Ping!
Why does he even have to say this, I wonder? It’s all about forgiveness, although I was once kicked out of the confessional as a 9 year old for getting on the priest’s nerves about something. You could hear him all over the church and all eyes were on me as I drew aside the thick velvet curtain. Such surprise that a knock-kneed child of 9 could cause such upset!
And for converts: this was the church of my youth - filled with not only reverence but sometimes downright funny happenings. How I loved it!
Totally off topic from the Pope.....
Last night I was flipping through the channels and came across John Lomacang on the 3ABN channel. He called the Catholic Church of the seven heads and, if I can paraphrase, basically evil. He’s a Seventh Day Adventist, and I was taken back at the anti-catholicism. Has anyone ever heard of him?
Forgiveness Through a Priest
http://www.bereanbeacon.org/article/sorted/01_On_Catholicism/Forgiveness_through_a_priest.pdf
Don’t let the traditions of popery bind your conscience. Come to Christ and find rest and true liberty.
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
—John 8:36
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
—Colossians 2:8
Today is Saturday. If you haven’t been to confession yet this Lent—GO!
I always thought it was pious talk when teachers would say that priests don’t remember what they hear in confession.
Whether it’s the Holy Spirit at work, or the fact that very, very few confessions are interesting, or Old-Timers’ Disease, I’ve found that it’s true.
There are a couple of confessions—from long ago and far away—that I have used in homilies. One old man came in and said: “I missed Mass one Sunday.” I said: “Did you have a good reason?” He said: “We had a blizzard and you didn’t have Mass.”
**Pope Francis: confession is not condemnation, but mercy**
Amen!
The Lord forgives and forgets through this Sacrament.
Confession offers mercy and healing... as well as forgiveness. I’m sure many have experiences of this that they can share. Confession is a super powerful sacrament. It works!
;-)