Saint Gertrude Parish - Lasne

23. Indulgence, in fact, allows us to discover how limitless God's mercy is. It is no coincidence that, in Antiquity, the term "mercy" was interchangeable with the term "indulgence," precisely because the latter is meant to express the fullness of God's forgiveness, which knows no bounds.

The Sacrament of Penance assures us that God forgives our sins. The words of the psalm return with their consoling power: “He forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases; he redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion; […] The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love; […] He does not deal with us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as heaven is above earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:3-4, 8, 10-12). Sacramental Reconciliation is not only a beautiful spiritual opportunity, but it represents a decisive, essential, and indispensable step on each person's journey of faith. It is there that we allow the Lord to destroy our sins, to heal our hearts, to lift us up and embrace us, to reveal to us his tender and compassionate face. Indeed, there is no better way to know God than to allow ourselves to be reconciled by him (cf. 2 Cor 5:20), savoring his forgiveness. Let us therefore not renounce Confession, but rediscover the beauty of the sacrament of healing and joy, the beauty of the forgiveness of sins!

However, as we know from personal experience, sin “leaves its mark,” it has consequences: not only external, insofar as these are the consequences of the evil committed, but also internal, insofar as “every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which needs purification either here below or after death in the state called purgatory.” [18] Thus, in our weak humanity, drawn to evil, there remain “residual effects of sin.” These are eliminated by indulgence, always by the grace of Christ, which is, as Saint Paul VI wrote, “our ‘indulgence.’” [19] The Apostolic Penitentiary will publish the provisions for obtaining and making effective the practice of the Jubilee Indulgence.

Such an experience of forgiveness can only open the heart and mind to forgiveness. Forgiving does not change the past and cannot alter what has already happened. But forgiveness allows us to change the future and to live differently, without rancor, resentment, or revenge. A future illuminated by forgiveness allows us to read the past with different, more serene eyes, even if they are still clouded by tears.