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On Ash Wednesday, Archbishop José H. Gomez (Archdiocese of San Antonio) issued a pastoral letter entitled "The Tender Mercy of Our God."
In it, Archbishop Gomez discusses the gravity of sin and the greatness of forgiveness and reconciliation in Christ.
"To deny the reality of God and sin," Archbishop Gomez writes, "is to deny our own human experience and the testimony of the Gospel. As the apostle John wrote, ‘If we say, "We are without sin," we deceive ourselves’ (1 John 1:8)."
"Our Lord made clear that evil and sin could thwart our path to heaven," Archbishop Gomez says.
But he also reminds the faithful that Jesus came not to condemn the world but to save it.
"He wants every one to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). That is why he left us this powerful sacrament [of Confession] by which we are reconciled to God—so that none of us would be lost, so that all of us would come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). Jesus came to bring us a new and abundant life (John 10:10–11)."
Archbishop Gomez encourages the faithful to experience the healing power of Christ through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. "Every confession is a very personal, private, and emotional encounter with God," he says, and "a remedy for what ails us." He asks that parents would take their children to Confession and that priests would work to arrange "family-friendly" hours.
He also urges the faithful to develop a true spirit of penance, which "is an expression of our joy and thanks at being liberated from our sins." Christians need to imitate Christ’s mercy and forgiveness in the face of a culture of revenge.
"The Tender Mercy of Our God" provides pastoral wisdom and practical guidance that will help Catholics long after Lent has ended.
Click here to read the full text (PDF format). |
