“Therefore, is thy brother a sinner? Then cover his sin and pray for him. Dost thou publish his sins, then truly thou art not a child of your merciful Father; for otherwise thou wouldst be also as he, merciful. It is certainly true that we cannot show as great mercy to our neighbor, as God has to us; but it is the true work of the devil that we do the very opposite of mercy, which is a sure sign that there is not a grain of mercy in us.” ChildrenArtShowsFatherSinBrotherPrayingDevilMercyOppositesNeighborSinnerGrainPublishMerciful Author:Martin Luther
“The forgiveness of God is gratuitous liberation from guilt. Paradoxically, the conviction of personal sinfulness becomes the occasion of encounter with the merciful love of the redeeming God. "There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner repenting..." (Luke 15:7). In his brokenness, the repentant prodigal knew an intimacy with his father that his sinless, self-righteous brother would never know.” KnowsSelfFatherHeavenBrotherGuiltConvictionOccasionsIntimacyLiberationEncountersSinnerRejoiceRighteousRepentMercifulBrokennessLukeSelf RighteousRedeemingProdigalsSinfulness Book:The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out Source: The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out
“There is another temptation which we must especially guard against: the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil; or, if you will, the righteous and sinners. The contemporary world, with its open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps.” IfsWorldTwoFormEvilBrotherDemandWoundsContemporaryTemptationSinnerDividesCampsRighteousBrothers And SistersPolarizationReductionism Author:Pope Francis