Pope Francis, General Audience
February 3, 2016
"Sacred Scripture presents God as infinite mercy but also as perfect justice. How do we reconcile the two? How do we reconcile the reality of Mercy with the demands of justice? It might seem as if these are two contradictory realities; in reality it is not like this because it is the mercy of God that brings to fullness of Justice. But what kind of justice is this? It is a process which avoids going to court and provides the victim a direct path to the wrongdoer to invite him to conversion, helping him to understand that he is doing evil by appealing to his conscience.Persuasion is beautiful because it allows the heart to open to the forgiveness that is being offered. And this is the way to resolve conflicts within families, in relationships between spouses or between parents and children where the injured loves the guilty and wants to save the relationship that binds them. This is how God acts towards us sinners. The Lord of Mercy wants to save everyone. The challenge is to let God enter one's heart. When we go to confession, we all hope to fin da father, a father who can help us to change our lives. A father who gives us the strength to go on. A father who forgives us in the name of God. For this reason, it is a great responsibility to be a confessor, a very great responsibility indeed."
