THE POWER OF THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION
INTRODUCTION
The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with strips of material, and a cloth over his face. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and Let him go free.” (John 11:44). This is an injunction or a command given by the one who is superior and the effect is seen immediately as the victim receives his freedom.
The work of redemption accomplished by God is the work of setting the captivated man free.
Man is bound with sinful material and the rotten linen of iniquity blurs his sight. Thus, his mission as a prophet is captured in the Bible, “the spirit of God is upon me, He has sent me to bring the good news to the afflicted... to proclaim liberty to captives....” (Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke 4: 18-19). This is the mission of the Messiah- to set people free and reconcile man to God. (Matthew 11:4-5). The redemptive work of God is the work of reconciliation. (Ephesian 1:4). The lost of the beatific vision of God in Genesis 3:24 by man is the essence of the reconciliatory figure. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David. (Revelation 5:5). He was crushed for our sins. He was sacrificed, and with his blood, he bought people for God of every race, language, people and nation. (Revelation 5:9). This article is aimed at exposing the power of the reconciliatory activities which was done by the Son, initiated by the Father, and continued by Holy Spirit. This reconciliation is what man sought for. It is to behold the beatific vision of God once again. Freedom from sin which necessitates our salvation is the immediate character of spiritual emancipation or liberation THE REDEMPTIVE WORK OF GOD (REDEMPTORIS MISSIO DEI) The salvation history of man accounts for several historical strategies undergone for the work of redemption to be accomplished. The human economy began at the episode after the fall of man. The Lord God said to the snake, “because you have done this, accursed be you of all animals wild and tame... I shall put enmity between you and the woman, between her offspring and your offspring; he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15). It is only man who can restore what he has damaged but such level of damage could not be restored by man alone. God knows that even when multitude of human beings are sacrificed it cannot bring about this reconciliation. Man, being at the centre of God’s creation, is very dear to God. (Genesis 1:27). The scripture affirms to this that God made man little less than a god, .... (psalm 8:4-6). Therefore, God’s redemptive mission is seen clearly as he inserts himself in human history to redeem man from shackles of the Satan. He sought once more to recreate man by aiding man to regain reconciliation. St. Augustine had a similar view that God who created you without you cannot save you without you. God became man in the person of Jesus Christ in order to reconcile man to God. Jesus is the first born of the new creation (Colosian 1:15-20). Just as all die in Adam, so in Christ all will brought to life (1 Corinthian 15:22). The prophesy about a Messiah was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. The summit of this redemptive prophesies is seen in his passion, death and resurrection. He teaches man that in the cross we are saved. If you suffer for bearing Christ’s name, blessed are you, for on you rests the spirit of God (1 Peter 4:14). Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me (Matthew 10:33). The ‘cross’ becomes the sign of reconciliation and pardon. The thief on the right-side of Jesus on crucifixion amidst the pain of the cross, acknowledged his sin and he was admitted to heaven. Jesus said to him, “today, you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43). After the resurrection, Jesus promised them the Holy Spirit. The Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit. He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but wait for what the Father had promised (Acts 1:4). The activities of the Holy Spirit were seen even before the advent of Jesus in preparing the coming of the concrete redemptive or reconciliatory figure. After the ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was sent so that man might continue the mission of Father and the Son. At this juncture, the mission of God-reconciliatory work, returned to the concrete physical man but through the inspirational character of the Holy Spirit. Selected Men were given authority to reconcile men to God and this authority was handed over to our present period. (John 20:22-23). We understand this redemption more through the Holy Spirit. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RECONCILIATION To restore peace of mind in the behaviour and emotion, an order is to be restored and therefore man is well again. St. Paul illustrated in the scripture about how peace is observed in one body if the members (part) of the body are in an established order. The eye cannot do without the hand and so with the feet. There is no schism in the body. If one part suffers, the whole body is in total disorder. (1Corinthian 12:12-26). There is harmony existing in a body that has united members. The psychology in reconciliation lies on the fact that man is made whole once again. There is a distilled characteristic joy experienced by man at the moment of peace and reconciliation. He understands that he is free. Freedom of heart, body and soul encourages an adequate atmosphere for growth. He applies and understands the basic human freedom and right from where he moves about without fear. There is a considerable disbalance in human system owing to the fact of conflict. Shaver and O’Connnor identified 3 categories of successful managing of problem of disorder. They are attacking the problem, rethinking the problem and accepting the problem thereby lessening the physical effects of the problem. Those are ways of reconciling the self with the disordered self. Reconciliation is important to restore the inner unity in man. FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION It is to be noted essentially that there is no separation or opposition between reconciliation and forgiveness. Also the two cannot be identified with each other. Instead, they have close links whereby they integrate and complement each other. The concept of reconciliation is deeper than forgiveness. In fact, Beverly Daniel Tantum had an extreme view that “forgiveness” by itself does not lead to reconciliation. Most times, those people whom we have forgiven still have a distant heart from us. There is no wholeness found. We see ourselves making decision not to associate ourselves with that person again even though we are in good terms. When we talk about reconciliation, we are by definition talking about individuals or groups who intend by choice or necessity to remain in relationship with one another. Accordingly, Dr. Martin Luther King once talked about “inescapable network of mutuality” where true reconciliation cannot occur without joint participation. It is “to forge a common destiny out of an often troubled past”-this is reconciliation. As against forgiveness which might not necessarily involve friendly atmosphere, reconciliation restores to harmony to one’s friendly relationship. The salient point here is that “there is in existence a friendly bond between the parties”. THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION-HEALING The sacrament of reconciliation is summed up in conversion from sin and moving towards God. We gain our freedom, when we are converted. The sacrament of penance together with the sacrament of the anointing of the sick are called sacrament of healing. This sacrament is called the sacrament of conversion because it presents Jesus’ call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father. (CCC. 1423). In baptism, man is received into the new life of Christ but still our presence in the world subject man to certain suffering, illness and death. (2Corinthians 5:1). This new life brought by baptism can be set back and even lost by sin. The sacrament of healing helps man to regain the friendly relationship with God. Sacrament of reconciliation imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles. It is two dimensional-reconciling to God (2 Cor 5:18-20) and reconciling to your brother. (Mat. 5:24). The sacrament of reconciliation raises sinners up, giving them the courage to call God, ABBA FATHER. He, who sins, creates a gap between himself and God. He sets himself against the love of God. The sacrament of reconciliation is an imperative to re-establish the friendship and love of God. The sinner accepts that he has done something evil and begs for forgiveness and makes resolutions not to go back to the sin again. THE POWER OF THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION The power of sacrament of reconciliation lies within the scope of redemption of man. The sacrament was instituted by Christ to aid man to realise this redemption through the mystery of communion with God who is love. Christ is present in the sacraments because in them Christ himself is at work. It is Christ who administers this sacrament. Christ is also above the sacraments, he can act outside his instituted sacraments such that when the component matter is destroyed, God is not destroyed. The sacrament of reconciliation has the power of making whole. The fact of sin creates an impaired or wounded character to our nature. Our person remains incomplete in sin. Like physical sickness, sin impairs the functioning of a particular spiritual part of man. The resultant effect is disorganised and chaotic situation in the spirit of man. The illustration of Paul in his letter of the Corinthian (1 Cor. 12:12-26) shows a clear fact of such inharmonious existence of the whole therefore limiting the complete existence of the body. We are healed by our belief in this sacrament. Christ during his life on Earth associated himself with sinners with the aim of healing their spiritual ailments. Jesus said that he came for sinners and not for the righteous. Jesus heals both our physical and spiritual sickness and urges us to go and avoid sinning again. (John 8:11, 5:14). Christ’s presence heals. His presence in the sacrament of reconciliation through his priest heals our souls from eternal damnation. By his blood, we are healed. We obtain freedom through the power of the sacrament of reconciliation. Sin alienates us from God. Whenever we sin, we are bound with the dirty linens of sin. Sin enslaves our souls. Thus, if we remain in sin, we become the slave of that sin. So long as one remains in sin, one is incapable of meriting even works which are good in themselves. Those goods are worthless because they cannot revive. In sin, we lost our freedom and friendship with God. We restore such friendship and freedom through the power conferred by this sacrament. The power of reconciliation cancels the effect of sin. One regains not only state of grace but also the entire store of merit which he had before his sin. The story of Joshua the high priest explicated how sin could restrain our freedom. (Zech 3: 1-7). The shackles of sin can only be delivered by the sacrament of reconciliation-the sign of repentance. Christ sets to bring about the freedom of all persons. He gave a mandate to the disciples to be a sign of reconciliation to all men. (John 20:22-23). The service of freedom is the service of turning towards good and shunning sin. It is a metanoic experience of being obedient to the pattern of life and teaching to which Christ died for. (Rom 6:15-19). We have to surrender ourselves to uprightness which is to result in freedom and sanctification. He who sin against God wrong his own soul, all they that hate God love death. The sacrament of reconciliation has the power of love. Love covers multitude of sin. (Proverb 10:12). Sacrament of reconciliation is established because of the love of God. The primordial reason reconciliating the fallen world to God is on the basis of his love for mankind. God so love the world that he sent his only begotten son to die for us. (John 3:16). The power of love manifests the activities of Christ on earth. The interior loving relationship is restored. Sin creates a hateful relationship with God. The power of love brought about by the sacrament of reconciliation is necessary to create joy and happiness in the penitent. The story of the prodigal son in gospel of Luke (Luke15:11-31) expressed the type of joy and happiness experience by the father about the conversion of his son. The son was able to find the love of the father. The love which is characterised in man with the image of God is absolutely found in our soul. The power of this sacrament is not about rehashing our sins. It is about bringing joy to God and to the heavenly beings and then by letting him bring to an end our own spiritual isolation. The salvific mission of God is shown in the divine incarnation. The salvation brought by Christ is general and as such sacrament of reconciliation sought to accomplish our personal salvation. The power of sacrament of reconciliation lies on character of salvation which it offers to the personal life of people. There is an eschatological implication drawn from the sacrament of reconciliation. The New Testament points out obviously about the gift of salvation as experienced in reconciliation with God and the forgiveness of our sins. (Luke 24:46-48). St Paul reiterates this same theme of reconciliation to the Churches of his time. (2Cor 5:14-21). The character of salvation is the saving of the soul from sin and its consequences. It leads to deliverance or redemption from sin and its effects. The sacrament of reconciliation confers salvation to a soul through the merits of the life, death and resurrection of Christ, which in the context of salvation is referred to as the atonement. This salvation is equated with the transcendent, eschatological fulfilment of human existence in a life freed from sin, finitude and mortality and united with the triune God. THE VOCATION TO RECONCILE MEN TO GOD The completion of the reconciliation of man with God is fully seen in the paschal mystery. Man has a vocation of applying this reconciliation in a most personal way. This vocation rests on the entire man who through their life makes the kingdom of God realizable. In a particular sense, the reconciliation is for man, by man and in man. Thus, man seeks his salvation with fear and trembling. On another note, Christ entrusted to his apostles the ministry of reconciliation. (John 20-23). This injunction of Christ was transferred to their successors. By the virtue of ordination, a priest is another Christ who sought to accomplish the work of God. He forgives all sins “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Forgiveness of sins brings reconciliation with God, but also with the Church. (CCC. 1462). Priests must encourage the faithful to come to the sacrament of reconciliation. Priest fulfils the ministry of the Good Shepherd whenever he is celebrating this sacrament because he seek the lost sheep, binds up wounds, awaits the prodigal son and welcomes him on his return. EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION Reconciliation has physical, psychological and spiritual effect on a person. In times of separation and opposition, one tends to suffer incompleteness. He continues to suffer an uncharacteristic illness until he is made whole again. There is an overwhelming joy of unity experienced by such a person. In spiritual realm, reconciliation is related to one’s reunion with the internal resident spirit in our life. The resident spirit is the Holy Spirit. Whenever another form of spirit occupies that position, one is totally alienated from himself. The breathe of God which was given to man is essentially the governing spirit of our existence such that if replaced by another thing will definitely cause unrest in the spiritual build up of a person. St. Paul alludes to it that our body is the temple of God. God lives in our body such that when we engage in activities that are not according to our calling, it brings about inadequacies in the workings of our system which will lead to death. In reconciliation, we reject the intruding spirit by having remorse for our sins and making a firm resolution not to go back to it. The sanctity of the body is restored and thus salvation is made present to us. It is in such situation of reuniting with Christ that salvation is ensured. Nonetheless, man actualises his final salvation when he attains the ultimate goal of seeing God.
Man is bound with sinful material and the rotten linen of iniquity blurs his sight. Thus, his mission as a prophet is captured in the Bible, “the spirit of God is upon me, He has sent me to bring the good news to the afflicted... to proclaim liberty to captives....” (Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke 4: 18-19). This is the mission of the Messiah- to set people free and reconcile man to God. (Matthew 11:4-5). The redemptive work of God is the work of reconciliation. (Ephesian 1:4). The lost of the beatific vision of God in Genesis 3:24 by man is the essence of the reconciliatory figure. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David. (Revelation 5:5). He was crushed for our sins. He was sacrificed, and with his blood, he bought people for God of every race, language, people and nation. (Revelation 5:9). This article is aimed at exposing the power of the reconciliatory activities which was done by the Son, initiated by the Father, and continued by Holy Spirit. This reconciliation is what man sought for. It is to behold the beatific vision of God once again. Freedom from sin which necessitates our salvation is the immediate character of spiritual emancipation or liberation THE REDEMPTIVE WORK OF GOD (REDEMPTORIS MISSIO DEI) The salvation history of man accounts for several historical strategies undergone for the work of redemption to be accomplished. The human economy began at the episode after the fall of man. The Lord God said to the snake, “because you have done this, accursed be you of all animals wild and tame... I shall put enmity between you and the woman, between her offspring and your offspring; he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15). It is only man who can restore what he has damaged but such level of damage could not be restored by man alone. God knows that even when multitude of human beings are sacrificed it cannot bring about this reconciliation. Man, being at the centre of God’s creation, is very dear to God. (Genesis 1:27). The scripture affirms to this that God made man little less than a god, .... (psalm 8:4-6). Therefore, God’s redemptive mission is seen clearly as he inserts himself in human history to redeem man from shackles of the Satan. He sought once more to recreate man by aiding man to regain reconciliation. St. Augustine had a similar view that God who created you without you cannot save you without you. God became man in the person of Jesus Christ in order to reconcile man to God. Jesus is the first born of the new creation (Colosian 1:15-20). Just as all die in Adam, so in Christ all will brought to life (1 Corinthian 15:22). The prophesy about a Messiah was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. The summit of this redemptive prophesies is seen in his passion, death and resurrection. He teaches man that in the cross we are saved. If you suffer for bearing Christ’s name, blessed are you, for on you rests the spirit of God (1 Peter 4:14). Anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me (Matthew 10:33). The ‘cross’ becomes the sign of reconciliation and pardon. The thief on the right-side of Jesus on crucifixion amidst the pain of the cross, acknowledged his sin and he was admitted to heaven. Jesus said to him, “today, you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43). After the resurrection, Jesus promised them the Holy Spirit. The Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit. He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but wait for what the Father had promised (Acts 1:4). The activities of the Holy Spirit were seen even before the advent of Jesus in preparing the coming of the concrete redemptive or reconciliatory figure. After the ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was sent so that man might continue the mission of Father and the Son. At this juncture, the mission of God-reconciliatory work, returned to the concrete physical man but through the inspirational character of the Holy Spirit. Selected Men were given authority to reconcile men to God and this authority was handed over to our present period. (John 20:22-23). We understand this redemption more through the Holy Spirit. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RECONCILIATION To restore peace of mind in the behaviour and emotion, an order is to be restored and therefore man is well again. St. Paul illustrated in the scripture about how peace is observed in one body if the members (part) of the body are in an established order. The eye cannot do without the hand and so with the feet. There is no schism in the body. If one part suffers, the whole body is in total disorder. (1Corinthian 12:12-26). There is harmony existing in a body that has united members. The psychology in reconciliation lies on the fact that man is made whole once again. There is a distilled characteristic joy experienced by man at the moment of peace and reconciliation. He understands that he is free. Freedom of heart, body and soul encourages an adequate atmosphere for growth. He applies and understands the basic human freedom and right from where he moves about without fear. There is a considerable disbalance in human system owing to the fact of conflict. Shaver and O’Connnor identified 3 categories of successful managing of problem of disorder. They are attacking the problem, rethinking the problem and accepting the problem thereby lessening the physical effects of the problem. Those are ways of reconciling the self with the disordered self. Reconciliation is important to restore the inner unity in man. FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION It is to be noted essentially that there is no separation or opposition between reconciliation and forgiveness. Also the two cannot be identified with each other. Instead, they have close links whereby they integrate and complement each other. The concept of reconciliation is deeper than forgiveness. In fact, Beverly Daniel Tantum had an extreme view that “forgiveness” by itself does not lead to reconciliation. Most times, those people whom we have forgiven still have a distant heart from us. There is no wholeness found. We see ourselves making decision not to associate ourselves with that person again even though we are in good terms. When we talk about reconciliation, we are by definition talking about individuals or groups who intend by choice or necessity to remain in relationship with one another. Accordingly, Dr. Martin Luther King once talked about “inescapable network of mutuality” where true reconciliation cannot occur without joint participation. It is “to forge a common destiny out of an often troubled past”-this is reconciliation. As against forgiveness which might not necessarily involve friendly atmosphere, reconciliation restores to harmony to one’s friendly relationship. The salient point here is that “there is in existence a friendly bond between the parties”. THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION-HEALING The sacrament of reconciliation is summed up in conversion from sin and moving towards God. We gain our freedom, when we are converted. The sacrament of penance together with the sacrament of the anointing of the sick are called sacrament of healing. This sacrament is called the sacrament of conversion because it presents Jesus’ call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father. (CCC. 1423). In baptism, man is received into the new life of Christ but still our presence in the world subject man to certain suffering, illness and death. (2Corinthians 5:1). This new life brought by baptism can be set back and even lost by sin. The sacrament of healing helps man to regain the friendly relationship with God. Sacrament of reconciliation imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles. It is two dimensional-reconciling to God (2 Cor 5:18-20) and reconciling to your brother. (Mat. 5:24). The sacrament of reconciliation raises sinners up, giving them the courage to call God, ABBA FATHER. He, who sins, creates a gap between himself and God. He sets himself against the love of God. The sacrament of reconciliation is an imperative to re-establish the friendship and love of God. The sinner accepts that he has done something evil and begs for forgiveness and makes resolutions not to go back to the sin again. THE POWER OF THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION The power of sacrament of reconciliation lies within the scope of redemption of man. The sacrament was instituted by Christ to aid man to realise this redemption through the mystery of communion with God who is love. Christ is present in the sacraments because in them Christ himself is at work. It is Christ who administers this sacrament. Christ is also above the sacraments, he can act outside his instituted sacraments such that when the component matter is destroyed, God is not destroyed. The sacrament of reconciliation has the power of making whole. The fact of sin creates an impaired or wounded character to our nature. Our person remains incomplete in sin. Like physical sickness, sin impairs the functioning of a particular spiritual part of man. The resultant effect is disorganised and chaotic situation in the spirit of man. The illustration of Paul in his letter of the Corinthian (1 Cor. 12:12-26) shows a clear fact of such inharmonious existence of the whole therefore limiting the complete existence of the body. We are healed by our belief in this sacrament. Christ during his life on Earth associated himself with sinners with the aim of healing their spiritual ailments. Jesus said that he came for sinners and not for the righteous. Jesus heals both our physical and spiritual sickness and urges us to go and avoid sinning again. (John 8:11, 5:14). Christ’s presence heals. His presence in the sacrament of reconciliation through his priest heals our souls from eternal damnation. By his blood, we are healed. We obtain freedom through the power of the sacrament of reconciliation. Sin alienates us from God. Whenever we sin, we are bound with the dirty linens of sin. Sin enslaves our souls. Thus, if we remain in sin, we become the slave of that sin. So long as one remains in sin, one is incapable of meriting even works which are good in themselves. Those goods are worthless because they cannot revive. In sin, we lost our freedom and friendship with God. We restore such friendship and freedom through the power conferred by this sacrament. The power of reconciliation cancels the effect of sin. One regains not only state of grace but also the entire store of merit which he had before his sin. The story of Joshua the high priest explicated how sin could restrain our freedom. (Zech 3: 1-7). The shackles of sin can only be delivered by the sacrament of reconciliation-the sign of repentance. Christ sets to bring about the freedom of all persons. He gave a mandate to the disciples to be a sign of reconciliation to all men. (John 20:22-23). The service of freedom is the service of turning towards good and shunning sin. It is a metanoic experience of being obedient to the pattern of life and teaching to which Christ died for. (Rom 6:15-19). We have to surrender ourselves to uprightness which is to result in freedom and sanctification. He who sin against God wrong his own soul, all they that hate God love death. The sacrament of reconciliation has the power of love. Love covers multitude of sin. (Proverb 10:12). Sacrament of reconciliation is established because of the love of God. The primordial reason reconciliating the fallen world to God is on the basis of his love for mankind. God so love the world that he sent his only begotten son to die for us. (John 3:16). The power of love manifests the activities of Christ on earth. The interior loving relationship is restored. Sin creates a hateful relationship with God. The power of love brought about by the sacrament of reconciliation is necessary to create joy and happiness in the penitent. The story of the prodigal son in gospel of Luke (Luke15:11-31) expressed the type of joy and happiness experience by the father about the conversion of his son. The son was able to find the love of the father. The love which is characterised in man with the image of God is absolutely found in our soul. The power of this sacrament is not about rehashing our sins. It is about bringing joy to God and to the heavenly beings and then by letting him bring to an end our own spiritual isolation. The salvific mission of God is shown in the divine incarnation. The salvation brought by Christ is general and as such sacrament of reconciliation sought to accomplish our personal salvation. The power of sacrament of reconciliation lies on character of salvation which it offers to the personal life of people. There is an eschatological implication drawn from the sacrament of reconciliation. The New Testament points out obviously about the gift of salvation as experienced in reconciliation with God and the forgiveness of our sins. (Luke 24:46-48). St Paul reiterates this same theme of reconciliation to the Churches of his time. (2Cor 5:14-21). The character of salvation is the saving of the soul from sin and its consequences. It leads to deliverance or redemption from sin and its effects. The sacrament of reconciliation confers salvation to a soul through the merits of the life, death and resurrection of Christ, which in the context of salvation is referred to as the atonement. This salvation is equated with the transcendent, eschatological fulfilment of human existence in a life freed from sin, finitude and mortality and united with the triune God. THE VOCATION TO RECONCILE MEN TO GOD The completion of the reconciliation of man with God is fully seen in the paschal mystery. Man has a vocation of applying this reconciliation in a most personal way. This vocation rests on the entire man who through their life makes the kingdom of God realizable. In a particular sense, the reconciliation is for man, by man and in man. Thus, man seeks his salvation with fear and trembling. On another note, Christ entrusted to his apostles the ministry of reconciliation. (John 20-23). This injunction of Christ was transferred to their successors. By the virtue of ordination, a priest is another Christ who sought to accomplish the work of God. He forgives all sins “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Forgiveness of sins brings reconciliation with God, but also with the Church. (CCC. 1462). Priests must encourage the faithful to come to the sacrament of reconciliation. Priest fulfils the ministry of the Good Shepherd whenever he is celebrating this sacrament because he seek the lost sheep, binds up wounds, awaits the prodigal son and welcomes him on his return. EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION Reconciliation has physical, psychological and spiritual effect on a person. In times of separation and opposition, one tends to suffer incompleteness. He continues to suffer an uncharacteristic illness until he is made whole again. There is an overwhelming joy of unity experienced by such a person. In spiritual realm, reconciliation is related to one’s reunion with the internal resident spirit in our life. The resident spirit is the Holy Spirit. Whenever another form of spirit occupies that position, one is totally alienated from himself. The breathe of God which was given to man is essentially the governing spirit of our existence such that if replaced by another thing will definitely cause unrest in the spiritual build up of a person. St. Paul alludes to it that our body is the temple of God. God lives in our body such that when we engage in activities that are not according to our calling, it brings about inadequacies in the workings of our system which will lead to death. In reconciliation, we reject the intruding spirit by having remorse for our sins and making a firm resolution not to go back to it. The sanctity of the body is restored and thus salvation is made present to us. It is in such situation of reuniting with Christ that salvation is ensured. Nonetheless, man actualises his final salvation when he attains the ultimate goal of seeing God.
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