the privilege to be able to participate
in the sacrament of Reconciliation.
We are also given a guarantee
that God will forgive us because Jesus gave the power to forgive sins to
the church through the apostles. At
the end of John’s gospel Jesus says to
the disciples after the Resurrection:
“Receive the holy spirit. Whose sins
you forgive are forgiven them, and
whose sins you retain are retained”
(John 20: 22-23).
Reconciliation, though, is not
only about reciting a list of sins but
also looking at the direction of your
life, and so in Confession you meet
with the priest face-to-face and have
a conversation about your life. i
think it can be very meaningful that
way, but still many people prefer
the privacy, the anonymity of being
behind a screen, and that’s also an
option.
However you confess, when you
leave the confessional, when the
priest says, “Go in peace, change
your life,” you can go with the guarantee that you are forgiven. you can
have that serenity and peace that you
have been forgiven.
Open your heart to God’s call
I was 25 when I realized God was calling me, and my experience at Holy Cross Ministries in Salt Lake City enriched my sense of purpose. Making home visits, bringing the Eucharist o the elderly, assisting with after-school programs and health screenings, all helped me to broaden my gifts and talents and to reaffirm that Christ lives in my heart.
—Sister Esperanza
Jacobo Acevedo
Why do you think
Reconciliation has fallen out
of favor with many Catholics?
For one thing, a lot of people have
lost the sense of sin. if you lose that,
then you don’t feel the need to go
and ask for forgiveness. Unfortunately, however, until you realize that
you sin, conversion doesn’t happen
and you do not really grow in holiness.
Catholics believe in the sacra-
mental nature of salvation—that God
works through material signs. But it’s
Sisters of the
Holy Cross
www.cscsisters.org
vocations.us@cscsisters.org
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