and being met with mercy instead of condemnation. That's the heart of our faith right there.

People don't understand confession. They think it's about shame or control. But it's actually the most liberating thing. It's admitting "I'm broken and I can't fix myself" and hearing God say through the priest "I know, beloved. I've already paid for this. You're forgiven. Now go and sin no more." Every single time, no matter how many times you come back with the same struggles ✝️

I used to be terrified of confession. Now I crave it. Not because I want to sin, but because I need that tangible encounter with God's mercy. I need to hear those words of absolution spoken over me. I need the grace the sacrament provides to actually change, to grow, to become who God created me to be 💕

The saints weren't people who never fell. They were people who kept getting back up, kept running back to the Father, kept believing in mercy even when they felt unworthy of it. That's the journey—not perfection, but perseverance in love 🕊️

When was the last time you experienced real mercy, the kind that changes you from the inside?