Pope: 'go to the Lord with an open heart: He is the father waiting for us'

God "does not threaten, but calls gently, trusting" to invite us to "change our life". He says: "Come and let’s talk, there is no problem, only forgiveness," start at the beginning there are no threats".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The confessor should have the same attitude as the Lord who "does not threaten, but gently calls, communicating confidence" to invite us "to change of our life", said Pope Francis at Mass this morning at Casa Santa Marta.  He was commenting on the first reading about Isaiah, a true "call to conversion". And Lent is a time that "helps conversion", towards drawing close to God, a “grace” that we need to pray for.

Francis recalled that "come let us talk" are the Lord’s words to the leaders of Sodom and to the people of Gomorrah, to whom He had already indicated the "evil" to be avoided and the "good" to be followed. He does so with us too. "The Lord says, 'Come, come on. Come and let’s talk a little bit. He does not scare us. He’s like the father of the teenager who has made a mistake and who must be chastised. And He knows that if He goes after him with a cane, it will not be all right, He has to approach building trust. In this passage the Lord calls us thus: 'Come on, come. Let's have a coffee together. We will talk, we will argue. Do not be afraid, I do not want to beat you. " And He knows that the son thinks, 'But I did things ...' – but immediately responds: 'Even if your sins were like scarlet, they will become white as snow. Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool ".

Like the father towards a teenage son, Jesus with a "gesture of trust brings us closer to forgiveness and changes our heart". This is what he did by calling Zacchaeus or Matthew, and this is what he does in our life, he shows us "how to take a step forward on the path of conversion". "We thank the Lord for His goodness. He does not want to beat us and condemn us. He gave his life for us and this is His goodness. And He is always looking for the way into our heart. And when we priests, in the place of the Lord, must hear conversions, we too must have this attitude of goodness, as the Lord says: 'Come, let's talk, there's no problem, there's forgiveness,' and no threats, from the beginning".

In this regard, the Pope recounted the experience of a cardinal confessor who, faced with a sin he perceives to be "big", does not linger too much and goes on, continuing to talk: "And this opens the heart" and "the other person feels at peace ". This is what the Lord does with us, he says: "Come, let us talk, let us speak. Take receipt of forgiveness, forgiveness is there ".

The Pope concluded : "It helps me to see this attitude of the Lord: the father with the son who believes he is big, that he has grown up but is only still halfway there. And the Lord knows that we are all only half way there and we often need this, to hear this word: 'But come, do not be frightened, come. There is forgiveness. And this encourages us. Going to the Lord with an open heart: it is the father who awaits us ".