First Reconciliation 2021
Review for Teens

​​WHAT IS RECONCILIATION?
Reconciliation is a sacrament of HEALING in which we confess our sins to a priest and receive God's forgiveness. 
  • Reconciliation is also known as Confession or Penance.
  • The priest - standing in the place of Jesus - offers us God's mercy and extends God's forgiveness of our sins, as well as the invitation to go back out into the world with the sincere intention to not sin again.
  • Reconciliation is a sacrament available to us all the time! Like Eucharist, we receive it repeatedly instead of just one time like Baptism or Confirmation. That is because we are always in need of healing, and our loving God always offers us his mercy and forgiveness in the sacrament of Reconciliation.
​​WHAT IS SIN?
To understand the sacrament of Reconciliation, we first need to understand sin. 

SIN: A willful rejection of God and His love. God gives us free will to make choices. We sin when we use our free will to reject or disregard one of God's commandments. Not all sins are equal:
  • mortal sin: a severe sin that breaks our relationship with God (For example, murder)
  • venial sin: a sin of less importance, like cheating on a test. We need to ask forgiveness, but it does not completely break our relationship with God.
​Remember, though, that God's mercy is infinite. Nothing can separate us from God's love if we turn our hearts back to Him. If we are sorry and ask for God's forgiveness, we will receive it!
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Watch What Is Sin?
​​WHY DO WE TELL OUR SINS TO A PRIEST?
When we sin, we not only separate ourselves from God. We also separate ourselves from the Christian community. To  "reconcile” means to bring together – Reconciliation heals the separation that sin causes and brings us back into communion with God and others. 

Watch Sacraments 101: Penance
​HOW DO I GO TO CONFESSION?
Receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as going to confession, has three parts:
1. Examination of Conscience and Contrition. These take place before you go to see the priest to confess your sins.
  • Examination of conscience. Your conscience is that part of yourself that can tell right from wrong. You need to examine your conscience - to really reflect on your actions - to determine when and how you have sinned so that you can confess your sins to the priest.
  • Contrition. It's not enough to recognize that you have committed a sin if you are not actually sorry for having committed it. To have contrition means you acknowledge that your sin is wrong, are sorry for committing it, and firmly intend to not commit the sin again.
2. Confession. 
3. Satisfaction. After you confess your sins and the priest absolves, or forgives, you for your sins, you go back out into the world strengthened in God’s love and mercy so that you can love and serve others.
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Watch How Do I Go To Confession?
​Read Examination of Conscience Using the 10 Commandments 
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​FRIDAY, JANUARY 22 OR MONDAY, JANUARY 25
  • Turn in: your Reconciliation Journal (in your purple folder) to the parish office.
  • Pick up: When you turn in your Journal, pick up a "How to Go to Confession" bookmark (see this page) from the Information Counter across from the parish office. These bookmarks will also be available to you when you come for your First Reconciliation - you can take one in with you to the confessional.

MONDAY, JANUARY 25
Zoom Group Meeting with Ms. Rosie (Zoom link sent by email)
  • We'll review the topics on this page and Ms. Rosie will lead you through an Examination of Conscience.