Penance
The sacrament is also known as penance and confession. It offers peace of mind and soul, assuring us that our sins have been forgiven and that we are right with God. Jesus instituted this sacrament after His resurrection. In the Upper Room, He appeared to the Apostles and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained” (John 20:19-23). The priest, as God’s agent, forgives sins upon penitent’s confession, thereby reconciling with God and the Church.