Confession and the priesthood

The sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation flows directly from the paschal mystery. For on the evening of the Resurrection the Lord appeared to the disciples, who were shut in the Upper Room, and after greeting them with „Peace be with you”, he breathed on them and said: „Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (Jn 20:21-23). This passage shows us the deeper dynamic contained in this sacrament. Above all, the fact that the forgiveness of sins is not something we can give ourselves. I cannot say: „I forgive myself my sins”. Forgiveness has to be asked for; it is asked of another person, and in Confession we ask Jesus to forgive (our sins). Forgiveness is not the fruit of our own efforts, but is a present, a gift of the Holy Spirit, who fills us with the cleansing of mercy and grace that flows unceasingly from the pierced heart of Christ crucified and risen. Secondly, it reminds us that only if we let ourselves be reconciled in the Lord Jesus with the Father and with our brothers and sisters can we truly be at peace. And we experience that peace in our hearts when we go to Confession with a burden on our soul, with sadness; and when we receive the forgiveness of Jesus, we have peace within us, that peace of soul which only Jesus can give us. Only he.

In the course of time the celebration of this sacrament passed from the form of a public confession of sins – for at first it was practised publicly – to this personal form reserved to Confession. This, however, must not lead to the loss of its ecclesial character, which is its fundamental context. For it is the Christian community that is the place in which the Spirit is made present who renews hearts in the love of God and makes all brothers and sisters one in Christ Jesus. That is precisely why it is not enough to ask forgiveness in one's own mind and heart; one must confess one's sins with trust and humility before a minister of the Church. In celebrating this sacrament the priest represents not only God, but the whole community, which recognises itself in the weakness of each of its members, which listens with emotion to his contrition, which is reconciled with him and gives him heart and accompanies him on the path of conversion and of human and Christian maturing. Someone may say: „I confess only to God”. Yes, you can say to God: „forgive me”, and confess your sins to him, but our sins are against our brothers and sisters, against the Church. That is why it is necessary to ask forgiveness of the Church and of our brothers and sisters through the person of the priest. „Father, but I am ashamed…”. Shame too is a good thing; shame is a healthy sign, because a sense of shame is healing. If someone has no sense of shame, in my country we say of such a person that he is „shameless”. But a sense of shame does us good, because it makes us more humble, and the priest receives this Confession with love and tenderness and forgives sins in the name of God. Even from a human point of view, in order to feel relief it is good to talk to a brother and to tell the priest all that weighs on the heart. And a person feels that he finds relief before God, through the Church, through the priest. We must not be afraid of Confession! When someone is standing in the queue for Confession, he feels all this within himself, the feeling of shame as well, but when the Confession is over he goes away free, great, beautiful, as one who has been forgiven, clean, happy. And this is the beautiful experience of Confession! I would like to ask you – do not say it aloud, let each one answer in his own heart – when did you last go to Confession? Let everyone think about it… Two days ago, two weeks ago, twenty years ago, forty years ago? Let everyone count and answer for himself the question when he made his last Confession. And if it was long ago, then do not lose any more time, go, for the priest will be understanding. Jesus is there, and Jesus is better than priests, Jesus will receive you, he will receive you with great love. Be brave and go to Confession.

Dear friends, to celebrate the Sacrament of reconciliation means to be enfolded in a warm embrace: it is the embrace of the Father's infinite mercy. We remember that very beautiful parable of the son who left his home, taking with him the money he had inherited. When he had spent it all and had nothing left, he decided to return home, not as a son but as a servant. In his heart he had a great sense of guilt. The surprise came when he began to tell his story and to ask for forgiveness. Then the father interrupted him, embraced him, kissed him and prepared a feast. And I say to you: every time we go to Confession, God takes us in his arms, God holds a feast for us. Let us go forward along this road. May God bless you.

I want to give you a piece of advice: be transparent before your confessor. Always. Say everything, do not be afraid. «Father, I have sinned!». One must always tell the confessor the truth. This transparency does us good, because it awakens humility in us, in all of us. «Father, I kept doing this, I did that, I hated»… whatever it may be. Speak the truth, hiding nothing, without half-words, because you are speaking to Jesus in the person of the confessor. And Jesus knows the truth. Only he always forgives you! And the Lord wants only one thing: that you should tell him what he already knows. Transparency!

Let everyone ask himself: when did I last go to Confession? A long time has passed. Do not lose a single day. Go bravely to Confession! The priest will be good to you. The Lord Jesus is there too, and he is better than priests! Jesus will receive you with great love! Be brave and go to Confession.