The Sacrament of Reconciliation

Instituted by Jesus, every sacrament is a visible sign and symbol of God’s presence. It confers specific grace on those who receive it. As a sign and symbol all sacraments refer to the action of God on our behalf. In the past, God delivered his people by bringing them from slavery to salvation. Through the sacraments, God is doing the same action by bringing those who receive them from the slavery of sin to the life of grace in Jesus by the Holy Spirit. As a sacred event, any sacrament is received by the grace of God and by the recipient’s free acceptance of this sanctifying grace. By accepting such grace, the recipient is sanctified and saved from sin.

The water of baptism washes away our prior sins, especially the original sin, the state of sin into which each person is born. However, like all other sacraments, baptism does not take away our natural inclination or our human tendency towards sin. That is why we are invited to receive some sacraments more than once, when we are sick or in the state of sin. The instruction of the sacrament of the sick says, “If they have committed any sins, their sins will be forgiven them” (Jm 5:15). The Holy Eucharist unites us to Jesus Christ and cleanses us from sins.

The Eucharist-forgiveness came from Jesus Himself at the Last Supper. He took the chalice and said: “This is my blood … which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins” (Mt 26:28). Through His blood, Jesus has freed us from our sins (Rv 1:5) and continues to do so when we eat His body and drink His blood. However, it is not appropriate to receive Holy Communion when we are in the state of sin. “Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself” (1 Co 11:27-29).

The sacrament of reconciliation makes us worthy of receiving the Holy Eucharist, in the state of grace. Through this sacrament, we express our sorrow for having offended God. We confess our sins to a priest who acts in persona Christi. We do penance and are willing to avoid sinning in the future by the grace of God.

It reminds me of the history my grandfather had told me about confession. He belonged to the first generation evangelized by the Western missionaries in Africa. Language barrier and food were among their challenges. My grandfather’s pastor started a small farm of goats for homemade cheese. There was no cheese in my village in Africa. Thank God my grandfather’s pastor’s farm was a big success. He had many goats in a short period of time. Therefore, he could enjoy his homemade cheese like never before. However, the people of my village enjoyed goat meat instead of cheese. The pastor started losing his goats one after another. Meanwhile, there was a man who regularly went to confession with him confessing the same sin every time. Confession was the only time the priest could not use his interpreter. After the priest noticed that his penitent was confessing the same sin, he finally memorized the sin to ask its meaning of his interpreter, not to break the seal of confession. It was in that moment he learned that he was giving absolution to the thief of his goats. “Bless me father for I have sinned, I stole your big goat”, he was confessing. What did this penitent do with the grace he received through his regular sacrament of reconciliation? This question is for all of us sinners.

The sacrament of reconciliation calls us to repentance. It requires our collaboration and our willingness to change our way of living in order to enjoy the healing it provides and to regain the grace of God lost by sin. Through the sacrament of reconciliation, Jesus extends to us not only His compassionate love but also His mercy, healing, pardon, and peace. Let us take the opportunity of Lent and Holy Week to receive the sacrament of reconciliation before we celebrate the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ with joy and clean hearts.