2024-03-09 09:57:20
Pope Francis led the “Twenty-Four Hours for the Lord” prayer and penitential ministry Friday evening, March 8, at the Parish Church of St. Pius V in Rome. Papa Ethan heard the confessions of the believers.
Joey Kariveli, Vatican City
The Pope said that the sacrament of confession is not a devotional exercise, but a reflection, the foundation of Christianity.
Pope Francis made this exhortation in his thoughts shared on Friday, March 8, during the “Twenty-Four Hours for the Lord” prayer and penance ministry, which has been held annually for eleven years.
The celebration took place on Friday evening at the Parish Church of Saint Pius V in Rome. On that occasion, the Pope listened to the confession of some believers and granted absolution. The Pope’s reflection during the observance of “twenty-four hours for the Lord” was the sentence found in the fourth verse of the sixth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans written by the apostle Paul, “We too must live a new life.”
The Pope explained that the new life that the Apostle Paul is criticizing is the life that is born through the Baptism of God, which makes us absorbed in the resurrection of Jesus and makes us the children of the resurrection, the children of God, who should have eternal life forever. Therefore, the Pope exhorted that the new life that begins with baptism is a journey. The Pope also highlighted the fact that we already have a new life within us, waiting to ignite and spread light, like a coal hidden in ashes. The Pope added that the ashes that accumulate in the heart hide the beauty of our soul.
Therefore, the Pope said that in order to move forward in the journey of new life, we need the path of divine repentance that cleanses our insides. The Pope explained that forgiveness returns us to the state of rebirth through baptism. The Pope said that God wants us to be renewed, free, unburdened inside, happy and on the go. Therefore, the Pope reminded us not to abandon the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which provides forgiveness.
The Pope said that priests should forgive, like God, who forgives unceasingly, with the awareness that the forgiveness and peace proclaimed is the caress of the Holy Face on the hearts of the faithful. The Pope reminded the priests to grant forgiveness to those who ask for it and to help those who are afraid to approach the sacrament of healing and joy with faith.
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