Pope says, mercy brings peace

March 17, 2014 - “Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.” Pope Francis re-echoed these words of Jesus during Mass, Monday morning, in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta residence in the Vatican, urging all to be merciful and understanding. For this, he said we need two attitudes. Firstly, we need to have a true knowledge about ourselves, of the many bad things we have done, that we are sinners, and the need to be ashamed of our sins. Being ashamed before God … is the grace of being sinners, the Pope said. 'I am a sinner and I am ashamed before You and ask You for forgiveness'. It is simple, but it's so hard to say: 'I have sinned". "With this attitude of repentance,” the Pope pointed out, “we are more able to be merciful because we feel the grace of God descend upon us when we say in the Lord's Prayer: "Forgive us as we forgive other". Thus, "if I do not forgive, I am somewhat out for the count". The other attitude needed to be merciful, the Pope said, is to have a big heart, "a small and selfish heart is incapable of mercy". Who am I to judge and gossip about others, the Pope asked, recalling the word of Jesus - 'Judge not lest you be judged! Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned! Forgive and you will be forgiven! Give and you shall receive!'. A big heart, the Pope continued, does not condemn, but forgives and forgets" because "God has forgotten my sins, God has forgiven my sins.” “If all peoples, individuals, families and communities had this attitude, what great peace there would be in the world, the Pope said, adding, “mercy leads us to peace.”