Annually during the last week of Lent that ends with Easter Sunday Catholics observe Holy Week. For 2018 Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday on March 25, 2018. Holy Week ends with the three High Holy days of Easter called Easter Triduum. These are Holy Thursday (March 29, 2018), Good Friday (March 30, 2018) and Easter Sunday (April 1, 2018).
In preparation for the Triduum and having begun the spiritual religious “journey towards the Resurrection of Jesus Christ” on Easter through the liturgy of Palm Sunday, Catholics annually perform the Sacrament of Reconciliation on the Monday following Palm Sunday; a day called Reconciliation Monday (March 26, 2018). The Sacrament of Reconciliation (also sometimes called Penance) is one of the seven Sacraments, seven signs of God’s love for us where he call for us (his beloved children) to be healed throughout our life through his love and forgiveness, as well as, to grow in that love through vocational roles of matrimony or religious orders.
Reconciliation is a Catholic religious ritual that involves preparing to confess your sins in Confession by spending time in an Examination of Conscience. During that time, ahead of actually attending Confession, you begin thinking about how you sinned and accounting for what Laws laid out by God in the Bible you have broken thereby committing sins. You spend time in thoughtful prayer and silent discernment reflecting on these sinful things and how they make you feel, as well as, how they have made others feel. This leads to one’s recognition of their own sinfulness, actions that have wronged God and others by violating his love for us and his people’s love for us. Sin is generally either very serious acts (Mortal Acts of Sin) or lesser acts (Venial Acts of Sin) that violate God’s Ten Commandments spoken by him in the Old Testament on Mount Sinai and delivered to his people by Moses the Jewish Prophet who heard those words, his divinely inspired works the Holy Bible and the Catholic Catechism given to us through the writing of the Saints and Apostles, and acted out through the Seven Deadly Sins— a list of ways we deceive ourselves into thinking we are “happy” when the reality is that violating the aforementioned Divine Works and Laws in order to fulfill our selfish needs that are not in either our best interest or those of God as well as his people.
After your have discerned what your sins are, the next step is go to a Catholic Church either during Confessional times (most Parishes have either days of the week or a day of month where Confessions are taken– many even allow you to schedule an appointment for one with the Parish priest) or at the very least once a year during Reconciliation Monday. If you do not work by your local Parish or if for any other reasons you would rather Confess at another Parish the Archdiocese of New York has a Parish Finder to help you find a nearby Church. There is no rule that says you must confess at a given Catholic Parish or Diocese. So feel free to go where you feel the most comfortable performing your Confession.
Because receiving the Eucharist while not in a State of Grace is considered a sin in and of itself, it is absolutely recommended by the Catholic Church that Catholics perform monthly Confessions so they are being absolved regularly of their sins and therein resolving their State of Sinfulness before they partake in the Sacrament of the Eucharist during weekly mass.
On a day of Confession or on Reconciliation Monday, you enter the Church and kneel down in a pew. While kneeling down in the pew spend some time in prayer, as well as, think about the things your about to confess to the Priest. Once you are done praying and discerning you are now ready for Confession.
For Confession you will enter the Confessional room of the Church. Normally Churches have two Confessional rooms– one where the Priest can see you and one where they cannot. This is to accommodate your own guilt and allow those whose guilt is so great to remain anonymous to the Priest taking the Confession. If you’re not sure which room is which, talk to Parish Priest ahead of Confession to find out. Once you enter the room, make the Sign of the Cross, say to the Priest “Father forgive me for I have sinned”, and then tell the Priest how long it has been since your last Confession. The Priest will then begin Confession, as well as, walk you through the rest of the process. At the end of the Confession, the priest will ask you to say the Act of Contrition. Some churches have this prayer in the Confessional in the event you forget it. If you are not sure you can remember the prayer, bring a printed copy of it with you so you can refer to it or ask the Priest to help you recite the prayer.
Once your Confession is over the Priest will dismiss you by Absolving (forgiving) you of your sins on behalf of God and tell you what Penance must be done for whatever sins you confessed to the Priest (and God). Normally this is a given amount of prayers including the Rosary. Even if the Rosary is not prescribed by the Priest, it cannot hurt to also say those prayers in addition to whatever Penance you are given. You should do this right in the Church after your exit the Confessional in silent prayer and reflection in the Church pews. Alternately you can do this at a later time at home. Once your Penance is completed or Confession is done you can leave Church. You must do Penance though to be fully Absolved from sin. Therefore be sure to make Penance as soon as possible to complete the Reconciliation process.
The first thing you will notice once Reconciliation is done is a bit of spiritual weight lifted off you shoulders mentally. Your mind and spirit will feel at rest again. You will also notice that the next time you do receive the Eucharist and knowing that you are in a State of Grace, you will allow yourself to internally feel the goodness of God within you once again. You are not imagining either of these two things. Reconciliation is a very real thing and a bridge to forgiveness given to us by God as a true gift and sign of his love. The more you attend Confession the easier it gets and the less sin you carry on your back as Jesus Christ begins to share your burden now that you have allowed him to do so on a regular basis. Spiritually this will lead to a closer relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ and his Father God, as well as, keep within you a closeness to the Holy Spirit. That intimacy will over time grow both your spiritual being and further develop your faith in God therein strengthening you in not just spirit– but also mind and body as well. More importantly by being forgiven of your sins through Reconciliation you are opening the path to eternal life and creating a chance for your soul to rest in peace with God when the time comes for him to call you home to Heaven. Truly this a wonderful gift and we, as Catholics, need to be making use of it so we can truly appreciate what Jesus Christ is offering us in his love and forgiveness.
This may all sound complicated and a lot to remember. That is why the Knights of Columbus offers an easy guide to walk you through Reconciliation (see next two paragraphs) and keep with you for your quick reference if you are not sure what to do when during Reconciliation.
The Knights of Columbus has an online resource booklet called “A Guide to Confession” that can be found here. This guide will walk you through step by step on how to prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, how to discern your sins and be true to yourself and God about your sinfulness through an Examination of Conscience, and how to make a Confession including how to say the Act of Contrition.
You can also download this same booklet in PDF form here. The PDF can be printed out for easy reference and use.
The Knights of Columbus offers a wide range of informational guides to deepen your Catholic faith through its Catholic Information Service (CIS) resource center. If you would like to learn more about your Catholic faith including particular topics such as prayers, devotions, history, and faith formation you can find their web site here.
As always, if you have any questions do not be afraid to talk with your Parish Priest or Deacon about the topic. Your clergy is not something to fear and you will quickly find that our own guilt weighs us down more than anything else. Therefore put your fears aside and you will see how that burden can be lifted by our Lord Jesus Christ through Reconciliation.
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