How to Make the Sacrament of Reconciliation Part of Your

Private Prayer

by Jeffrey S. Arrowood, MTS

Most  Catholics  don't  see  the  intimate  unity  between  the  Sacraments  and  their  daily  prayer  life.  Here  are  three  connections  to  encourage  you  to  use  the  Sacrament  of  Reconciliation  as  a  regular  part  of  your  Catholic  spirituality.  

Reconciliation  is  physical  prayer  

One  of  the  keys  to  learning  how  to  pray  is  to  engage  your  whole  self  in  prayer,  including  your  body.  That's  the  way  God  designed  us.  So  it's  no  surprise  that  the  prayer  He  would  give  us  engages  our  bodies  as  well  as  our  spirits.  Jewish  (Hebrew)  prayer.  This  was  true  of  Jewish  prayer,  and  it  is  equally  true  of  the  prayer  that  Jesus  gives  us.  The  Sacraments  -­‐  "scared  signs  instituted  by  Christ  that  give  grace"  -­‐  are  physical  prayers  through  which  the  Triune  God  acts  to  affect  the  grace  that  the  sacrament  symbolizes.  

People  often  ask,  "Why  do  we  have  to  go  to  a  priest  to  confess  our  sins?"  Here's  part  of  that  answer.  We  go  to  a  priest  because  Jesus  wants  us  to  HEAR  his  words  of  forgiveness.  He  wants  us  to  speak  our  sins  out  loud  and  ask  for  forgiveness  with  our  mouths.  He  is  engaging  our  bodies  and  our  spirits  in  His  act  of  forgiveness.  

Reconciliation  increases  intimacy  with  God  

The  main  goal  of  learning  how  to  pray  is  to  increase  our  intimacy  with  God.  But  for  some  reason  Catholics  tend  to  miss  intimacy  as  a  goal  for  the  Sacraments.  That's  probably  because  we  tend  to  see  the  Sacraments  as  an  ofPicial  ceremony.  But  the  very  purpose  of  the  Sacraments  is  to  give  us  grace.  And  what  is  grace?  God's  presence  in  our  souls.  The  Sacrament  of  Reconciliation  means  approaching  Jesus  in  a  moment  of  great  intimacy,  admitting  that  we  have  sinned,  and  asking  for  forgiveness.  In  return,  Jesus  meets  us  in  a  moment  of  great  intimacy,  listens  to  our  sorrow  for  our  sin,  and  reaches  out  to  us  in  love  and  forgiveness  re-­‐unite  himself  to  us.  The  priest  assures  that  we  experience  this  intimacy  through  a  physical  personal  connection.  

Reconciliation  deepens  the  life  of  prayer  

The  Sacraments  -­‐  including  Reconciliation  -­‐  are  not  separate  from  our  life  of  prayer.  They  are  all  part  of  the  same  relationship.  It's  always  a  bit  of  a  wonder  to  me  that  after  I  go  to  Reconciliation  I  feel  the  urge  to  spend  more  quiet  time  with  God  in  prayer.  A  large  part  of  that  is  the  action  of  grace.  When  the  grace  of  Reconciliation  heals  our  relationship  with  God,  

we  become  more  sensitive  to  His  gentle  urging  to  spend  time  with  Him.  Part  of  the  reason  for  my  increased  desire  for  prayer  is  also  psychological.  I  often  avoid  prayer  because  I  feel  guilty  about  my  sin  and  don't  want  to  face  the  Lord  about  it.  Or  my  sin  may  add  to  my  regular  distraction.  Reconciliation  clears  it  all  away,  so  my  desire  for  God  returns.  Not  only  that,  but  the  touch  of  grace  we  receive  in  any  of  the  Sacraments  draws  us  deeper  into  our  relationship  with  God.  So  the  more  we  frequent  the  Sacraments,  the  more  meaningful  our  prayer  time  will  be.  

Some  Practical  Recommendations  

The  Sacraments  are  so  incredibly  important  to  our  spiritual  lives  that  I  highly  recommend  them  as  the  Pirst  step  for  anyone  how  wants  to  learn  how  to  pray.  If  you  are  not  going  to  Reconciliation  at  least  once  a  month,  do  it!  Go  even  if  you  don't  think  you've  committed  any  mortal  sins.  After  you  receive  absolution  in  the  sacrament,  I  highly  recommend  performing  your  act  of  penance  right  away  if  possible  -­‐  and  then  spending  some  extra  time  in  God's  presence  in  prayer.  Then  I  recommend  doing  something  to  celebrate  God's  mercy  and  love!  Celebrate  with  a  special  meal  or  another  kind  of  treat.  Then,  the  very  next  day,  be  sure  to  keep  the  momentum  going  that  grace  begins.  Get  back  into  your  habit  of  prayer.  Reconciliation  can  and  should  become  an  important  part  of  your  regular  prayer  routine.  

Bonus  Tip:  If  you're  looking  to  learn  how  to  pray,  the  easiest  way  to  get  started  in  your  spiritual  growth  is  to  follow  a  proven  behavioral  template.  

So  to  make  things  easier  on  you,  I  created  a  set  of  behavioral  templates  that  can  help  you  grow  in  an  important  habit  in  Pive  key  areas  of  Catholic  spirituality.  

You'll  get  an  easy-­‐to-­‐follow  diagram  that  leads  you  step-­‐by-­‐step  through  the  formation  of  the  habit.  

Click  this  link  to  go  to  www.fromtheabbey.com  to  Pind  the  templates.  Just  click  on  the  icon  for  the  template  you  want,  Pill  out  the  pop-­‐up  form,  download  the  template  and  get  started  transforming  your  faith  life!  

Brought  to  you  by  Jeffrey  S.  Arrowood  at  From  the  Abbey,  dedicated  to  helping  you  rediscover  the  JOY  of  learning  and  living  your  faith  so  you  can  grow  in  intimacy  with  God.