Pope at Santa Marta: ‘God’s love
is like that of a mother and father’
Speaking during the homily at morning Mass at the Casa Santa
Marta Pope Francis reflected on the love the Lord has for each of us.
By Linda Bordoni
Addressing the faithful present for morning Mass on
Thursday, Pope Francis said that to seek the Sacrament of
Penance is not like going to the Laundromat to wash away the dirt, it is to
receive God’s loving embrace.
As we approach Holy Week, the Pope reiterated that the Lord
is ever faithful and that he never forgets us, and this, he said, gives us
reason to rejoice and to hope.
Referring to the first liturgical reading of the day from
the Book of Genesis, he recalled God’s promise to maintain his covenant with
Abraham, a covenant, the Pope said, He will remember forever.
God’s love is as visceral as that of a mother and a father
God’s “visceral love”, Francis said, is such that He will
never forget. And recalling the blue and purple “forget-me-not” flowers that
are offered in Argentina for ‘Mothers’ Day’, he said that the purple ones are
for those mothers who are deceased:
“God’s love is like the love of a mother. He never
forgets us. Never. He is faithful to his covenant. This gives us security”
and even in moments of difficulty we can be sure that He has not forgotten us,
he said.
The Sacrament of Penance is not like going to the Laundromat
God’s faithfulness, Pope Francis continued, leads us to joy.
Like Abraham our joy stems from being able to rejoice in hope because each of
us knows that even if we are not faithful, God is, as illustrated in the
episode of the Good Thief:
“God cannot disown himself, he cannot disown us, he
cannot disown his love, and he cannot disown his people” the Pope said:
“because He loves us and this is the faithfulness of God”.
Francis then reflected on the fact that when we seek the
Sacrament of Penance we must not do so as if we were going to the Laundromat to
wash away the dirt: “No. We go to Confession to receive the love of this
faithful God who always awaits us. Always”.
Rejoicing in hope
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