The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation
Several times in the Gospels Our Lord forgave sick people their sins before curing them of their diseases. Several times, too, He gave us a mandate to forgive one another our transgressions. He told many stories and performed many actions to emphasize the importance of forgiveness and to teach us how to forgive. He Himself is an ocean of forgiveness. He forgave from the Cross before He died even when no one asked Him for forgiveness. He visited and dinned with sinners and used that occasion to lead them to repentance in order to forgive them and save them.
They all went home cleansed, healed and reconciled with God, themselves and their communities. They were both physically and morally healed. Some of the sick people who came to Him did not think of their sinfulness. They did not realize that their sins could be the root cause or part of the cause of their physical suffering. In each case, Jesus went to eradicate the root cause before dealing with the symptoms.
Jesus has provided for His church the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a means of both spiritual and physical cure for us, His children. Through this Sacrament we are reconciled with our merciful God and are re-united with the mystical body of Christ. “Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the offenses committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion”(CCC. 1422) . Church has described this sacrament in different ways based on the different angles through which it brings us the needed divine succor thus: “the sacrament of conversion”, “the sacrament of Penance”, “the sacrament of confession”, “the sacrament of forgiveness” and “the sacrament of Reconciliation” (CCC. 1423-1424).
We continue to provide opportunities for this divine medicine for those in need. Thus we have confessions on Saturdays 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm, and on Sundays 8:30 am – 9:00 am. You can also make an appointment for your convenience