Again and beautifully so, Pope Francis addressed the “forgotten Sacrament”: Confession of Sin and Reconciliation.
His remarks were delivered to the “missionaries of mercy”, that is, Religious-order and Diocesan Priests from around the world, who were among more than 1,000 who received a special Papal mandate to preach and teach about God's mercy during the 2015-16 Holy Year of Mercy.
After listening to "many testimonies of conversion," Pope Francis said he felt the need to prolong their mission.
The Holy Father pleaded with those present to be merciful in the Confessional and help penitents return to the Lord without fear even if they repeatedly stumble and slip on a path that “is filled with stones and banana peels”.
"In short, mercy restores dignity," the Pope told the April 10th gathering, "The penitent does not indulge in self-pity for the sin committed, and the Priest does not blame him for the evil from which he repented. Rather, he encourages him to look to the future with new eyes, leading him to 'springs of water.'"
Pope Francis reminded the Confessors that God's mercy “has no limits and with your ministry, you are a concrete sign that the Church cannot, should not and does not want to create any barrier or difficulty that impedes access to the Father's forgiveness."
The Pope also admonished Priests to avoid acting in a way that instead of bringing penitent sinners closer, "pushes them away." That can happen, he said, when, "by defending the integrity of the Gospel, they overlook the steps that a person is taking day by day" to move closer to God's way.
"God's grace isn't nourished in this way," he said. "To recognize the sinner's repentance is the same as welcoming him with arms wide open, to imitate the father in the parable who welcomes his son when he returns home."
Like the father of the Prodigal Son, who did not even let his son finish his apology when he returned, priests must not be inquisitors, concerning themselves with the gritty details which causes "shame to one who has already recognized his sin and knows he has made a mistake," he said.
As missionaries of mercy, the Pope said, Priests are called to be "interpreters and witnesses" of God's mercy which "welcomes everyone and always without any distinction."
All during my active ministry, I heard horror stories from the faithful and their experiences in the Confessional when the Priest acted more like a grand inquisitor rather than a pastor of souls, a minister of God’s mercy and forgiveness.
Fear over the reaction of the Priest to the sins they confessed established a barrier in their lives which kept them from experiencing the refreshment and re-birth which the Sacrament of Reconciliation offers and promises.
I remember admonishing a Confessor who was less than "priestly" as I confessed my sins and asked the Lord for forgiveness...that experience has left an indelible impression for sure!
I remember the words of my Dominican Spiritual Director who cautioned me never to ask questions about anything a penitent confesses to spare them a sense of fear or embarrassment. He counseled me to simply ask if he or she had any questions and commend them for their faith in coming forward to receive God's forgiveness, after which I should offer Sacramental Absolution.
And, indeed, this was my regimen in the hearing Confessions all during my 41 years of active ministry.
Certainly, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is in a state of utter abandonment when it comes to the practice of the Catholic Faith among most Catholics these days.
The few who regularly avail themselves of the Sacrament are often scrupulous individuals who have lost of sense not only of what is sinful but the degree to which they are personally responsible for their mistaken sense of sinfulness.
Most Catholics have adopted a practical belief that they need only express their sorrow for sin in private penitential prayer and the Lord will forgive them without the intermediary need to confess to a Priest.
While the Church professes there are 7 Sacraments, the faithful have dropped one from the list. Why Bishops and Priests don't address this more I can't quite understand.
I commend the Pope for reminding us of the role of the Priest in the Sacrament and for constantly urging the faithful to experience the mercy and love of God administered in this wonderful instrument of His Saving Grace.
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