Forgiveness of sins

But all the time we remain faithful members of his Church, we are safe; for in the Church Our Lord gives us the means of getting rid of our sins and of living close to himself.  We all know the hymn, “There is a green hill far away”.  That is a really great hymn because it puts so much truth in so few words.  But let’s think now of the third verse:

“He died that we might be forgiven,
he died to make us good,
that we might go at last to heaven,
saved by his precious blood”. (2)

He died that we might be forgiven, so that we could get rid of our sins and be brought back to God.  And so, three days after his Crucifixion, when he met the Apostles on Easter Day, he lost no time in giving us the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Penance).  “If you forgive the sins of any”, he told them, “they are forgiven them…” (NRSV,John 20:23).  In other words, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or Confession as we often call it, is one of the great steps which Our Lord has taken for the safety of our souls, for by it the grip of our past sins upon us is shaken off, and our souls are made clean again and there is no longer anything to keep us from God.

Holy Communion

Another great step for our safety was taken by Our Lord on the night before his Crucifixion when, at the Last Supper, he gave us the Eucharist.  For at every Eucharist Jesus is in our midst in the Blessed Sacrament and brings us to his Father.  And when we make our Communion we are completely united to him so that he and ourselves become part of one another, and in that way he makes us like himself.