"being able to do penance is a grace"

"I must say that we Christians, even in recent times, have often avoided the word 'penance,' which seemed too harsh to us. Now, under the attacks of the world that speaks to us of our sins, we see that being able to do penance is a grace and we see how it is necessary to do penance, that is, to recognize what is mistaken in our life, to open oneself to forgiveness, to prepare oneself for forgiveness, to allow oneself to be transformed. The pain of penance, that is to say of purification and of transformation, this pain is grace, because it is renewal, and it is the work of Divine Mercy" Pope Benedict XVI in a homily at a Mass in the Vatican for members of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, 15 April 2010.

On this, his 83rd birthday, it humbles me to realize that I never doubted the Holy Father, not for one moment, which is why wrote this last Friday: "I can't pass up the opportunity on this Easter Friday to say that the resurgence of the sex abuse crisis, this time involving the Holy Father, is an opportunity for us to either show that we are serious about living this way or not. I think the jury is still very much out on this, the only issue that matters. I love the Holy Father very much and pray for him daily, more so these past few weeks. I have admired him since long before he became pope. Nothing has tarnished the high regard in which I have long held him. His silence at this point, I believe, is no accident. I really think he is taking it all as a penance. I stand in solidarity with his prudence."

Viva Il Papa!

I missed it a few days ago, but on 14 April 1990 I was baptized, confirmed, and received Christ in communion for the first time. So, twenty years of the life that is truly life, which is life in Christ.

Christos Anesti