An illuminating, reassuring explanation of the Catholic Church's teachings on confession and forgiveness by the bestselling author of The Lamb's Supper and Hail, Holy Queen. Jesus told his first clergy, If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. In Lord, Have Mercy, Scott Hahn explores the sacrament of reconciliation and shows why it is the key to spiritual growth, particularly in these times of intense anxiety and uncertainty. Drawing on the history of ancient Israel, the Gospels, the writings of the early Church, and the lives of the saints, Hahn reveals the living, scriptural heart of the Church's teachings on penance, forgiveness, and reconciliation. It is a story that begins with the sin of Adam and Eve, continues in the biographies of Moses, King David, and the Apostle Peter, and reverberates in the lives of believers today.