The sacrament of reconciliation is a significant part of the lantern experience for students at Oaklands
The sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as Penance and Confession, is a fundamental aspect of the Catholic faith. Catholics confess their sins to a priest, as this is the method of forgiveness that Jesus Himself established during His earthly ministry.
In Matthew 9:2, Jesus says to a paralysed man, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”
By confessing our sins to Jesus’ minister, we are confessing our sins to God through His priest, whom He commissioned for this very purpose. In John 20:20-23, Jesus tells his disciples, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so, I send you.” He then breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” This shows that when anyone participates in the Sacrament of Confession and receives absolution from the priest, it is God who forgives, not the priest himself.
Penance is something for the confessor to do after the Confession ends, in private, and ideally as soon as possible. It may involve prayers and is meant to help us turn our hearts back to God. Just as our sin was an active choice to turn away from God, penance is an active choice to turn back to God. Confession removes the burden of sin from our shoulders, while penance helps us move towards a more holy future.
During Lent every student is invited to the chapel for quiet prayer and to receive either the sacrament of Reconciliation or a blessing from one of our priests.
In addition, throughout the year, students and staff are able to participate in the sacrament of Reconciliation in the Chapel. This can be done before the monthly staff Mass, or during Advent and Lent.
