Why We Need Confession Author:Russell Shaw The fallen nature ofman and tendency toward sin is a reality that has lost credibility of late. But for John Henry Cardinal Newman "Original sin became to me almost as certain as that the world exists, as the existence of God." Far from being the breaking of arbitrary and external laws, the author shows us that sin damages not only our relations... more »hip with God, but affects the deep bonds of charity and grace linking us with others. Because of this, sin prevents us from developing our full humanity and living as true daughters and sons of God. Only through the sacrament of reconciliation can one retain the harmony of life and grace lost by sin. For happiness can be found solely in the struggle against sin. The rewards of true repentance and sorrow are life, but, as St. Paul tells us, "the wages of sin are death."« less