Beautiful article by Archbishop Aquila from Denver, who met with a couple of women from Rachels Vineyard. It speaks about the need for ministry and  retreats for healing from abortion .

I love that he used the same quote I have been ending my witness talk with for 20 years! It truly says it all : “Let the greatest sinners place their trust in my mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of my mercy. My daughter, write about my mercy toward tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to my mercy delight me. To such souls I grant even more graces than asked. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to my compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in my unfathomable and inscrutable mercy.”

Thank you !

Jesus, teach us to imitate your mercy

September 22, 2014

Last week I met two amazing women dedicated to healing the broken. They were from Rachel’s Vineyard, an apostolate that holds retreats for men and women who have experienced the tragic consequences of choosing abortion.

During our meeting I heard something that surprised me. I learned that sometimes people in parishes question the need for retreats for those who have aborted their children. The fact that these retreats are being questioned is revealing.

It shows that some people have failed to grasp the power and depth of God’s mercy, which is able to wipe away every sin. Abortion is undeniably a grave sin, but it is by no means a sin beyond God’s mercy.

It also demonstrates that it is not widely known that abortion not only takes an innocent life but also inflicts deep wounds on the mother and father. Christ longs to forgive and heal those who have sinned, no matter what the sin, and he desires to do so through his Church.

Benedict XVI reflected on this truth in a 2008 address to priests on the importance of the sacrament of confession in our day. To illustrate his point, he recalled the passage from Luke’s Gospel (7:36-50) in which a well-known prostitute walks into the house of Simon the Pharisee, while he is hosting Jesus for dinner.

The sinful woman expressed her repentance by bathing Jesus’ feet with her tears, drying them with her hair and anointing them with oil. In contrast, Simon presumed that he was righteous and that he had nothing serious to be forgiven for.

Then-Pope Benedict explained, the “message that shines out from this Gospel passage is eloquent: God forgives all to those who love much. Those who trust in themselves and in their own merits are … blinded by their ego and their heart is hardened in sin.”

The rest is here