However, God’s forgiveness, the Pope detailed, “cleanses us from the inside, returning us to the condition of baptismal rebirth: it makes the fresh waters of grace flow again in the heart, parched by sadness and dusted by the sins; “Remove the ashes from the embers of the soul, cleanse those interior stains that prevent us from trusting God, hugging our brothers and sisters, and loving ourselves.”
This purification of the heart requires our commitment, the Pontiff explained, but it is not enough. Thus, he added, “only God is capable of knowing and healing the heart. Only He can deliver him from evil. To do this, we must bring our open and contrite hearts to Him; imitate the leper in the Gospel, who prays to him like this: ‘If you want, you can purify me!'”
Pope Francis once again interacted with those present to repeat the leper’s words twice out loud and once in silence. And then, following one of his improvised moments, he also called to reiterate that “the Lord never tires of forgiving.”