincere Confession. We show God how sorry we are for our sins. With this heartfelt sorrow, we also promise Him that we will not commit sins again. Moreover, we also promise to make up for the wrong things that we have done.

STEPS IN RECEVING THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

What does it take to be perfectly sorry? Courage to be sorry for our faults Humility to accept our faults and ask for forgiveness Hope to be forgiven Resolve to sin no more

STEPS IN RECEVING THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

3. CONFESSION We confess our sins to God by telling them to the priest in private. We make sure that we confess all our sins. He will never tell anyone of our sins. He also advises us how to live each day as Jesus wants us.

STEPS IN RECEVING THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

4. PENANCE

A prayer or a good deed that helps make up for the hurt caused by our sins. We do the penance to show that we are sorry and we want to change. 5. ABSOLUTION
Our sins are absolved and forgiven. In the name of Christ and the Church, through the power of the Holy Spirit, a priest grants the forgiveness of our sins. This forgiveness reconciles us to the Church and to God.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a powerful and effective sign through which Jesus shares with us Gods mercy and forgiveness. We can celebrate Reconciliation individually or communally. In both rites, we meet with a priest privately.

WHY DO WE CONFESS TO A PRIEST? WHY NOT CONFESS DIRECTLY TO GOD?

 To answer this, we must first understand what sin is.

We describe sin as an action committed against the laws of God. Sin hurts and breaks our relationship with ourselves, with others, and most of all, God. We like to emphasize here that sin does not only offend God, but also the other members of the Church.

Second, we must always remember that through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God does not only forgive us. We are also reconciled to God and to the other members of the Church, who are also affected when we sin.

 Third, we must then understand the role of the priest. Jesus gave His apostles the priestly power to forgive sins in His name (Mt 18:18).
The apostles then shared this power to their successors the bishop and the priests that we have in our Church today. Therefore, the priest represents Jesus Christ. So that when we confess our sins, it is not just the priest who is listening. Jesus listens when we confess through the priest. Moreover, it is Jesus who forgives and reconciles us to the Father.

We must also remember that sin breaks our relationship with the people around us and with the other members of the Church. During confession, the priest also represents the Church. Thus, as we ask for forgiveness, the priest stands for those people that we have hurt.

 As we confess our sins to the priest, we are also reminded to be humble enough to accept our own faults and to say sorry for them. Also, through the penance that we receive after confession, we are reminded not to sin anymore.
We also receive sound advice from the priest on how to avoid committing bad deeds again. When we go through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are assured of Gods forgiveness.

WE RESPOND: WHAT DOES JESUS CALL US TO DO IN THIS LESSON?

In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are reconciled with God and one another. God forgives us. With this gift of forgiveness, we are also called to forgive others and even to ask for forgiveness.

Blog #2: Own Title (Topic: Reality of Sin)

How does sin affect my life? How can I respond to Jesus command, Go and sin no more? Who are the people that I have hurt? What can I do to make up for the wrong things that I have done? What prayer can I say to Jesus regarding my own sinfulness?

Closure/ Reflection:
Why is it important to confess our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
What happens to our relationship with God and others after we confess our sins? Why should we make up for the wrong deeds that we have done?

ACT OF CONTRITION
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend with your help, to do penance, to sin no more and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Amen.