The Sacrament of Reconciliation
The Order of Penance was revised in February 2023. The handouts below reflect the changes. The above videos were recorded several years before the changes. Please note that the only difference in the revised order is the wording of some of the prayers. So, the content of the videos is still current. The priest will use the updated Prayer of Absolution. If you have an Act of Contrition memorized, you may still use it as the new prayers provide multiple options and say "in these or similar words."
Fr. Jeff offers a reflection on the revisions in his blog article, "Maybe You Heard (or Maybe Not)".
For Further Learning
- Fr. Jeff's video presentation - Why Should I Go To Confession?
- Fr. Jeff's series "Sacraments:Â Channels of God's Grace"
- in particular on reconciliation -Â Sacraments: Channels of God's Grace Sacraments of Healing
- "Making Satisfaction in the Rite of Reconciliation"
- Pope Francis called for a Jubilee Year of Mercy that began on December 8, 2015.  Fr. Jeff has done some presentations on mercy, both as forgiveness and acts of mercy.  You can find those presentations on our Jubilee of Mercy page.
- "Why Is It So Hard to Forgive Myself (and others)?" - We know we need forgiveness, yet it can be hard to think that God will forgive us. We think we are not worthy. We might think that because we keep committing the same sins over and over that God will stop forgiving us. When someone offends us over and over, we might want to stop forgiving them. Fortunately for us, God is not like that. What other reasons do we have to think we shouldn’t be forgiven? Why else might we not want to forgive someone else?
Revised 6/3/2023