Confession remains a privileged source of holiness, peace and joy.
~Pope Paul VI, Gaudete in Domino
Ave Maria! One of the finest things about the Catholic Church is confession. And when lots of Catholics come together for a special occasion, such as World Youth Day, we can be sure to find one or more priest available for this wonderful sacrament of reconciliation. World Youth Day 2011, which is now gloriously unfolding in Madrid, is no exception. The Festival of Forgiveness has 200 confessionals that are now open for business, so to speak. According to the official Web site for WYD 2011: "From Tuesday 16th to Saturday 20th August, hundreds of priests will be available in turns to administer the sacrament of Confession in Spanish, English, French, Italian, German, Polish, Portuguese and any other language that the confessor may master. The timetable will be Tuesday to Friday (from 10 am to 10 pm) and Saturday (from 10 am to 3 pm). The Holy Father will also go along to hear the Confession of some lucky young people." There will also be special accommodations for the deaf and disabled.
WOW! How great is that?! What a celebration of God's love must be going on there right now -- yes, a true festival! God bless all those priests and all those penitents! I pray that each one may deeply experience the "holiness, peace and joy" of confession. And then, like the skater in the picture above, may they move on, "forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead [as they] press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14).
Praised be Jesus Christ, so rich in love and mercy!
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