Confession - A marvel of love // la confesión, una maravilla de amor // a confissão

You have sometimes said and written that Confession is a marvel of love. What can you tell us about that? That's just what it is! It's even more than that! I start thinking about creation, and I'm amazed to think how God brought us out of nothing. Then the Redemption, and I see Christ on the Cross, fixed there, not just by nails, but by the love he has for us and his desire to save us. But if all that moves me to love, I'm moved to much more love and gratitude by his forgiveness when we offend... Him! When we stray from the path and stop being his children. I think about you mothers, the love you have for your children. And I was saying yesterday, I think it was yesterday, right here, that fathers pretend to be cold and hard-hearted when they're not, women are harder, forgive me for saying that. And after pretending to be very hard, you fathers are softer than anyone on your children when they say sorry. Because mothers and fathers love their children! Well, all your forgiveness and love are nothing in comparison with the love that made our Lord Jesus institute the Holy Sacrament of Penance. We go there and tell him, 'Lord, I have sinned against God, against you,' just like the prodigal son, and we come out healed and clean. The priest, who is Christ, says, 'I absolve you, I forgive you.' It's a marvel! We can never thank him enough for it!