“If the Lord didn’t forgive everything, our world would not exist.” I love this quote because it reminds me that I am a sinner and that as a human being I must seek forgiveness from God so that my sins of hurt and upset can be absolved. Forgiving is like a chess board where the priest is listening to the confessional and the faithful is repenting of their misgivings, doubts, and other issues they are dealing with. I can never forgive too much. Forgiving frees the heart from bitterness and health issues.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is key,
Releasing anger and pain,
Love and peace remain

(9/12/2023) ( )

An Incredible Read

I am a big fan of this pope and I am not even Catholic! I found his words on what forgiveness looks like, what mercy means, and his general look at life so refreshing.
The book is written as an interview- question and then answer. The answers are brief and to the point, but they are deep. Even though this is just a 100 pg book or so, I took my time to read the responses carefully as they were rich.
There will be some who question his focus on the natural sinfulness of the person or the substitutionary view of the Gospel, but he is the pope and he is using their theology. Otherwise, there is a lot of wisdom here.

I thank God for Pope Francis. He is a beacon of love and hope and especially mercy, and in today's world that feels like a rare and needed thing. I cannot imagine a more humble leader and this book captures his understanding of the Gospel. Not unique really, but beautiful and worthy of all of our attention.
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A model of genuine religious thought. I confess, I didn't think I'd feel so much reading this book. Francis has an uncanny ability to cut through cynicism.

"If the Lord didn't forgive everything, our world would not exist."
"The Church Fathers teach us that a shattered heart is the most pleasing gift to God. It is the sign we are conscious of our sins."
He who complains about others being forgiven "speaks the truth," because wrong has been done, "but at the same time he disqualifies himself," because he lacks mercy.
"None of us should speak of injustice without thinking of all the injustices we have committed before God."
"Corruption is the sin which, rather than being recognized as such and making us humble, is elevate to a system, it becomes a mental habit, a way of living. We no longer feel the need for forgiveness and mercy, but we justify ourselves and our behaviors... the corrupt man always has the gall to say: "It wasn't me!"... The corrupt man gets angry because his wallet is stolen and so he complains about the lack of safety on the streets, but then he is the one who cheats the state by evading taxes, or else he fires his employees every three months so he doesn't have to hire them with a permanent contract... He is the one who goes to Mass every Sunday but has no problem using his powerful position to demand kickbacks."

It's interesting to see how much of Francis's rhetoric is aimed at people who think of themselves as progressive: gay people might be sinners, but they're not corrupt; the corrupt are the rich and the politically conservative. It's also true, though, that progressives are corrupt in the terms that Francis describes here: they (we), too, have the gall to say that nothing is our fault.

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2016 (review can be found at the link - which is a LibraryThing page)
https://www.librarything.com/topic/220674#5627445 ( )