Sacrament of Reconciliation

Tomorrow evening, the children I have been teaching catechism to since September will be making their first confession. I am very excited for them and am praying that they will develop a lasting appreciation for the sacrament and recognize the importance of confession in the sacramental life of a Catholic. I don't know if I've taught them everything that they need to know about the sacrament, but I think that what's most important is that they view the sacrament as a great gift of mercy from God and something that will be a precious part of their life as long as they live. I trust that if they get confused or feel lost during the actual sacrament the priest will help them out.
Please keep them in your prayers.

Appropriately, in reading Running the race of life today I came across two posts on the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In the first post, Jonathan St. Andre presents some questions to his fellow bloggers on their thoughts and perspectives on the sacrament. In the second post, he shares some of his own thoughts and reflections on the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

And so, as this sacrament is on my mind and in my prayers in a special way this week, I thought I'd take the time to share with you some of my own reflections on this beautiful sacrament.

Last week I was having a late night conversation with a friend of mine who will be entering the Church this coming Easter. I mentioned to her that it seemed to me that it must be really difficult for her at this point as she fully believes in the teachings of the Church with regards to the sacraments but still won't be able to participate in the sacramental life of the Church for several months. I commented that I would personally find it frustrating to attend Mass and believe in Christ's presence in the Eucharist and not be able to receive the Blessed Sacrament. She acknowledge that this was hard but that she was waiting in joy to be able to meet Christ in the Eucharist at Easter. Then she added something that surprised me... "You might think that I'm crazy for saying this, but in a certain way, right now I'm longing even more to meet Christ in the Sacrament of Reconciliation."

For myself, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is an important part of my spiritual life. It hasn't always been so, but as I grow in my relationship with Christ, the greater importance this sacrament seems to take on.

When I think of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the first thing that comes to mind is mercy. It is in this precious sacrament that I encounter the mercy of Christ. Intrinsic to this mercy is the love God has for me. As a sinner, sometimes I wonder how it is that God can love me unconditionally. I wonder how a perfect God could love someone like me. Yet in the Sacrament of Reconciliation I encounter that love in a real way and through the words of absolution I am reminded that this is not just a theoretical love, but very concrete. In the sacrament I encounter the love of Christ from Calvary.

Along with Eucharistic Adoration, participating in the Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the most intimate forms of prayer I practice. When I encounter Christ in this sacrament I become transparent before my God. I acknowledge all that separates us so that I can be brought to a more intimate union with Him. In this sacrament there is a great sense of freedom; not only being set free from one's sins but also the freedom that is found in being obedient to Christ. Through the sacrament I am brought back to a life of obedience.

From my perspective and experience, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a great gift of mercy from God. It has so many aspects, more than we even realize, that lead to a strengthening of our relationship with Christ and His Church.