A few decades ago, the Catholic Church began referring to Confession as the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. It did this to emphasize reconciliation. That’s the short answer to the question, “Why go back to confession?” We do it to be reconciled. Reconciliation literally means “to meet again.” We’ve lost our way. Confession is the way back home. The first thing Jesus did after His Resurrection was to give his apostles the authority to restore us to the Father: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (Jn20:22-23). From that point on, the Church’s ordained ministers have carried out this work of forgiveness and reconciliation. Why Go Back to Confession? also gives us “The Three Parts of the Sacrament,” Scripture passages for an Examination of Conscience, the Act of Contrition, and the Words of Absolution.
