The Sacrament of Penance             "Your sins are forgiven." These word of Jesus lifted the hearts of those who heard them. Acting in Jesus' name and on behalf of the Church community, the priest proclaims this same Good News to those who come so say , "I am sorry for my sins. Sin affects one's relationship with God and the human community. An image might help. Think of an assembly line. One person fails to complete a particular task. This slows down subsequent work or results in a flawed product. In other words one person's failure to do what is right creates a ripple effect which can ultimately cause great problems. This is the notion of original sin, the sin of Adam and Eve. Sin is acting in a way that damages or strains one's relationship with others, e.g. through lying, or stealing or other such actions. Conversion is the process of turning away from sin and asking God for the strength necessary to follow Christ as a faithful disciple. Reconciliation comes about through the confessing of one's sins and doing Penance. Penance in this context means doing some external act such as a prayer or good deed which symbolizes that one has recommitted oneself to following Christ. Now God certainly forgives those who express sorrow for their sins. But how to be reconciled to the human community? The priest who is the visible representative of Christ and the official representative of the Church Community assures the penitent that his or her sins are forgiven. Confession frees the person from carrying the burden of sin and lets them know that they have been accepted in love. Thus freed they can move on with their life. The Church is not alone in requiring confession for serious sins. Every twelve step program knows the value of having a person share his or her greatest weakness and failure with another. To properly celebrate the Sacrament of Penance: We need to examine our external actions, the patterns we experience in our day to day life and what is happening in the depths of our heart. By expressing our sorrow for what we have done or failed to do. By reaffirming our desire to live more fully as Christ taught we are ready to ask for forgiveness. When entering the confessional we have the option of sitting face to face with the priest or of kneeling behind a screen. Then we confess our sins to the priest. We must name our serious sins. In naming our sins we do not simply mention a "laundry list" of what we have done or failed to do, but we strive to name what is causing the pattern of our sinful actions and what we are struggling with deep within our heart. The priest will ask us to say a prayer or perform action for our penance. This is both a real and symbolic action which expresses our desire to live more fully as Christ taught. These are the five steps necessary for a good confession. Sins are thoughts, words or actions that turn us away from God and neighbor in some way. When they are significant they are called serious or mortal sins. Less serious sins are called venial sins. While only serious sins need to be confessed, a person can grow in their relationship with God and others through regular confession of their venial sins. Venial sins (less serious sins) do not turn a person away from God or neighbor but weaken one's ability to develop right relationships. By sincere prayer and by good actions a person heals and strengthens what was once weakened and damaged by venial sins.