The experience of the Sacrament of reconciliation today

Abstract

According to the Catholic faith, Reconciliation is one of the seven sacraments or sacred encounters with God through Christ in the Church by which the work of our redemption is accomplished. "The purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify man, to build up the body of Christ and finally to give worship to God... They not only suppose faith, but by words and gestures they also nourish, strengthen and express it". The sacraments are rooted in daily life. If this is not realised they may appear as empty rituals without any relevance to real life. By sin we constantly suffer in our inter personal relationships. We are alienated from God and our neighbour and there is a certain disharmony within ourselves. The Sacrament of Reconciliation heals the alienation and hence it can be called the sacrament of Spiritual healing. It effects a triple reconciliation: with God, with others and within oneself. The process of reconciliation should go on all the time in our life. But we should realise that we cannot achieve it of our own accord. We need God's grace which comes to us in a special manner through the sacrament. "Only God's love can restore the broken relationships that need healing because of sin. God's action in Christ effects reconciliation. We need to appropriate this healing action which is already available by responding through faith and cooperating with the saving action going on in the community."