The Sacrament of Reconciliation is "an encounter, an encounter with the good God who always forgives, who forgives all, who knows how to celebrate when He forgives, and who forgets your sins when He forgives you." (Pope Francis)  Even though we are repetitive sinners, God does not want us to remain in sin. He offers us the grace to repent and be reconciled. He reminds us that there is no sin he will not forgive when we are repentant. He not only forgives but truly and totally forgets our sins. This is hard for us to grasp, Yet it is the nature of God. As he does, we are to remember his mercies and not our sins. Not only does he forgives beyond measure, not only does he forgets totally,  he celebrates our restored friendship with him by pouring his love upon us lavishly. This is the God we encounter each time we experience the Sacrament of Reconciliation, not the God of judgment, but the God of reconciling, healing, freeing love.