Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity,  by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion.  CCC no. 1422

"You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." One must appreciate the magnitude of the gift God has given us in the sacraments of Christian initiation in order to grasp the degree to which sin is excluded for him who has "put on Christ."  But the apostle John also says: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." And the Lord himself taught us to pray: "Forgive us our trespasses," linking our forgiveness of one another's offenses to the forgiveness of our sins that God will grant us. CCC no. 1425

• In the Sacrament of Penance, members of the Church are reconciled with God and with the Church.
• In this sacrament, those who are truly sorry confess their sins and priests forgive the sins in the name of Christ and the Church through the power of the Holy Spirit.
• The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation strengthens or renews grace.
• It strengthens Catholics to live by the commandments as disciples of Jesus.

Those preparing to celebrate the Eucharist for the first time must have prepared for and received the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation first.