Having been made in the image of God we are fundamentally good, however, being human, we fail, we sin. God forgives us and supports us through grace given in the sacrament of Reconciliation.

 Jesus entrusted his apostles with the power to forgive sin in His name. “I give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’” (Mt. 16:19)
We view this sacrament of forgiveness as a gift of reconciliation, a celebration of God’s love.

 We give many names to this Sacrament through which we are forgiven:
 

• Confession: Confession is the first part of Reconciliation. It is the mere telling of our sins.
• Penance: This sacrament is often called penance which reflects the fact that we must repent to be forgiven. It also suggests the act of doing penance, the external act that flows from true repentance which helps us change our behavior.
• Reconciliation: Penance and Confession begin the process of healing the scars of sin; reconciliation focuses on the celebration of the sinner who is returning to God.
   

 The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the principal sign given to heal us from the effects of sin.
 Sin is real and as human beings we find it everywhere including our personal lives. It makes us and others miserable with its effects which are many:
 

• Sin alienates us from God and from His creation through abuse of his gifts. In sin we choose ourselves over God.
• Sin alienates us from ourselves: In sin we lose our identity as God’s children and we lose our integrity.
• Sin always affects others, no matter how personal or private. There are obvious ones such as cheating, stealing, etc., but even those private sins inevitably lead to discord with others.