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{MERCY} Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old Psalm 25:6 | NIV

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The Unimaginable

Depths of Mercy “Be merciful just as your Father is merciful” Most of us have a good idea of what mercy is and have received and offered it at different times. But as Pope Francis has pointed out, mercy is still a mystery because it is at the heart of both the nature of God and the meaning of our human relationships.

Thus, mercy is a rich and worthwhile subject of contemplation.

(Luke 6:36 | NIV)

The Sacrament of Reconciliation, while a humbling experience, is also a peak encounter with God’s mercy towards us which expands our capacity to live well with others.

May you know the closeness of God who is ever “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love”.

(Psalm 103:8 | NRSV)

“Mercy is a journey that begins with a spiritual conversion... May the balm of mercy reach everyone, both believers and those far away, as a sign that the Kingdom of God is already present in our midst!”

Pope Francis | Homily Announcing the Jubilee Year of Mercy

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Pope Francis on

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“Well, Father, I am a sinner; I have tremendous sins! How can I possibly feel part of the Church?”

Dear brother, dear sister, this is exactly what the Lord wants, that you say to him, “Lord, here I am, with my sins.” Is one of you here without sin? Anyone? No one, not one of us.

We all carry our sins with us. But the Lord wants to hear us say to him, “Forgive me, help me to walk, change my heart!”

And the Lord can change your heart.

In the Church, the God we encounter is not a merciless judge but is like the Father in the Gospel parable. You may be like the son who left home, who sank to the depths, farthest from the Gospel.

When you have the strength to say, “I want to come home,” you will find the door open.

Pope Francis | General Audience, October 2, 2013

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In his papal bull announcing the Year of Mercy Pope Francis presented mercy as a “mystery� to contemplate and ponder...

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Mercy ... as the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us

Mercy...as a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace on which our salvation depends

Mercy...as the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness

Mercy is a word that reveals the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity

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Mercy is the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely in the eyes of his brothers and sisters on the path of life CathFamily Š 2016 | 13

Mercy in the Jewish tradition The Christian emphasis on mercy is grounded deeply in the Jewish tradition and the Old Testament. In the Law of Moses, every 50th year was to be set aside as a special year to express and respond to God’s merciful love.

• Slaves were liberated and returned to their homes • People were released from their debts • Land was returned to its original owners • Families were reunited • Land cultivated for food was left fallow to regenerate.

The year would open with the blowing of a goat’s horn called a Yobel – which is where we get the English word ‘Jubilee’.

Jubilee years are rare and important events in the Catholic tradition. They are years set apart for the pursuit of reconciliation, hope, justice, and peace in a more intense way.

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The year would open with the blowing of a goat’s horn called a Yobel

The Sacrament of

Reconciliation

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Reconciliation is so much more than a merely human experience of unburdening the soul....

Any good barman, counsellor, or hairdresser can listen to a confession!

Rather, it is a powerful, grace-filled encounter with the mercy of Jesus, who is present in the person of the priest.

Many people are anxious and fearful about going to Reconciliation.

Some have negative memories of past experiences; others have misunderstood the need for the Sacrament, believing that it is sufficient to simply be sorry in their hearts for their sins. Others resist this Sacrament, knowing that Christ’s representative, the priest, is himself

a human being in need of God’s mercy. Others believe that their sins are just too terrible to be forgiven. Yet Jesus tells us that none of these need keep us from his mercy.

We answer some FAQS on Reconciliation on the following pages.

Q:

Can’t I just say ‘sorry’ to Jesus directly?

You can and should do so when you become aware of any sinful thoughts or actions. But your sins don’t just affect you and your relationship with God.

Through the priest, Jesus comes to heal you and the whole Church.

Jesus gave the Church the Sacrament The mistakes we make usually have an of Reconciliation to allow us to have impact on others, whether or not they an intimate conversation with our God through the priest. We confess our directly involve another person. We sins to a priest, who is the minister of are all part of the Body of Christ, and when one part is hurt or sick, it affects the Sacrament, because he stands “in Persona Christi,” meaning that he is in the rest of the body. the person of Christ.

Reconciliation is not just about healing Saint Faustina, who had a series of your own hurts and making your revelations of Christ, recorded the personal relationship with God right, following words of Jesus from one of it is about healing the whole Body of her conversations with him...

Christ too.

“Come with faith to the feet of my representative… and make your confession before me. The person of the priest is, for me, only a screen.

Never analyse what sort of a priest that I am making use of; open your soul in confession as you would to me, and I will fill it with my light.”

Jesus Christ | Dairies of St Faustina

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Q: remember Do priests

my sins?

No they really don’t! If you don’t believe us, allow Fr Mike Schmitz to reassure you...

“As a priest, I rarely, if ever, remember sins from the confessional. That might seem impossible, but the truth is, sins aren’t all that impressive. They aren’t like memorable sunsets or meteor showers or super-intriguing movies… they are more like the garbage.

“And if sins are like garbage, then the priest is like God’s garbage-man.”

“If you ask a garbage-man about the grossest thing he’s ever had to haul to the dump, maaaaaaybe he could remember it. But the fact is, once you get used to taking out the trash, it ceases to be noteworthy, it ceases to stand out.

“Honestly, once you realise that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is less about the sin and more about Christ’s death and resurrection having victory in a person’s life, the sins lose all of their lustre, and Jesus’ victory takes centre stage.

“Whenever someone comes to Reconciliation, I see a person who is deeply loved by God and who is telling God that they love Him back.

That’s it, and that’s all.”

Q:

Shouldn’t penance be hard?

Penance has a two-fold purpose. Its first is to make direct amends to your neighbour.

Things that simple justice requires such as returning stolen goods or restoring someone’s reputation you may have damaged. The second is to restore you spiritually via prayer, a work of mercy, or fasting.

Your priest takes you and the bigger context of your spiritual growth into account when he is assigning you penance and will never give you something you cannot achieve. That would defeat the whole point!

There is, however, another little-known aspect of penance. Fr Mike Schmitz explains…

“One time, after college, I was returning to the Sacrament after a long time and a lot of sin and the priest simply gave me something like “one Hail Mary” as my penance. I stopped.

‘Um, Father…? Did you hear everything I said?’

‘Yes, I did.’

‘Don’t you think I should get a bigger penance than that?’

“He looked at me with great love and said, ‘No. That small penance is all that I’m asking of you.’ He hesitated, and then continued,

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‘But you should know… I will be fasting for you for the next 30 days.’

“I was stunned. I didn’t know what to do. He told me that the Catechism teaches that the priest must do penance for all those who come to him for Reconciliation. And here he was, embracing a severe penance for all of my severe sins.

“This is why Reconciliation reveals the priest’s own soul; it reveals his willingness to sacrifice his life with Christ.

He sees our sins as a burden that he will take up (with Jesus!) and off us.

“Remember, Reconciliation is always a place of victory.”

“Whether you have confessed a particular sin for the first time, or if this is the 12,001st time, every time is a win for Jesus. And I, a priest, get to be there. That’s what it’s like… I get to sit and watch Jesus win His children back all day.

“It’s flippin’ awesome!”

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Q:

What if I’m too embarrassed to confess to my parish priest?

That’s understandable and many Catholics prefer to go to Reconciliation in a different parish, or to use the anonymity of the screened confessional.

It’s important to remember that your parish priest has a very different perspective... Fr Mike has this to say about people who come to Reconciliation to him… “[All] I see is a person who is still trying – a saint in the making. I don’t care if this is the person’s third time this week; if they are seeking the Sacrament of Reconciliation, it means that they are trying. That’s all that I care about.

“This thought is worth considering: going to Reconciliation is a sign that you haven’t given up on Jesus.”

“This is one of the reasons why pride is so deadly. I have talked with [young] people who tell me that they don’t want to go to Reconciliation to their priest because their priest really

likes them and ‘thinks that they are a good kid.’ I have two things to say to this.

“He will not be disappointed! What your priest will see is a person who is trying! I dare you to find a saint who didn’t need God’s mercy!

“So what if the priest is disappointed?

We try to be so impressive with so much of our lives.

“The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a place where we don’t get to be impressive. It is a place where the desire to impress goes to die.”

“Think about it: all other sins have the potential to cause us to race to the confessional, but pride is the one that causes us to hide from the God who could heal us.”

Article reprinted with permission. For more from Fr Mike Schmitz visit www.bulldogcatholic.org

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Reconciliation experiences

Even though I dreaded facing Father with my embarrassing sins, I felt this push from the Holy Spirit, and I couldn’t stop. I poured out my past amidst tears and tissues. Father counselled me, and then he stood up, laid hands on me and prayed over me. He told me that in the name of Jesus, my sins were forgiven.

Linda Lochtefeld | 101 Inspirational Stories of the Sacrament of Reconciliation

I still remember the awkwardness of my first confession. I dreaded it for weeks and I remember staring at the floor most of the time. But after the humiliation came the best part—hearing the words of absolution. It was incredibly powerful, and it made God’s mercy concrete and real in a new way.

Sam Guzman | Catholic Gentleman

When I finally stammered out my full confession, I listened eagerly to hear that my sins had been forgiven. Then when the priest told me to recite one of the Psalms as penance, I was so grateful. I knelt in front of the crucifix and recited the Psalm with all the love I could muster. Being able to demonstrate my regret and contrition in a physical way was so healing, so cathartic. Jennifer Fulwiler | Conversion Diary I finally arrived at the presbytery. I hadn’t made a confession in 20 years and I had never made a good one. I was holding onto a 29-year-old sin that was strangling me. I didn’t know where to begin. Father gently walked me through the Commandments, one by one, as I made my confession through tears.

Sisters of Life | IMPRINT magazine Spring 2015

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Bless me, Father, for I’m a mess!

Simcha Fisher

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On Saturday, I realized that we could do part of the shopping, get to confession very easily, then finish shopping and get home before dinner.

The horror! There is nothing I resist more than going to confession.

As soon as the idea pops into my head, eleven different excuses push their way forward, shouting and complaining. There’s no way! I have raw chicken in the car, and it’ll spoil!

It would be inconsiderate to everyone else, because I left the baby at home! Probably Fr. Dan’s back hurts, and the last thing he wants is more people in line! I’m not even sure what time confession is! I’ve only been a member of this parish for nine years; how am I supposed to know when confession is? And anyway, I haven’t had time to prepare properly! It would be an insult to God to show up and blurt out a few things and skip all the really important stuff. It would be better to wait until I can do a really thorough job of it. Confession is really important, so let’s do it right. Let’s do it some other time.

This panic is so familiar to me, I don’t even listen to it anymore. I just let it play out, and then think, “Are we done now? All right, then let’s go to confession.”

And so I went, still pathetically clinging to the idea that maybe, just maybe, it’s at 2:00 after all, and if we show up at 2:30, and we’ll be too late. The church won’t even be there anymore, that’s how late we’ll be.

Maybe?

Well, the church was still there, and we were not late. The horror!

I had been struggling with some confusion over a spiritual matter, which had been causing much misery.

As I knelt down, my heart bleated out, Listen, Lord. I’m not trying to tell you how to do your job. I guess you love me. Personally, I think you should make things really clear right now, because, come on. But here is my heart, and I’m trying to open it. If you tell me something I need to hear, I will try to hear it eventually, and I don’t know what else to say. Give me strength or whatever. Okay, thanks.

See ya there.

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And what do you know? The pastor (JESUS) told me something really clear, and obvious, and helpful, and enlightening, and liberating. It was way more illuminating than I even dared to hope for, and I floated out of the confessional grinning like an idiot. And crying. And grinning, while my nose ran and my heart sang.

That was a good one. I love it when that happens.

But! Even when it’s just regular old confession, where I trot out my stupid old worn out raggy old sins one more time, and the regular old priest just regular old absolves me, no special insight, no grand turning points . . . I still feel the same way. I still feel like Ebeneezer Scrooge, after he’s repented and is going around making amends: Oh, I don’t deserve to be so happy. But I can’t help it. I just can’t help it!

It hasn’t always been this way. I’ve always had the resistance to going to confession, but it used to be that it didn’t let up, either during or after the actual Sacrament.

As I was in the confessional, I’d be sick and nervous, feeling like a phony and a liar. I’d step out and think, “Oh, but wait, I forgot the main point! I don’t think I really explained what was really happening. And what about that thing eleven years ago? Have I ever really confessed that?

Should I just get back into line? What is even the point of this, if I’m going to do such a bad job?”

And when I heard about other people floating out in an ecstasy of joy and relief, that further cemented the idea that I was doing it all wrong.

So what has changed?

I finally realized I was putting too much emphasis on myself doing it right. I finally realized that there was no way I could do it right enough to earn absolution. It was never about that. The fact that I’m uncertain and imperfect and sloppy and forgetful and let myself off the hook is kind of the point. It’s why we need confession in the first place.

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I put myself in that little box, and Jesus squints at me in the dim light and says, “Ohh, boy. Look, I’ll just take care of . . . all of this, okay? I’ll take care of you.”

That’s the point. That’s the whole point.

That’s why He died: because there was never any question of us doing anything right. All we have to do is get in there, and He will take care of us.

That’s what it means, that Jesus died for us. We still suffer and we still struggle, we still feel pain and sorrow, guilt and grief. But we don’t have to worry about making sure we do it right. We’re not efficacious. We’re just not. What Jesus wants is for us to open ourselves up to Him and see very clearly that we’re helpless. That’s what He’s waiting for. That’s what He wants, more than He wants an impeccably thorough list of sins. He wants us to think less about ourselves and our failings — even our failings to confess properly! — and more about Him and His unimaginable mercy.

Obviously, we have to make our best effort to fulfil our obligations as well and thoroughly as we can. That’s why the Church tells us what to say and what to do; and yes, we do have to say and do those things. But even as we try our best, we remember that even our very, very best isn’t going to be good enough.

So I just kind of . . . relax into that.

In the confessional, our job is to admit defeat and turn things over to Him. That’s what He wants. And when I do that, I float out of that confessional with the dopey grin on my face, and my nose runs, and my heart sings. Thanks be to God! Oh, thanks be to God. Simcha Fisher is a freelance writer and speaker. She is the author of The Sinner’s Guide to Natural Family Planning, and lives in New Hampshire with her husband and ten children. This article originally ran in Aleteia.org. Reprinted with permission from the author.

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A Promise The Divine Mercy Chaplet Jesus revealed to St Faustina his Divine Mercy – his unlimited and supernatural capacity for forgiveness. The chaplet can be prayed on rosary beads (at 3pm if possible), and is a simple mantra on Jesus’ mercy. Make this chaplet your new devotion.

Whoever places his trust in my mercy will be filled with my divine peace at the hour of death.

Jesus Christ | Diaries of St Faustina

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Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet Opening Prayers You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world.

O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You! Say the Our Father, Hail Mary, Apostles’ Creed (x1)

For each decade On the large bead (x 1): Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

On each small bead (x 10): For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

At the end, say 3 times: Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Closing Prayer Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

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What is sin?

Sin is our choice to reject what we know is good and right in favour of what is wrong. It can be a mental or physical act, or a decision not to act when we know we should (an omission).

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sin is an offense against God as well as an “offense against reason, truth and right conscience”. (1849)

What are mortal and venial sins?

Mortal sin requires a deliberate and serious violation of God’s law which destroys our ability to love and separates us from God, while venial sin wounds and weakens our relationship with God and others. For a sin to be mortal it must involve grave matter (e.g. murder, adultery, idolatry), full knowledge that it is a grave sin and of why it is wrong, and the person must freely and deliberately choose it.

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The Church doesn’t make a one-size-fits-all judgement on the mortal or venial nature of particular sins – the individual person and context of the sin matters.

If you have any questions about a sin of yours, pray about it before your Reconciliation and discuss it with the priest.

Is there a scriptural basis for Reconciliation?

On the evening of his resurrection, we read in the scriptures that Jesus appeared to his disciples and commissioned them to forgive sins (John 20:19-31). This power to forgive sins was given to the apostles through the Holy Spirit and has been passed down through the ages to the priests who administer Reconciliation to us today.

However the Church encourages going to Reconciliation regularly in order to heal and strengthen us against all sins, large and small, that have weakened our relationships with God and others.

As a minimum, Catholics are expected to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a year.

Catechism of the Catholic Church 1457

What’s the difference between the Rites 1, 2 & 3?

The First Rite is an individual ritual between priest and penitent and is the most common. The Second Rite involves individual confession and absolution (forgiveness) inserted into a communal preparation and thanksgiving. These services are commonly offered in parishes in How often should I go to Advent and Lent. In the Third Rite, there is a general absolution given reconciliation? to a community without individual If we have committed a deeply serious confession. This is only used in times (i.e. mortal) sin we are meant to seek of extreme need such as with large God’s forgiveness in this Sacrament as numbers of penitents and a shortage soon as possible and before receiving of priests over a long period, or when Holy Communion. facing imminent danger and death, such as during war or mass disaster.

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STEP BY STEP:

Reconciliation MADE SIMPLE Before Just as it’s important to be sincere and in the right frame of

mind when we apologise to a person whom we’ve offended, so also do we need to be appropriately prepared and sorrowful when we go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This is what the Examination of Conscience is about. You can use the following guide to help you prepare to meet Jesus in Reconciliation.

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Examination of

CONSCIENCE Loving God

Loving my Neighbour

“The most important commandment is this; Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

“The second is this: Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:31

• Have I treated my parents and siblings with love and respect?

Mark 12:29-30 • Have I chosen to be loving and • Does God come first in my life? respectful of my spouse?

• Have I given into the pressures of my • Have I done my part to help out in life and not made God a priority? my family and home?

• Have I spent time with Jesus each • Have I been a loving parent; giving day in prayer? of my time and setting an example • Have I spoken his name with respect of faith and virtue? and reverence?

• Have I treated my friends and • Have I participated in Sunday Mass colleagues with kindness and their willingly? belongings with respect?

• Have I cared for his creation?

• Have I hurt others by lying or • Have I been grateful to God for all speaking badly about them, judging he has given to me? them rashly, or holding grudges?

• Have I turned to God in times of • Have I hurt others by stealing, need or have I relied on my own cheating, teasing, bullying or strength? gossiping?

• Have I taken a stand for my faith • Am I jealous of others’ possessions? when it has been challenged?

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Examination of

CONSCIENCE Loving Myself • Have I been generous and shared my time, my talents and my possessions with those who need it?

• Have I used other people or taken advantage of them for my own pleasure or personal gain?

• Have I respected the dignity of other people in the way that I speak to them or speak about them, in the way that I look at them or in the way that I relate with them?

• Have I used my money and time to care for those in need?

• Have I been ready and willing to talk about issues peacefully, ready to see another’s point of view, ready to apologise and forgive when I need to?

• Have I cared for my body by sleeping, eating, drinking and exercising responsibly?

• Have I respected the gift of my sexuality: have I used this gift only for my own pleasure, or do I use this gift according to the plan of God? • Have I been faithful to my spouse?

• Have I cared for my mind by choosing movies, books, websites, etc, that feed my mind with positive thoughts and images?

• Have I cared for my spirit by avoiding activities that are antiGod such as spells, taro cards, horoscopes, fortune tellers, etc?

• Have I cared for myself by choosing friends who encourage me to be a better person and who help me make positive, healthy, respectful choices?

• Do I try to be honest with myself?

• Am I truthful in expressing myself to others?

Hour of Grace and Mercy | CREDO A full resource kit including guidelines, prayers, music and reflections is available at the Mustard Seed Bookshop: www.mustardseed.org.au | 02 9646 9000

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During When you approach the priest, use this guide.

1. Make the Sign of the Cross and tell the priest how long it has been since your last confession.

2. Name your sins - all of them! The priest may talk with

After Make sure you do your penance and enjoy the grace and lightness of soul!

you a bit about how you can make Say a Prayer of Thanksgiving After amends and avoid falling into sin again. The priest will also give you Reconciliation like this one: some penance appropriate to your Merciful Lord, circumstances.

I thank you for your forgiveness.

Let your Holy Spirit guide my life so that 3. Make an Act of Contrition my soul may bear the fruit of love, joy, A short prayer of sorrow and plea peace, patience, kindness, goodness, for God’s mercy. You can make up faithfulness, gentleness, your own or use the following: and self-control.

O My God, I am very sorry that I Strengthen my desire to be your faithful have sinned against you, because friend and servant, increase my loving you are so good and with your help dependence on you, and grant me that I will try not to sin again. joy and peace of heart which comes from doing your will.

Amen.

4. Absolution The priest says a prayer granting forgiveness and makes the Sign of the Cross. You say ‘Amen’, leave and do your penance.

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The Eucharist a Hotline to Mercy

Do you live near a Catholic church or cathedral, work near one, go to school or uni near one? Is it your habit to drop in on your way past and spend a few minutes there with Jesus present in the Eucharist? St Therese of Lisieux expresses best what awaits us there...

“Do you realise that Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you – for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart.”

St Therese of Lisieux | Story of a Soul

In exchange for just a few minutes of respite from the excitement, worry, or business of our day before the tabernacle (or a monstrance if there is Eucharistic adoration) you will receive peace and greater strength from God for everything we need and want to do.

This is the mercy of God; this is what God longs to give you. Come to know and receive all God wants to give you!

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Some suggestions for prayer when visiting Jesus: • Decide on a time limit, for example five to 30 minutes.

• Take the Bible or other suitable book to read that interests you, e.g. a prayer guide, poetry, meditations, writings of a saint or modern Catholic writer etc.

• You may like to take a journal where you can record your thoughts, prayers and messages from God in written words or images.

• Remember that God loves you and knows you deeply, and tell God how you feel about your day or whatever is happening in your life. You may like to praise, thank, ask, complain, or just remain quiet in God’s loving presence.

• Don’t worry if you feel distracted or not prayerful, this is not a spiritual exercise to try to get ‘right’, it’s a visit with a Person!

• Say a prayer of Spiritual Communion, e.g.: My Jesus, I love you above all things.

O God, you are my God, for you I long, for you my soul is thirsting.

My body pines for you like a dry, weary land without water. Psalm 63:1

I desire to receive you into my soul and I unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you, Amen.

• Conclude by thanking Jesus for making himself available to you in this visible way.

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Mercy in everyday life The difference between ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘please forgive me’ Saying ‘sorry’ is different to asking for ‘forgiveness’. When we say sorry to someone, it is an ‘I-centred’ statement expressing sympathy, but not necessarily inferring that we take any responsibility. As such, it requires nothing from the person to whom we say it. It is always good to say ‘sorry’ but it is nowhere near as hard to do, or as effective, as asking for forgiveness.

Asking for forgiveness is an act of vulnerability.

Not only does it put us in a position of accepting responsibility for hurting the other, it is a request to be invited back into unity with the person we have hurt. Full reconciliation can only occur in a relationship when we say sorry and ask for forgiveness.

This is the basis of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but applies equally to any intimate relationship.

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The Unimaginable

The Way of Mercy

Depths of Mercy “Be merciful just as your Father is merciful” Most of us have a good idea of what mercy is and have received and offered it at different times. But as Pope Francis has pointed out, mercy is still a mystery because it is at the heart of both the nature of God and the meaning of our human relationships.

Thus, mercy is a rich and worthwhile subject of contemplation.

The Way of Mercy is four simple steps to heal a relationship based on the principles of restorative justice. When we say or do things that we shouldn’t, hurt someone or break the trust of another, it’s important to take ownership of our actions (or inactions), apologise for it and rebuild the relationship.

(Luke 6:36 | NIV)

The Sacrament of Reconciliation, while a humbling experience, is also a peak encounter with God’s mercy towards us which expands our capacity to live well with others.

May you know the closeness of God who is ever “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love”.

(Psalm 103:8 | NRSV)

Empathy

Promise

Sorrow

Mercy

Making an Apology Step 1... Sorrow: I am sorry for…

(State what you did, said or failed to do)

Step 2... Empathy: It was wrong because …

(Say how it harmed the other person)

Step 3... Promise: In the future I will …

(Make a commitment to do it differently)

(It takes humility to ask for forgiveness!)

Step 4... Mercy: Please forgive me.

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{MERCY} Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old Psalm 25:6 | NIV

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