Mercy Always Has the Final Word

The truth is simple: none of us is perfect.

From the beginning, humanity has carried the wound of original sin. We know what is right—and still, at times, we choose the opposite. We fall. We fail. We repeat mistakes we promised ourselves we wouldn’t make again.

But here is the good news:

Sin never has the final word.

Whenever we turn back to God and ask for His mercy, He forgives us. Every time.

Pope Francis once said that God never grows tired of forgiving us—we grow tired of asking for forgiveness. And that one sentence changes everything.

Because it means that even when we fall again… and again… the door is still open.

Saint Paul reminds us why:

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

Not the perfect.
Not the strong.
Not those who never fall.

He came knowing our weakness. Knowing our struggles. Knowing exactly who we are.

Jesus himself told stories to help us understand the heart of God. Think of the prodigal son—the one who made terrible choices, wasted everything, and came home expecting rejection. Instead, his father ran to meet him, embraced him, and restored him.

That is what God does.

Jesus also called himself the Good Shepherd—the one who leaves the ninety-nine to search for the single lost sheep. Not because the sheep is deserving, but because it is loved.

Even on the cross, in unimaginable suffering, Jesus forgave. He promised paradise to the good thief. He prayed for those who were killing him.

This is the heart of God.

We may struggle to forgive. We may keep score. We may grow tired. But God does not.

He never stops inviting us back.

And we encounter this mercy in a powerful, personal way in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

In confession, Jesus meets us through the priest. When we honestly confess our sins and accept our penance, we hear the words of absolution—not as a symbol, not as a hope, but as a certainty.

We are forgiven.

Not because we earned it.
Not because we deserved it.
But because God is rich in mercy.

So no matter how many times you fall, remember this:

The Father is still watching the road.
The Shepherd is still searching.
And Christ is still saying, “Come back to me.”