(Commenting on the First Letter of St. John)
Walking in darkness means being overly pleased with ourselves, believing that we do not need salvation. That is darkness! When we continue on this road of darkness, it is not easy to turn back. Therefore, John continues, because this way of thinking made him reflect: 'If we say we are without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us'. Look to your sins, to our sins, we are all sinners, all of us ... This is the starting point. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful, He is so just He forgives us our sins, cleansing us from all unrighteousness … The Lord who is so good, so faithful, so just that He forgives.
When the Lord forgives us, He does justice because He came to save and forgive: 'The Lord is tender towards those who fear, to those who come to Him.' This is what happens in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
But Jesus in the confessional is not a dry cleaner: it is an encounter with Jesus, but with this Jesus who waits for us, who waits for us just as we are. 'But, Lord, look ... this is how I am,' we are often ashamed to tell the truth: 'I did this, I thought this'. But shame is a true Christian virtue, and even human ... the ability to be ashamed: I do not know if there is a similar saying in Italian, but in our country to those who are never ashamed are called 'sin vergüenza': this means 'shameless', because they are people who do not have the ability to be ashamed and to be ashamed is a virtue of the humble, of the man and the woman who are humble.
We must have trust, because when we sin we have an advocate with the Father, 'Jesus Christ the righteous.' And He 'supports us before the Father' and defends us in front of our weaknesses. But you need to stand in front of the Lord 'with our truth of sinners', with confidence, even with joy, without masquerading... We must never masquerade before God. And shame is a virtue: 'blessed shame.' This is the virtue that Jesus asks of us: humility and meekness.
Humility and meekness are like the frame of a Christian life. A Christian must always be so, humble and meek. And Jesus waits for us to forgive us. We can ask Him a question: Is going to confession like to a torture session? No! It is going to praise God, because I, a sinner , have been saved by Him. And is He waiting for me to beat me? No, with tenderness to forgive me. And if tomorrow I do the same? Go again, and go and go and go .... He always waits for us. This tenderness of the Lord, this humility, this meekness ....
The Lord give us this grace, the courage to always go to Him with the truth, because the truth is light and not the darkness of half-truths or lies before God.
--Pope Francis, Homily 29 April 2013
http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-shame-is-a-true-christian-virtue
Ashamed for what you have done? Bare your soul in confession
