The Sacrament of Reconciliation

Not only does the Sacrament of Penance free us from our sins but it also challenges us to have the same kind of compassion and forgiveness for those who sin against us. We obtain new insight into the words of the Prayer of St. Francis: "It is in pardoning that we are pardoned."

Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for offenses committed against Him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion. (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1422)