Head of the Apostolic
Penitentiary: “Let us run to the confessional in these holy days!”
 |
| Cross |
The Major Penitentiary encourages all the faithful to make
good use of the sacraments during the feasts of All Saints and All Souls this
weekend, both for ourselves and for those who “can no longer do it for
themselves, but who can receive of our charity”.
By Joachim Teigen
Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic
Penitentiary, on Tuesday, released a letter to all the faithful on the occasion
of the Solemnity of All Saints and the Commemoration of the faithful departed.
The Apostolic Penitentiary is one of the tribunals of the
Roman Curia, whose field of jurisdiction is mainly the lifting of
excommunications, dispensations for sacramental impediments, and the issuance
and governance of indulgences. For this reason, the Penitentiary is called “a
tribunal of mercy”, responsible for the forgiveness of sins.
All Saints and All Souls
The upcoming holy days will take place on Friday and
Saturday. On Friday, the Solemnity of All Saints, the Church here on earth
remembers all those holy men and women who are now in the presence of God,
the Church Triumphant, and asks for their intercession on our
behalf.
On Saturday, it is the Church on earth which intercedes on
behalf of all the faithful departed, those who died in Christ and are being
purified so as to join the heavenly choirs of angels and saints, and who can
benefit from our prayers and good works.
“The Church of the Trinity”
In order to more fully understand this mystery, Cardinal
Piacenza begins his letter by asking “what – or better still
– who is the Church?”. He reminds the readers that the Church
is always the “Church of the Trinity”, which is why we cannot fail to remember
her heavenly dimension, and that in Christ we find ourselves “embracing our
saved brothers and sisters who have left this world.”
“This is the reality conveyed by the upcoming liturgies” the
Cardinal said, expressing his wish that “driven by our affectionate remembrance
of our dearly departed” we may all draw on the “inexhaustible treasure of
Communion”, as well as contributing with our personal prayer, penitence and
works of mercy.
The treasure of the Church’s mercy
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines
indulgences as “a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins
whose guilt has already been forgiven”. “Temporal punishment” is a consequence
of sin, and not the same as “eternal punishment”, but nevertheless it requires
purification before entering heaven.
Despite the disrepute into which they fell after the
Protestant Reformation, Cardinal Piacenza said that indulgences express the
“drawing of the treasure of the Church’s mercy”, and reminded the faithful that
they are applicable to both the living and the dead.
The same treasure of mercy is expressed in the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. “Let us go, indeed let us run to the confessional in these holy
days!” was the Cardinal’s encouragement, and with it a plea to all confessors
to show a generous availability to all those who wish to implore the Divine
Mercy, and by so doing also strengthen their faith.
Spiritual renewal
Cardinal Piacenza pointed out the many opportunities in the
days ahead “of consolation, of encouragement, and of the drying of tears”,
hoping that these occasions would help us understand what it means to be on a
“daily pilgrimage”, and so experience a spiritual renewal.
Asking the faithful to “open their hearts to the gifts of
the Holy Spirit”, he entrusted the Church to “the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother
of Mercy, Queen of all the Saints and Gate of Heaven”, asking her to pray to
the Divine Mercy for “the entry of all our brothers and sisters into Paradise”.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét