‘Jesus forgave even those who crucified and scorned him’

SIN AND THE SINNER

The Holy Father explains that while the Church may hate the sin, it must embrace the sinner – because it is sinners the Church are trying to save.

The Church condemns sin because it has to relay the truth: ‘This is a sin.’ But at the same time, it embraces the sinner who recognises himself as such, it welcomes him, it speaks to him of the infinite mercy of God.

Jesus forgave even those who crucified and scorned him. We must go back to the Gospel. We find that it speaks not only of welcoming and forgiveness but also of the ‘feast’ for the returning son.

The expression of mercy is the joy of the feast, and that is well expressed in the Gospel of Luke: ‘I tell you, in

just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who have no need of repentance’ (Luke 15:7). It does not say: and if he should then relapse and go back to his ways and commit more sins,

that’s his problem! No, when Peter asked how many times he should forgive someone, Jesus said, not seven times but 70 times seven (Matthew 18:22), or in other words, always.

The older son of the merciful father was allowed to say what was true even if he didn’t understand the situation, and that was because as soon as the younger brother started blaming himself, he didn’t have time to speak: he was interrupted by his father, who embraced him.

Precisely because there is sin in the world, precisely because our human nature is wounded by original sin, God, who delivered his Son for us, revealed himself as mercy.