Jesus's Gifts to Us

We are lucky to have the Church who has implemented and conformed to the modern societal needs for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The basis for the Sacrament has always been present, but this kind of availability we have in today’s modern world is quite amazing. The Church has a priest always who is ready to listen to the confessions of people in need of guidance and wisdom (Trese 1). This example of imagery really hits home for me, as it helps identify and portray sin, and reflects what sin does to our souls. It portrays sin as a stain on a piece of cloth that is supposed to be clean.

All He asks of us is to repent from our sins and seek Him with all our hearts. This parable motivates believers to always repent because God is the most merciful and forgiving. Besides teaching about the good news, Jesus also performed miracles that caused many people to believe in his

Reconciliation and Punishment Forgiveness is important to Catholics, as it is a sign of Gods love for us. God expressed his love by sending down his only son Jesus who came down to relieve the world from sin. As Jesus was left to die on the cross it is written that he begged for his father to forgive us, and the resurrection of Jesus is said to be the sign that we have been forgiven. Jesus preached forgiveness in many ways such as through parables, on the cross and through his prayers. In one of his prayers forgiveness has an important role in the prayer of the 'Our Father' where it mentions "And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us" Suggesting that if we forgive those that do us wrong we are doing as God asked and we will be forgiven also making us closer to God.

Another reason why catholics attend mass may be so that they can express their faith. This can be done in many ways. By expressing their faith they are deepening their relationship with God. They are expressing their views and opinions of religion in everyday life and they can add to their views and opinions by learning more about them at mass. St. Thomas Aquinas suggested that the most important element of mass is the forgiveness of sin.

It is a personal calling for each person to gladly accept him from an eternity in hell and to show that he cares for us by rescuing us from Satan’s corruptions. In conclusion, the Gospel is who Jesus was, the meaning of his death, and his resurrection. The Gospel deepens our Christian faith and life in many ways. It offers us how to live righteously, guides us to who we are destined to be, and gives us instruction on how we can share Christ with others. Lastly, it instills in us to pray and grow our relationship with Christ.

The forgiveness of sins brings us closer to Christ so that we can experience an abundance of blessings. Sometimes we take for granted the blessings of having joy in times of sorrow, a peace of mind, all our needs met, and even our salvation. The New Testament brings attention to those things and helps us to recognize the greatest blessings of all. Sin is what separates us from receiving all that God desires for our lives. Grace and mercy allows us to still be blessed in spite of our sins.

God's Unrequited Love "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4 v 19). The Christian God is a God who loves His people and provides for their needs within the context of a close personal relationship. His incarnation as Jesus Christ is an integral part of this provision. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3 v 23) and it is, therefore, only by God's grace and through sanctification that a believer may be in relationship with God.

When we go to confession the priest represents our brothers and sisters in Christ and he represents Christ also. My feelings towards confession changed because now I realize that the more that I go to confession the more unburdened my soul will be. I will start thinking about confession in a more positive way. No longer will I feel ashamed or scared before I go. I know that after confession I will be relieved of the burdens of my sins and I will be on the right path to redemption.

For Lutherans, justification involves the action of God wherein God accepts us and declares us to be his children, because Christ has laid down his life for us. Lutherans over the centuries have mostly accepted the gift of the Holy Spirit as the enablement to perform good works, as a consequence of justification. Therefore, in the declaration they distinguish between two phases: First comes justification – namely the action of God, whereby he declares sinners to be righteous in view of the saving work of Christ on their behalf – and then comes sanctification (a situation where God pours the Holy Spirit into the hearts of believers and transforms them). The Catholics on the other hand, have their emphasis on how much God has done for us. Catholics do not limit the term "justification" to God 's declaration, as though it was simply a judicial pronouncement of absolution.

The suffering of Jesus supports us through our own suffering, as we know we are not alone, Jesus suffered too. The death of Jesus tells us of our responsibilities, we too must 'endure our crosses' and face our responsibilities as Jesus did. Sacrifice and suffering are part of the pattern of Christian life, of God's plan, taking up our crosses will help us become better Christians and help us grow in faith. We should not despair in times of suffering but turn and pray to God as Jesus did in Gethsemane, when he cried out, "Abba, Father take this cup away