Its all too easy for the sacrament of Reconciliation to become routine: we give our list of sins, receive absolution, and off we go. The sacrament is one of healing, yet too often it focuses on the forgiveness of sins. How can the healing element be emphasized in order to heal our wounded hearts?

This user-friendly booklet suggests ways we can prepare for confession and celebrate the sacrament to help us focus on what needs healing as well as what needs forgiveness bringing our wounds as well as our sins. This can involve encountering God in the sacrament, being more conscious of our actions, healing our false judgments of self and healing our image of God. The proposed guided meditation on forgiveness and healing can lead us further along our healing journey to wholeness.

Fr. Eric Jensen has written another of his small books with a big message! The book can be read in one sitting, as a reflective retreat over time, or both. It is a cover-to-cover experience of grace!Bishop Douglas Crosby, OMI

Eric Jensen SJ