At noon today, in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience a group of people who are participating in the annual course on the internal forum sponsored by the Apostolic Penitentiary.
Dear brothers,
I am especially happy, during this time of Lent, to meet with you on the occasion of the annual course on the Internal Forum which is organized by the Apostolic Penitentiary. I express a cordial greeting to Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, Major Penitentiary, and I thank him for his courteous expressions. I wish to thank him for the greetings which he has presented, but I also wish to share another reason why this meeting is significant: not only will tomorrow mark the second anniversary of the beginning of my pontificate, today also marks the 57th year of my entry into religious life. Pray for me! I greet the Regent, Monsignor Krzysztof Nykiel, the Prelates, the officials and the personnel of the Penitentiary, the College of the Ordinary and the Extra-ordinary Penitentiary from the Papal Basilicae in Rome and all of you who are taking part in the Course which has as its pastoral goal to help newly-ordained priests and candidates for Holy Orders to correctly celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Sacraments, as you know, are the places of particular closeness and tenderness of God for human beings; they are the concrete signs that God has thought about us, wanted to come and to meet with us, in order to embrace us without being ashamed of us or of our limitations.
Among the Sacraments, Reconciliation most especially makes the merciful face of God present: it is continually concretized and made present, without end. We should never forget this, whether we are the penitent or the confessor: there is no sin that the Lord cannot pardon! None! Only one who is removed from divine mercy cannot be pardoned, like those who are robbed of sun cannot be enlightened or warmed.
In the light of this marvellous gift from God, I wish to point out three requirements: to live the Sacrament as a means of teaching about mercy; allowing ourselves to be taught about how to celebrate; caring for the supernatural look.
1. Living the Sacrament as a means of educating others about mercy, means helping our brothers to experience peace and compassion, human and Christian. Confession should not be a torture, but everyone should come out of the confessional with the experience of a happy heart, with a face that is made radiant with hope, even though at times - I know - it is washed in the tears of conversion and the joy that comes from celebrating this Sacrament (cf Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, 44). The Sacrament, with all the actions of the penitent, does not imply that it will be a heavy, disturbing and invasive interrogation. On the contrary, it should be a freeing and rich encounter of humanity, through which we can teach others about mercy, that does not exclude but rather includes a rightful commitment to repairing any damage inflicted whenever possible. In this way, the faithful will feel invited to confess frequently and will learn to do so in the best way, with the delicacy of spirit that is so good for the heart - even the heart of the confessor! In this way, we priests can help people to grow in their personal relationships with God, in such a way that His kingdom of love and peace can expand in their hearts.
Mercy is often confused with being a fastidious confessor, but think about it: neither a fastidious confessor nor a rigid confessor is merciful. Neither of them. The first, because he says: Go ahead, that's not a sin, go, go! The other, because he says: No, the law says ... But neither of the two treats the penitent like a brother, taking him by the hand and accompanying him in his quest for conversion! One says: Go easily on yourself; God forgives everything. Go on, go! The other says: The law says no! But the merciful one listens, pardons, cares for and accompanies the penitent as the conversion begins - perhaps - today, but this process must continue with great perseverance ... He takes the penitent by the hand, like the Good Shepherd who goes in search of the lost sheep and takes it upon himself. Yet, do not be confused: this is very important. Mercy signifies taking care of our brother or our sister and helping him or her to walk. Don't say, ah, no, go, go!, or respond with rigidity. This is very important. Who can do this? The confessor who prays, the confessor who is capable of crying, the confessor who knows that he himself is more of a sinner than the penitent, and if he has not done this ugly thing that the penitent is admitting, it it only because of the grace of God. Being merciful means being close to and accompanying the process of conversion. It is up to you confessors to day: let us educate others about the Sacrament of Reconciliation!
2. The second point. How often do we hear confessions that edify us! Brothers and sisters who live an authentic personal and ecclesial communion with the Lord and a sincere love for their brothers and sisters. Simple souls, souls of the poor in spirit who totally abandon themselves to the Lord and confide themselves to the Church and therefore also to their confessor. There are often moments when we witness miracles of conversion. People who from months and sometimes for years have been struggling under the weight of sin and who, like the prodigal son, return and decide to stand up and return to the house of the Lord (cf Luke 15:17), in order to beg pardon. How beautiful it is to welcome such brothers and sisters, penitents, with the blessing embrace of the merciful Father who loves us so much and celebrates every son and daughter who returns to Him with all his or her heart!
What can we learn from the conversion and repentance of our brothers! They encourage us to also make an examination of conscience: Do I, a priest, love the Lord like this old lady does? Am I, a priest, who has been made a minister of his mercy, capable of having the level of mercy that is in the heart of this penitent? Am I, a confessor, open to change, to conversion, like this penitent is, to whom I am called to be of service? Many times, these people edify us, they help us.
3. When we hear the sacramental confessions of our brothers, we must always keep our inner focus fixed on the Heavens, toward the supernatural. Above all, we must rekindle in ourselves the realization that no one is placed in such a ministry based on his own merits; nor as a result of his own theological or juridical competence, nor based on any personal human or psychological trait. We have all been made ministers of reconciliation purely by the grace of God, freely and out of love, precisely for the sake of mercy. I who have done this and this and this, must now forgive ... I am reminded of the final part of Ezekiel, chapter 16, where the Lord rebukes in very strong terms, the infidelity of his people, but in the end, he says: But I forgive you and place you over your sisters - other people - in order to judge them, and you will be more important than they, and this I will do to your shame, that you may be ashamed of what you have done.
The experience of shame: Hearing this sin, this soul which comes to me with such suffering and with such delicacy of soul, am I capable of feeling ashamed of my own sins? This is a grace. We are ministers of mercy, thanks to the mercy of God; we should never lose sight of this supernatural reality, which makes us truly humble, welcoming and merciful toward every brother and sister who asks us to hear his or her confession. If I have not done this, not fallen into this ugly sin or not been imprisoned by it, it is purely because of the grace of God, only for that reason - not because of any merit on my part! Each of us must hear this truth at the moment of administering the Sacrament. Even the way we listen to the one who is accused of these sins should be supernatural: to listen in a supernatural way, in a divine way; respecting the dignity and the personal history of every person, in order to understand what God wants of him or her. For this reason, the Church is called to initiate her members - priests, religious and laity - in the 'art of accompaniment', so that all people may learn to always remove their sandals before the sacred ground of others (cf Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii gaudium, 169). Even the greatest sinner who comes before the Lord and asks for forgiveness is sacred ground, and even I who have forgiven him in the name of God can do things that are more ugly than the things this person has done. Every faithful penitent who admits his or her sins in the confessional is sacred ground, the sacred ground that needs to be cultivated with dedication, care and pastoral attentiveness.
Dear brothers, I hope that you can benefit from this Lenten period for personal conversion and in order to dedicate yourselves generously to hearing confessions, so that the people of God may be purified and approach the feast of Easter, which represents the definitive victory of Divine Mercy over all the evil in the world. I entrust you to the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy and Refuge of sinners. She knows how to help us, we who are sinners. I always enjoy reading the history of Saint Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri, and the various chapters of his book The glory of Mary. These stories about the Madonna, who is always the refuge of sinners and seeks the way so that the Lord may forgive everything. May She teach us this art. I willingly bless you, and please, I ask you to pray for me. Thank you.
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the meeting with participants in the
annual course on the Internal Forum
sponsored by the Apostolic Penitentiary
Dear brothers,
I am especially happy, during this time of Lent, to meet with you on the occasion of the annual course on the Internal Forum which is organized by the Apostolic Penitentiary. I express a cordial greeting to Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, Major Penitentiary, and I thank him for his courteous expressions. I wish to thank him for the greetings which he has presented, but I also wish to share another reason why this meeting is significant: not only will tomorrow mark the second anniversary of the beginning of my pontificate, today also marks the 57th year of my entry into religious life. Pray for me! I greet the Regent, Monsignor Krzysztof Nykiel, the Prelates, the officials and the personnel of the Penitentiary, the College of the Ordinary and the Extra-ordinary Penitentiary from the Papal Basilicae in Rome and all of you who are taking part in the Course which has as its pastoral goal to help newly-ordained priests and candidates for Holy Orders to correctly celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Sacraments, as you know, are the places of particular closeness and tenderness of God for human beings; they are the concrete signs that God has thought about us, wanted to come and to meet with us, in order to embrace us without being ashamed of us or of our limitations.
Among the Sacraments, Reconciliation most especially makes the merciful face of God present: it is continually concretized and made present, without end. We should never forget this, whether we are the penitent or the confessor: there is no sin that the Lord cannot pardon! None! Only one who is removed from divine mercy cannot be pardoned, like those who are robbed of sun cannot be enlightened or warmed.
In the light of this marvellous gift from God, I wish to point out three requirements: to live the Sacrament as a means of teaching about mercy; allowing ourselves to be taught about how to celebrate; caring for the supernatural look.
1. Living the Sacrament as a means of educating others about mercy, means helping our brothers to experience peace and compassion, human and Christian. Confession should not be a torture, but everyone should come out of the confessional with the experience of a happy heart, with a face that is made radiant with hope, even though at times - I know - it is washed in the tears of conversion and the joy that comes from celebrating this Sacrament (cf Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, 44). The Sacrament, with all the actions of the penitent, does not imply that it will be a heavy, disturbing and invasive interrogation. On the contrary, it should be a freeing and rich encounter of humanity, through which we can teach others about mercy, that does not exclude but rather includes a rightful commitment to repairing any damage inflicted whenever possible. In this way, the faithful will feel invited to confess frequently and will learn to do so in the best way, with the delicacy of spirit that is so good for the heart - even the heart of the confessor! In this way, we priests can help people to grow in their personal relationships with God, in such a way that His kingdom of love and peace can expand in their hearts.
Mercy is often confused with being a fastidious confessor, but think about it: neither a fastidious confessor nor a rigid confessor is merciful. Neither of them. The first, because he says: Go ahead, that's not a sin, go, go! The other, because he says: No, the law says ... But neither of the two treats the penitent like a brother, taking him by the hand and accompanying him in his quest for conversion! One says: Go easily on yourself; God forgives everything. Go on, go! The other says: The law says no! But the merciful one listens, pardons, cares for and accompanies the penitent as the conversion begins - perhaps - today, but this process must continue with great perseverance ... He takes the penitent by the hand, like the Good Shepherd who goes in search of the lost sheep and takes it upon himself. Yet, do not be confused: this is very important. Mercy signifies taking care of our brother or our sister and helping him or her to walk. Don't say, ah, no, go, go!, or respond with rigidity. This is very important. Who can do this? The confessor who prays, the confessor who is capable of crying, the confessor who knows that he himself is more of a sinner than the penitent, and if he has not done this ugly thing that the penitent is admitting, it it only because of the grace of God. Being merciful means being close to and accompanying the process of conversion. It is up to you confessors to day: let us educate others about the Sacrament of Reconciliation!
2. The second point. How often do we hear confessions that edify us! Brothers and sisters who live an authentic personal and ecclesial communion with the Lord and a sincere love for their brothers and sisters. Simple souls, souls of the poor in spirit who totally abandon themselves to the Lord and confide themselves to the Church and therefore also to their confessor. There are often moments when we witness miracles of conversion. People who from months and sometimes for years have been struggling under the weight of sin and who, like the prodigal son, return and decide to stand up and return to the house of the Lord (cf Luke 15:17), in order to beg pardon. How beautiful it is to welcome such brothers and sisters, penitents, with the blessing embrace of the merciful Father who loves us so much and celebrates every son and daughter who returns to Him with all his or her heart!
What can we learn from the conversion and repentance of our brothers! They encourage us to also make an examination of conscience: Do I, a priest, love the Lord like this old lady does? Am I, a priest, who has been made a minister of his mercy, capable of having the level of mercy that is in the heart of this penitent? Am I, a confessor, open to change, to conversion, like this penitent is, to whom I am called to be of service? Many times, these people edify us, they help us.
3. When we hear the sacramental confessions of our brothers, we must always keep our inner focus fixed on the Heavens, toward the supernatural. Above all, we must rekindle in ourselves the realization that no one is placed in such a ministry based on his own merits; nor as a result of his own theological or juridical competence, nor based on any personal human or psychological trait. We have all been made ministers of reconciliation purely by the grace of God, freely and out of love, precisely for the sake of mercy. I who have done this and this and this, must now forgive ... I am reminded of the final part of Ezekiel, chapter 16, where the Lord rebukes in very strong terms, the infidelity of his people, but in the end, he says: But I forgive you and place you over your sisters - other people - in order to judge them, and you will be more important than they, and this I will do to your shame, that you may be ashamed of what you have done.
The experience of shame: Hearing this sin, this soul which comes to me with such suffering and with such delicacy of soul, am I capable of feeling ashamed of my own sins? This is a grace. We are ministers of mercy, thanks to the mercy of God; we should never lose sight of this supernatural reality, which makes us truly humble, welcoming and merciful toward every brother and sister who asks us to hear his or her confession. If I have not done this, not fallen into this ugly sin or not been imprisoned by it, it is purely because of the grace of God, only for that reason - not because of any merit on my part! Each of us must hear this truth at the moment of administering the Sacrament. Even the way we listen to the one who is accused of these sins should be supernatural: to listen in a supernatural way, in a divine way; respecting the dignity and the personal history of every person, in order to understand what God wants of him or her. For this reason, the Church is called to initiate her members - priests, religious and laity - in the 'art of accompaniment', so that all people may learn to always remove their sandals before the sacred ground of others (cf Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii gaudium, 169). Even the greatest sinner who comes before the Lord and asks for forgiveness is sacred ground, and even I who have forgiven him in the name of God can do things that are more ugly than the things this person has done. Every faithful penitent who admits his or her sins in the confessional is sacred ground, the sacred ground that needs to be cultivated with dedication, care and pastoral attentiveness.
Dear brothers, I hope that you can benefit from this Lenten period for personal conversion and in order to dedicate yourselves generously to hearing confessions, so that the people of God may be purified and approach the feast of Easter, which represents the definitive victory of Divine Mercy over all the evil in the world. I entrust you to the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy and Refuge of sinners. She knows how to help us, we who are sinners. I always enjoy reading the history of Saint Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri, and the various chapters of his book The glory of Mary. These stories about the Madonna, who is always the refuge of sinners and seeks the way so that the Lord may forgive everything. May She teach us this art. I willingly bless you, and please, I ask you to pray for me. Thank you.
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