During his homily at Casa Santa Marta, the pope reflected on God's compassion. He said Jesus wasn't shaken by the gravity of diseases nor by the sins of people He met.
POPE FRANCIS
“He is not ashamed of us. 'Oh Father, I am a sinner. How can I say this?' [The fact that you are a sinner is] better! For He came precisely for us sinners, and the greater a sinner you are, the closer the Lord is to you.”
The pope also said Jesus didn't come simply to preach the law. To fulfill His mission, He let Himself be guided by compassion for humanity, to the point of giving his life for it.
EXCERPTS FROM POPE'S HOMILY
Source: Vatican News
Compassion gets involved. It comes from the heart and gets involved, and it leads you to do something. Compassion is “suffering with,” taking the suffering of the other person upon yourself in order to resolve it, to heal it. This was the mission of Jesus. Jesus did not come to preach the law and then leave. Jesus came in compassion, that is, to suffer with and for us and to give us life itself. The love of Jesus is so great that compassion led Him precisely to the Cross, to give His life.
“Lord, if you will, you can heal me; if you will, you can forgive me; if you will, you can help me.” Or, if you want, [you can make it] a little longer: “Lord, I am a sinner, have mercy on me, have compassion on me.” A simple prayer that can be said many times a day. “Lord, I, a sinner, ask you: have mercy on me.” Many times a day, inwardly, from the heart, without saying it out loud: “Lord, if you will, you can; if you will, you can. Have compassion on me.” Repeat this.
He is not ashamed of us. “O Father, I am a sinner, how can I say this?...” [This is] better! For He came precisely for us sinners, and the greater a sinner you are, the closer the Lord is to you, for He has come for you, the greatest sinner; for me, the greatest sinner; for all of us. Let us make a habit of repeating this prayer, always: “Lord, if you will it, you can do it. If you will it, you can do it,” with confidence that the Lord is close to us; and with His compassion, He will take upon Himself our problems, our sins, our inner diseases, everything.
Javier Romero
Translation: Claudia Torres
