The Importance Of Baptism

To start living as a catholic one must become baptised through the church. Baptism is the sacrament that takes away original sin, what we inherit from Adam and Eve. Any sins we commit through our own faults are called actual sins. Since these sins are caused by our own action we need a sacrament that will erase this sin. This is where Penance and Reconciliation come to play. (Penance )

After Baptism our relationship with Christ begins to weaken or even become lost through sin. Sin not only ruptures our relationship with God, it destroys our relationship with our brothers and sisters. (Penance )

As Catholics we are called to consider our sins on every level. Sins happen in every aspect in our lives. We see them in our personal lives,

The thought of sin can be scary, especially when it determines ones afterlife. We must not let this idea hold us back. In Exodus it clearly states, “And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” It is said that God is compassionate and merciful. This is a relief because the thought can be very anxious. (Deuteronomy 4:31)

Reconciliation comes from the Latin word, reconciliāre; to make good again, repair. The definition of reconciliation is, the process of making consistent or compatible (Dictionary). This is what we are doing during reconciliation. We are going through a process to clear ourselves. This process makes us more compatible with God and strengthens our relationship.

Penance calls us to examine our hearts. It forces us to recall when we have sinned against our neighbors or even Christ. After we ask for forgiveness the priest forgives us through Christ. When this happens the Grace we lost is now restored through forgiveness (Catechism Commentary). Here the apostle John also says: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."11 And the Lord himself taught us to pray: "Forgive us our trespasses,"12 linking our forgiveness of one another's offenses to the forgiveness of our sins that

Along with this we also hurt ourselves. With every sin three people are damaged. God, the person you sinned against and yourself. During mass we come together as a community and come to God for forgiveness. We do this in the Penitential Rite. “I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord, our God.” (Order of Mass)

Concluding this essay, reconciliation is important and helps us build Catholics. Not only as Catholics we grow but also as people. “We are without sin,” we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing (1 Jn 1:8-9).” After forgiveness we grow and that is what is important in our spiritual guide as Catholics and religious