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Saint Thorlac: Merciful Confessor
Before he was consecrated Abbot or elected Bishop, Thorlac was a parish priest at the site called Kirkjubaer for six years. There, he and a fellow priest sought "to bear all the responsibilities on behalf of all those people inhabiting the districts close by them." (4) In plain words, St. Thorlac and his colleague heard confessions and then performed most of the penances of their people themselves as an act of mercy and a means by which penitents could joyfully experience the freedom of forgiveness. Thorlac continued this practice even as Bishop, spending many nights awake in prayer and fasting specifically for the redemption of his people. (5)
Thorlac’s desire was always for mercy and reconciliation, not excommunication, between his people and the Church. When his health began to fail, he issued a decree from his sickbed forgiving several souls whom he had excommunicated "as a comfort to them" from a Bishop who did not wish to see souls excluded without one last attempt at reconciliation. (6) Instead of celebrating this magnanimous gesture, the parties in question ridiculed Bishop Thorlac. When he had the strength to speak again, Thorlac regretfully reinstated his original ruling. (7) Even after his death, Thorlac led supplicants to amend their ways. In one case, he healed an unwed mother and her newborn child, counseling her first about improper relationships. (8)
St. Thorlac consistently demonstrated mercy in all that he did and all that he taught: The mercy of forgiveness, the mercy of reconciliation, and the mercy we can show one another. For, when all is said and done, the purpose of mercy is to bring others, rejoicing, back to God.
St. Thorlac, Merciful Confessor: Pray For Us!