Pope Francis presides over the liturgy of confession at the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Rome, kicking off the Lent “24 Hours to the Lord” event. The encounter with God through the sacrament of confession, the Pope noted, “heals the heart and brings peace”.
(Vatican News Network)Pope Francis invites the faithful to meet the Lord and his mercy in the sacrament of confession, beseeching the mercy of the Lord like the tax collector who calls himself a sinner in the parable of the Gospel, and not to cover up his sins like the Pharisee in the same parable. Vulnerable, self-satisfied (cf. Luke 18:9-14). Pope Francis made this exhortation in his homily on Friday afternoon, March 17, when he presided over the liturgy of confession at the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Rome.
The Church of the Mother of Grace is next to the Vatican City State. The Pope chose to preside over the ceremony of confession in this parish this year, kicking off the “24-hour devotion to the Lord” activity.
The Pope said to the faithful that God is always waiting for us to touch our wounds and accept our failures. In the Sacrament of Confession, “the wounds of the heart are healed, and the heart is at peace”, so the Sacrament of Confession contains “a joyful encounter”. This sacrament is not “a court of terror, but the comforting embrace of God”.
The first reading of the liturgy for the day is from St. Paul the Apostle to Philip. St. Paul writes: “Whatever was gain to me before, I now count it loss for Christ. . . -8) The Pope connects Paul’s words with the Pharisee in the parable of the Gospel, explaining that this conscientious and disciplined Pharisee considered himself superior in religion, “pretending to be The righteous think they are better than others”, but this is actually a “block” for him. He uses his “self” to occupy God’s rightful place, “even though he says prayers and performs holy acts, but he does not really talk to God”.
“For this reason, the Bible reminds that only “the prayer of the humble rises through the clouds” (De 35:21), because only the poor in spirit, only those who are in need of salvation and beg for grace, are both worthy before God. No credit, no pretense, no self-righteousness: he had nothing, so he found everything, because he found God.”
St. Luke describes the “postures” of the two protagonists of this Gospel parable: the Pharisee stands praying, while the “tax collector stands at a distance, not even daring to raise his eyes to heaven”. The Pope explained that the Pharisee was confident in himself and stood upright, as if his excellence should be widely admired. Although the holy history says that he “prayed like this”, he was actually complacent: I entered the temple, I kept the commandments, and I gave alms to the poor.
“His prayers sound impeccable, and he appears to be a pious man on the surface. Yet, instead of opening himself to God and allowing God access to what is really in his heart, he hypocritically hides his vulnerability. He does not expect the Lord Salvation is offered, but almost demanded, as a prize for one’s own merit.”
The Pharisee in the parable did not hesitate “to go up to the altar of God and take the first row, but at last he went too far and put himself in front of God!” Conversely, the publican Standing far away, and it is precisely this distance that highlights his identity as a sinner and the holiness of God, so that he can feel the embrace of the Father. The reason why the Father can hold him is precisely because he stands far away, because he leaves space for God.
“This is also true in our family, society, and even church relationships! When we know how to guard the space between us and others, we can have real dialogue. Healthy space allows everyone to breathe without feeling Choking on water or being out of breath. That way, that conversation, that encounter brings closer, closer intimacy.”
In order to be close to God, the Pope invites every believer to say to the Lord: “I am the first of all sinners. If I do not fall into the most filthy situation, it is because of your mercy you reached out to me.”
God waits for us in the depths, because he wants to “enter the depths” in Jesus, to occupy “the last place, to serve all”; because “he is not afraid to descend into the abyss where we are, to touch our wounds, to receive us the lack of life, the frustration of life”. God waits for us, “especially in the sacrament of confession”. For this reason, the Pope invites everyone to examine their conscience, because the Pharisee and the tax collector in the parable live in our hearts.
“Let us not hide behind a false surface, but with trust, entrust our faults, our misfortunes to the mercy of the Lord”. At that moment, “the Lord draws close to us, draws us closer and lifts us back to our feet”. When we confess our nakedness, the Lord dresses us in festive garments, because the sacrament of confession is “an encounter of joy and joy”.
The Pope called the sacrament an expression of the Lord’s “embracing tenderness”. In the parable of the prodigal son, the young spendthrift son returns home and is about to speak when his father immediately hugs him and keeps him from speaking (cf. Luke 15:20-22). This is the “embrace of compassion”.
For this reason, the Pope exhorted the priests and brothers who listened to the confession, saying: “Forgive everything, always forgive, and don’t get too involved in people’s conscience. You have to let people speak for themselves, and you have to accept it like Jesus did. , with comforting eyes, expressing your understanding in silence. Please, the sacrament of confession is not for torture, but for peace.”
At the end of the sermon, the pope led all the believers present to imitate the tax collector in the parable, saying: “God, have mercy on me, a sinner!”
“When I forget You or ignore You, when I put my own words and the words of the world before Your Holy Word, when I justify myself and despise others, when I gossip about others , God, have mercy on me, a sinner! When I fail to take care of those around me, when I am indifferent to the poor, suffering, weak or excluded, God, have mercy on me, a sinner! For those sins against life, For those bad witnesses that tarnish the beautiful face of the Mother Church, for those sins that harm the creation, God, have mercy on me, a sinner! For my falsehood, opacity, and law-abiding place, God, have mercy on me, a sinner! For me For those hidden sins, for the harm I did to others without even realizing it, for the good I could do but failed to do, God, have mercy on me, a sinner!”
After reciting this penitent prayer, the pope concluded: “Let us open ourselves to the joy of a great grace, namely: the mercy of God”.
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