(Vatican Radio) The Confessional is not a ‘dry cleaners’ where our sins are automatically
washed away and Jesus is not waiting there to ‘beat us up’, but to forgive us with
the tenderness of a father for our sins. Moreover, being ashamed of our sins is not
only natural, it’s a virtue that helps prepare us for God's forgiveness. This was
the central message of Pope Francis’ homily Monday morning during Mass celebrated
with staff from the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA) and
religious present in Casa Santa Marta. Emer McCarthy reports: Commenting on
the First Letter of St. John, which states " God is light, and in him there is no
darkness at all," Francis Pope pointed out that "we all have darkness in our lives,"
moments "where everything, even our consciousness, is in the dark”, but this - he
pointed out - does not mean we walk in darkness:
"Walking in darkness
means being overly pleased with ourselves, believing that we do not need salvation.
That is darkness! When we continue on this road of darkness, it is not easy to turn
back. Therefore, John continues, because this way of thinking made him reflect: 'If
we say we are without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us'. Look
to your sins, to our sins, we are all sinners, all of us ... This is the starting
point. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful, He is so just He forgives us our
sins, cleansing us from all unrighteousness…The Lord who is so good, so faithful,
so just that He forgives. "
"When the Lord forgives us, He does justice"
- continued the Pope - first to himself, "because He came to save and forgive", welcoming
us with the tenderness of a Father for his children: "The Lord is tender towards those
who fear, to those who come to Him "and with tenderness," He always understand us”.
He wants to gift us the peace that only He gives. " "This is what happens in the Sacrament
of Reconciliation" even though "many times we think that going to confession is like
going to the dry cleaner" to clean the dirt from our clothes:
"But Jesus
in the confessional is not a dry cleaner: it is an encounter with Jesus, but with
this Jesus who waits for us, who waits for us just as we are. “But, Lord, look ...
this is how I am”, we are often ashamed to tell the truth: 'I did this, I thought
this'. But shame is a true Christian virtue, and even human ... the ability to be
ashamed: I do not know if there is a similar saying in Italian, but in our country
to those who are never ashamed are called “sin vergüenza’: this means
‘the unashamed ', because they are people who do not have the ability to be ashamed
and to be ashamed is a virtue of the humble, of the man and the woman who are humble.
"
Pope Francis continued: “ we must have trust, because when we sin we
have an advocate with the Father, "Jesus Christ the righteous." And He "supports us
before the Father" and defends us in front of our weaknesses. But you need to stand
in front of the Lord "with our truth of sinners", "with confidence, even with joy,
without masquerading... We must never masquerade before God." And shame is a virtue:
"blessed shame." "This is the virtue that Jesus asks of us: humility and meekness".
"Humility
and meekness are like the frame of a Christian life. A Christian must always be so,
humble and meek. And Jesus waits for us to forgive us. We can ask Him a question:
Is going to confession like to a torture session? No! It is going to praise God, because
I, a sinner , have been saved by Him. And is He waiting for me to beat me? No, with
tenderness to forgive me. And if tomorrow I do the same? Go again, and go and go and
go .... He always waits for us. This tenderness of the Lord, this humility, this meekness
.... "
This confidence, concluded Pope Francis "gives us room to breathe."
"The Lord give us this grace, the courage to always go to Him with the truth, because
the truth is light and not the darkness of half-truths or lies before God. It give
us this grace! So be it. "