reconciliation

Reconciliation is the process of two people or groups in a conflict agreeing to make amends or come to a truce.

Reconciliation is also the name of a Catholic sacrament involving the confession of sin. Less commonly, reconciliation refers to when someone accepts an undesirable situation, or to the process of making things compatible.

Example: After years of conflict, the two parties have agreed to meet with the goal of reconciliation.

The first records of the word reconciliation come from the 1300s. It is the noun form of the verb reconcile, which comes from the Latin reconciliāre, meaning “to make good again” or “to repair.”

Reconciliation is meant to repair relationships that are broken. It can happen between two people, such as former friends who had a falling-out. Or it can happen between groups, such as warring factions in a country. Reconciliation is usually thought to create more than just a truce. When true reconciliation occurs, the two formerly hostile sides become respectful of each other—and, ideally, friends.

In the Roman Catholic Church, Reconciliation is the name of a sacrament in which people confess their sins—a process popularly known as confession. It is sometimes also called Penance.

What are some other forms related to reconciliation?

• reconcile (verb)
• nonreconciliation (noun)
• prereconcilition (noun)
• proreconciliation (adjective)

What are some synonyms for reconciliation?

• settlement
• harmony
• compromise
• accord

What are some words that share a root or word element with reconciliation? 

• conciliate
• conciliatory

What are some words that often get used in discussing reconciliation?

• forgiveness
• sacrament
• relationship
• sin
• penance
• amicable
• mediation

Reconciliation is typically used in the context of two parties that have a serious, longstanding dispute, and it’s usually considered a slow, difficult process. It’s also commonly used as the name of the Catholic sacrament also known as confession.

It's aggravating when teachers focus on the drama among students rather than the possible solutions or, in one specific case, the reconciliation between two students. I asked a basic question regarding the latter, and too many colleagues fell to the floor,

— Be(e) (@srlharris) March 6, 2020

Today I witnessed remarkable courage of #Afghans as they stood in defiance against cowardly terrorists who tried to disrupt the inauguration of @ashrafghani. Unity, reconciliation & peace needed now more than ever. @NATO stands with #ANDSF & Afghan people. pic.twitter.com/9tutA6FoXL

— Sir Nick Kay (@NicholasK111) March 9, 2020

Friends, this holy season of #Advent is a wonderful time to go back to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Because in the Sacrament of Penance we find that Jesus is there — waiting to forgive us. Waiting to show us his infinite mercy and give us the strength of his grace.

— Abp. José H. Gomez (@ArchbishopGomez) December 13, 2019

True or false? 

Reconciliation is the same as an apology.