At the General Audience the Pope recalls that God’s forgiveness blots out sin at the root – The ocean and the snow

God in his goodness “does not hide the
sin but destroys and blots it out”. Indeed, “he blots it out from the very
root, not as they do at the dry cleaners’ when we take a suit and they remove a
stain“. No! God blots out our sin from the very root, completely! ”. With this
evocative imagery Pope Francis spoke of divine mercy in the catechesis — the
last in a series dedicated to the Jubilee theme in light of the Old Testament —
during the General Audience on Wednesday, 30 March. With the faithful present
in St Peter’s Square, the Pope elaborated on Psalm 51[50], the ‘Miserere’. The
following is a translation of the Holy Father’s address, which he gave in
Italian.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Good morning,

Today we shall complete the catecheses on
mercy in the Old Testament, and do so by meditating on Psalm 51[50], known as
the Miserere. It is a penitential prayer in which the request for forgiveness is
preceded by the confession of sins and in which the one praying allows himself
to be purified by the Lord’s love. Thus, he becomes a new creature, capable of
obedience, steadfastness of spirit, and of sincere praise.

The
“title” that the ancient Hebrew tradition gave to this Psalm refers to King
David and his sin with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. We are quite
familiar with the event. Kind David, called by God to shepherd the people and
guide them on the paths of obedience to divine Law, betrayed his mission and,
after committing adultery with Bathsheba, has her husband put to death. A
terrible sin! The prophet Nathan shows David his sin and helps him to recognize
it. It is the moment of reconciliation with God, in confessing his sin. Here David
was humble. He showed greatness!

Those who pray with this Psalm are called
to feel the same sense of remorse and of trust in God, which David had when he
mended his ways and, although the king, he humbled himself without being afraid
to confess his crime and show his misery to the Lord, yet confident that the
Lord’s mercy was assured. What he had done was not a minor sin, a small lie: he
had committed adultery and murder!

The
Psalm begins with these words of supplication:

“Have mercy on
me, O God,

according to
thy steadfast love;

according to
thy abundant mercy

blot out my
transgressions.

Wash me
thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me
from my sin! (vv. 1-2).

The invocation is addressed to the God of
mercy in order that, moved by a love as great as that of a father or mother, he
have mercy, that is, grant grace, show his favour with benevolence and
understanding. It is a heartfelt plea to God, who alone can free one from sin.
Very descriptive images are used: blot out, wash me, cleanse me. Made manifest
in this prayer is man’s true need: the only thing that we truly need in our
life is that of being forgiven, freed from evil and from its consequence of
death. Unfortunately, life often makes us experience these situations. In [such
circumstances] we must first trust in mercy. God is greater than our sin. Let
us not forget this: God is greater than our sin! “Father, I do not know how to
say it. I have committed many, serious [sins]!”. God is greater than all the
sins we can commit. God is greater than our sin. Shall we say it together? All
together: “God is greater than our sin!”. Once again: “God is greater than our
sin!”. Once more: “God is greater than our sin!”. His love is an ocean in which
we can immerse ourselves without fear of being overcome: to God forgiving means
giving us the certainty that he never abandons us. Whatever our heart may
admonish us, he is still and always greater than everything (cf. 1 Jn 3:20),
because God is greater than our sin.

In
this sense, whoever prays with this Psalm seeks forgiveness, confesses his sin,
but in acknowledging it celebrates the justice and holiness of God. Moreover he
asks to be granted grace and mercy. The Psalmist trusts in the goodness of God.
He knows that divine goodness is immensely effective, because [God] creates
what he says. He does not hide the sin but destroys and blots it out. He blots
it out from the very root, not as they do at the dry cleaners’ when we take a
suit and they remove a stain. No! God blots out our sin from the very root,
completely! Therefore the penitent person becomes pure again; every stain is
eliminated and now he is whiter than pure snow. We are all sinners. Is this
true? If any of you does not feel you are a sinner, raise your hand…. No one.
We all are sinners. We sinners, with forgiveness, become new creatures, filled
by the spirit and full of joy. Now a new reality begins for us: a new heart, a
new spirit, a new life. We, forgiven sinners, who have received divine grace,
can even teach others to sin no more. “But Father, I am weak, I fall, I fall”.
— “If you fall, get up! Stand up!”. When a child falls, what does he do? He
raises his hand to mom, to dad so they help him to get up. Let us do the same!
If out of weakness you fall into sin, raise your hand: the Lord will take it
and help you get up. This is the dignity of God’s forgiveness! The dignity that
God’s forgiveness gives us is that of lifting us up, putting us back on our
feet, because he created men and woman to stand on their feet.

The
Psalmist says:

“Create in me
a clean heart, O God,

and put a new
and right spirit within me.

[…].

Then I will
teach transgressors thy ways,

and sinners
will return to thee” (vv. 10, 13).

Dear
brothers and sisters, God’s forgiveness is what we all need, and it is the
greatest sign of his mercy. It is a gift that every forgiven sinner is called
to share with every brother and sister he meets. All those whom the Lord has
placed beside us, family, friends, coworkers, parishioners… everyone needs,
as we do, the mercy of God. It is beautiful to be forgiven, but you too, if you
want to be forgiven, forgive in turn. Forgive! May the Lord allow us, through
the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy, to be witnesses to his forgiveness,
which purifies the heart and transforms life. Thank you.

I
greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s
Audience, including those from England, Ireland, Norway, Nigeria, Australia,
Indonesia, Pakistan and the United States.
In the joy of the Risen Lord, I invoke upon you and your families the
loving mercy of God our Father. May the Lord bless you all!