Read the Catechism in a Year
Day 234 - Mercy and Sin
How does a person know that he has sinned?
A person knows that he has sinned through his conscience, which accuses him and motivates him to confess his offenses to God. [1797, 1848]
Why must a sinner turn to God and ask him for forgiveness?
Every sin destroys, obscures, or denies what is good; God, however, is all-good and the author of all good. Therefore every sin goes against God (also) and must be set right again through contact with him. [1847]
How do we know that God is merciful?
In many passages in Sacred Scripture God shows that he is merciful, especially in the parable of the merciful father (Lk 15) who goes out to meet his prodigal son, accepts him unconditionally, and celebrates his return and their reconciliation with a joyful banquet. [1846, 1870]
Already in the Old Testament God says through the prophet Ezekiel: “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezek 33:11). Jesus is sent “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt 15:24), and he knows that “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Mt 9:12). Therefore he eats with tax collectors and sinners, and then toward the end of his earthly life he even interprets his death as an initiative of God’s merciful love: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Mt 26:28). (YOUCAT questions 312-314)
Dig Deeper: Corresponding CCC section (1846-1851) and other references here.
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