Therefore, let us not renounce God’s forgiveness, the sacrament of Reconciliation: it is not a practice of devotion, but the foundation of Christian existence; It is not about expressing sins well, but about recognizing ourselves as sinners and throwing ourselves into the arms of Jesus, of the love of Jesus crucified to be liberated; It is not a moralistic gesture, but the resurrection of the heart. The Risen Lord resurrects all of us. Let us, then, go to receive God’s forgiveness, and we, who administer it, feel ourselves to be dispensers of the joy of the Father who finds his lost son; let us feel that our hands, placed on the heads of the faithful, are the hands pierced by the mercy of God, which transforms the wounds of sin into channels of mercy; and we, who act as confessors, may feel that the “forgiveness and peace” that we proclaim are the caress of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of the faithful. Dear brothers, let us forgive. Dear brother priests, let us always forgive like God who never tires of forgiving and let us rediscover ourselves; Let us always grant forgiveness to those who ask for it, and let us help those who are afraid to approach with confidence the sacrament of healing and joy. Let us once again put God’s forgiveness at the center of the Church.
And you, dear brother priests, do not ask too much, do not go there, no. Let them speak and forgive everything.
And now, as we prepare to welcome the new life, let us confess to the Lord that there is much of the old in us, ugly things. The leprosy of sin has stained our beauty, and that is why we say: Jesus, if you want, you can purify me. All together: Jesus, if you want, you can purify me. To think that I don’t need you every day: Jesus, if you want, you can purify me! To live peacefully with my duplicity, without seeking the path to freedom in your forgiveness: Jesus, if you want, you can purify me! When good intentions are not followed by works, when I postpone prayer and meeting you: Jesus, if you want, you can purify me! When I accept evil, dishonesty, falsehood, when I judge others, I despise them and gossip about them, complaining about everyone and everything: Jesus, if you want, you can purify me! And when I am satisfied with not doing evil, but I do not do good by serving the Church and society: Jesus, if you want, you can purify me! Yes, Jesus, I believe you can cleanse me, I believe I need your forgiveness. Jesus, renew me and I will walk again in a new life. Jesus, if you want, you can purify me!