Another term for the Sacrament of Confession is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We go to this sacrament not only to confess our sins, but to be reconciled with God. Of course, this begs the question, "If I can pray to God on my own, why can't I be reconciled to God on my own?" In the seven sacraments, we recognize the importance of community. Sacraments like Baptism or Matrimony happen in the context of the wider church to remind us of the communal impact of our lives. We are not alone in our walk of faith!
We don't need to confess our sins in front of the whole community -- thank God! But going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a tangible reminder that our sins affect not only ourselves and our relationship with God, but others as well. Jesus gave his Apostles authority to forgive sins in his name. Through this sacrament, we are really, truly forgiven by God Himself. We receive an outpouring of grace and strength to sin no more and our relationship with Christ and his Body, the Church, are restored.
BACK TO LIST