Don't treat confessional like a dry cleaners, pope says
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IMAGE: CNS photo/Bob RollerBy Junno Arocho EstevesVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Theconfessional is a place where one can go to humbly seek forgiveness; it is not a drycleaners where one goesto remove the occasional stain, Pope Francis said. While forgiveness is"God's great work of mercy," Christians can take for granted the power of the sacrament ofreconciliation and confess while being "unable to be ashamed" oftheir sins, the pope said March 21 in his homily during morning Mass at DomusSanctae Marthae. "You did not go thereashamed of what you did. You saw some stains on your conscience and you weremistaken because you believed the confessional was a dry cleaners to remove stains,"he said. Reflecting on the day'sfirst reading from the prophet Daniel in which the people of Israel humbly begGod to pardon their sins, the pope said shame was "the first step" inseeking forgiveness. However, he noted, theGospel reading from St. Matthew recounts Jesus' parable of the ungratefulservant who, altho...
IMAGE: CNS photo/Bob Roller
By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The
confessional is a place where one can go to humbly seek forgiveness; it is not a dry
cleaners where one goes
to remove the occasional stain, Pope Francis said.
While forgiveness is
"God's great work of mercy," Christians can take for granted the power of the sacrament of
reconciliation and confess while being "unable to be ashamed" of
their sins, the pope said March 21 in his homily during morning Mass at Domus
Sanctae Marthae.
"You did not go there
ashamed of what you did. You saw some stains on your conscience and you were
mistaken because you believed the confessional was a dry cleaners to remove stains,"
he said.
Reflecting on the day's
first reading from the prophet Daniel in which the people of Israel humbly beg
God to pardon their sins, the pope said shame was "the first step" in
seeking forgiveness.
However, he noted, the
Gospel reading from St. Matthew recounts Jesus' parable of the ungrateful
servant who, although forgiven of a debt, refused to show the same mercy to another.
While forgiveness is "a
difficult mystery" to comprehend, the Gospel helps Christians understand
that going to
confession is more than just
making some kind of "bank transaction," the pope said.
"If you are not aware
of being forgiven you will never be able to forgive, never," he said. "There is always
that attitude of wanting to take others to task. Forgiveness is total. But it
can only be done when I feel my sin, when I am ashamed and ask forgiveness of God and feel forgiven
by the father so I can forgive."
Like the ungrateful servant
in Jesus' parable, Christians can be tempted to leave the confessional thinking
that "we got away with it." This feeling, the pope said, is "the
hypocrisy of stealing
forgiveness, a pretend forgiveness."
For this reason, he added,
it is important to "ask for the grace of shame before God."
"It is a great grace!
To be ashamed of our own sins and thus receive forgiveness and the grace of generosity to give
to others because if the Lord has forgiven me so much, who am I to not
forgive?" he said.
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