Today Pope Francis spoke with the pilgrims in St. Peter’s square about the opportunity to find God’s love in the confessional. Speaking in joyful terms and lacing his exhortation with solid catechesis he gave encouragement to his listeners to find the courage to seek reconciliation with God, their neighbors and with themselves.
The Holy Father stated, “[D]on’t lose another day! Go, the priest will be good. And Jesus, (will be) there, . . .[He]receives you. He will receive you with so much love! Be courageous, and go to confession!” He went on to explain, “While the celebration of the sacrament is personal, it is rooted in the universality of the Church," which "accompanies us on the path of conversion.” It is this understanding of the critical nature that the sacrament of reconciliation holds out for us in our ongoing conversion to Jesus Christ that is remarkable about our Pope’s statements.
He pointed out the common complaint used by many is that there is nothing to keep a person from confessing their sins directly to God and, understanding Him to be a merciful God who sees the contrite heart, to seek forgiveness directly from Him. But he explained that when we sin, we also sin against our brothers and against the Church. It is important therefore to seek forgiveness from these as well, in the person of the priest. We then receive forgiveness, not from our own efforts, but as a gift from the Holy Spirit “who showers us with mercy and grace that pours forth unceasingly from the open heart of Christ crucified and risen.”
He went on to note that many people feel ashamed at the idea of confessing their sins and might say, “but Father, I am embarrassed!” He pointed out that embarrassment and shame are appropriate and natural feelings to have when expressing sinful behavior openly to another. This is truly a healthy emotional and spiritual response to our own bad behavior that makes the heart contrite and which brings us before our Lord in the state of humility that suits the occasion. Then upon receiving absolution for our sins and forgiveness from our Lord we can then begin to heal from our spiritual wounds caused by our sin. It is this spiritual healing that strengthens us to strive for an ongoing and vigorous conversion to Christ.
The sacrament of reconciliation is our opportunity to be embraced by God and to appreciate that we are truly welcomed in that embrace just as the prodigal son experienced upon his return to his father. Those who seek to come to know our Lord seek naturally to be converted more closely to his likeness. For this we need the healing that only his forgiveness can give. Let us share in the joy of our Holy Father that we should have the means through Christ and the sacraments of the Church to realize this vision.
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