Jubilee Year of Mercy
Fr. Wade’s Blog, June 2016
“Confession and the Jubilee Year of Mercy”
Hello friends, Fr. Wade Menezes here of the Fathers of Mercy with another “Mercy Moment” for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy called for by Pope Francis.
What, exactly, do the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (that is, Holy Confession) and mercy have in common? Our Lord Himself gives us a beautiful answer to this question in something He tells St. Faustina Kowalska, the Divine Mercy seer, which she records in paragraph #1448 of her diary, titled, Divine Mercy in my Soul. Jesus tells her:
“(My daughter,) Write, speak of My mercy. Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy (the Sacrament of Reconciliation). There the greatest miracles take place (and) are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle…it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no (hope of) restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy!”
This passage, dear friends, should provide each one of us with great comfort and hope. In the Sacrament of Confession, Our Blessed Lord is ever ready to welcome back the truly repentant sinner – the prodigal son or daughter. This Sacrament is where we take our mortal sins to be reconciled with God, and are welcome to take our venial sins as well.
And regarding those persons who may be fearful of Confession (say, out of fear or shame), Our Lord tells St. Faustina in paragraph #975 of her diary these comforting words: “(My daughter,) Pray for souls that they be not afraid to approach the tribunal of My mercy.”
During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, then, my friends, let us receive frequently this wonderful Sacrament of Mercy.
And that’s another Mercy Moment. I’m Fr. Wade Menezes of the Fathers of Mercy. Be sure to visit the Fathers of Mercy website at fathersofmercy.com and follow us on Facebook. God bless you.