Sacrament of Penance:
A Sacrament of Healing!
The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation flows directly from the Paschal Mystery. In fact, on the evening of Easter the Lord appeared to the disciples, who were locked in the Upper Room, and after addressing them with the greeting, “Peace be with you!”, he breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven” (Jn 20:21-23). This passage reveals to us the most profound dynamic contained in this Sacrament. (Pope Francis, General Audience, 19 February 2014)
The sacrament of reconciliation calls us back into the arms of our Heavenly Father. No matter how far from God we have strayed, or how long it has been, Our Lord lovingly and patiently waits for us, longing to pour out his mercy upon us.
"If your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow." (Isaiah 1:18)
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Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from the mercy of God for the offence committed against Him and are at the same time reconciled with the Church, which they have wounded by their sins, and which by charity, example, and prayer seeks their conversion.
(Lumen Gentium, 11)
