The Sacrament of Mercy

"We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Cor 5:20). This heartfelt appeal of the apostle Paul has never ceased to resonate in the Church which still today invites every man to convert and to believe in the salvific power of the Gospel. However, so that the words "mercy," "reconciliation," and "conversion" do not remain mere catchy slogans, experience of the love of God must be continuously renewed. This is what happens every time in the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation: the man who was lost is transfigured by the merciful embrace of the Father, recovers his own filial vocation, and is made in his turn capable of mercy towards his brothers and sisters. Written with a simplicity of language and the result of the long experience of the author in listening to confessions and in service at the Apostolic Penitentiary, this book seeks to be at one and the same time a support for confessors and encouragement for all the faithful.

The 14 essays that make up this volume seek to lead the reader along this trajectory which, from becoming aware of one's own sin, through the forgiveness of God leads on to the joy of the resurrection and a declaration of the mercy that has been received. Indeed, the contributions offered in this work present the rich subject of Reconciliation and each one of them has a different approach. The picture that one obtains is that of a photograph of the various facets involved, in which each reader can find a particular facet that most strikes them, stimulating thereby personal meditation. At a more specific level, the texts present the mystery of sacramental Reconciliation from a threefold perspective: the canonical-sacramental, the theological-pedagogic and, lastly, the civil-legislative.