God Does Not Grow Weary Of Forgiving Us – Pope Francis

This is the English translation of Pope Francis’ sharing at the Angeklus prayer last Sunday.

Brothers and sisters, hello! After the first conference last Wednesday, today I can once more offer my welcoming to everyone, and I am glad to do it on Sunday, the Lord’s day! This is important and beautiful for us Christians: coming together on Sunday, welcoming each other, talking with each other like we are doing now below in the piazza; a piazza that, thanks to the media, has the measurements of the world.

On this fifth Sunday of Lent, the Gospel provides us with the episode of the adulterous woman (cf. John 8:1 -11), who Jesus saves from the death sentence. Jesus’ mindset is striking: we do not hear words of scorn, we do not hear words of stricture, however just words of love, of mercy, that invite us to conversion. ‘Neither do I condemn you: go and sin no more!’ (8:11).

Well, sisters and brothers, the face of God is that of a merciful Father, who always has patience with us. Have you thought of Gods persistence, the determination that he eats each of us? That is his mercy. He constantly has perseverance, perseverance with us, he comprehends us, he awaits us, he does not grow weary of forgiving us if we understand how to return to him with a contrite heart. Great is the mercy of the Lord, the Psalm states.

Over these past few days I have been able to check out a book by Cardinal Kasper, a smart theologian, a good theologian on mercy; and it did me much great that book – however do not think that I am promoting the books of my cardinals! It is not that way! But it did me much good, much great … Cardinal Kasper stated that hearing the word mercy, this word modifications everything. It is the best word we can hear: it changes the globe. A little mercy makes the globe less cold and more simply. We need to rightly understand this mercy of God, this merciful Father, who has a great deal of persistence … Let us bear in mind the prophet Isaiah, who states that even if our sins are bright red, God’s mercy can make them white as snow.

Mercy is beautiful! I remember, when I had just become a bishop, in the year 1992, Our Lady of Fatima had just arrived in Buenos Aires and there was a big Mass for the sick. I went to hear confessions at that Mass, and near the end of the Mass I got up, because I needed to administer holy oil. An old lady came to me, a humble woman, really humble – over 80 years old. I looked at her and I said to her: ‘Grandma,’ because in our country this is what we call old women: ‘Grandma do you want to go to confession?’ ‘Yes’, she stated to me. So I said to her, “But you don’t need to if you have not sinned.”  But she replied, “We all have sinned.”  So I said to her, “But maybe the Lord does not forgive us all.’   “The Lord forgives everything”, she said me.  So I asked her, “How do you know that, madam?”  “If the Lord did not forgive us all”,  she said,  “this world would no longer exist. I thought of asking her, Tell me, madam, did you study at the Gregorian, since that’s the wisdom of the Holy Spirit: interior wisdom about the mercy of God.

Let us not forget this: God never ever grows weary of forgiving us. Never ever! Dad, exactly what’s the issue? Well, the issue is that we grow weary, we do not wish to request mercy, we tire of requesting for forgiveness. He never tires of forgiving, but we, at times, we tire of asking forgiveness. Let us never ever tire, let us never tire! He is the enjoying Father, who constantly forgives, who has that heart of mercy for we all. And we too have to learn to be merciful with each other.

We invoke the intercession of Our Lady who composed her arms the Mercy of God made man. Now let us entirely pray the Angelus.

After the Angelus, His Holiness, Pope Francis said,  ‘I offer a friendly greeting to all the pilgrims. Thanks for your welcome and for your prayers. I ask you to pray for me. I restore my welcome of the faithful of Rome and I extend it to all of you, who originate from different parts of Italy and of the world, and to those who are joining through various media. I picked the name of the Patron of Italy, St. Francis of Assisi, and that strengthens my spiritual bond with this land, where as you know my family has its beginnings. Jesus has actually called us to be part of a new family: his Church, this family of God, walking together along the way of the Gospel. May the Lord bless you, might Our Lady shield you. Do not forget this: the Lord never wearies of forgiving! We are the ones who tired of requesting for forgiveness. Have a great Sunday and a good lunch!’