Pope Francis is bringing a message of mercy to Cuba and the United States this week and has declared a Holy Year of Mercy beginning December 8. He is urging all of us “to live this Year in the light of the Lord’s words: ‘Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (cf. Lk 6:36)’”
The Pope is also credited with saying, “the confessional is not a torture chamber, but the place in which the Lord’s mercy motivates us to do better.”
With God’s help, we can all do better.
The Bishops of Pennsylvania remind us, “Confession is the visible manifestation of God’s mercy that provides us, in human terms as well, the clear awareness that God has forgiven us.”
Want to learn more about the sacrament of penance? Read the Pennsylvania Bishops’ Guide to the Sacrament of Penance.
