God is ready to forgive and forget our sins. So let’s welcome His invitation to renew us….
According to Vatican Radio, Pope Francis stressed this to faithful during his daily morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta, as he reflected on the Letter to the Hebrews.
In his homily, Pope Francis underscored that the new covenant which God makes with us in Jesus Christ, renews our heart.
God renews all things “from the roots, not only in appearance,” he said.
Change in Mindset
This new covenant, Francis explained, has its own characteristics. “The law of the Lord,” he noted, “is not an external way of acting,” but rather, enters hearts and changes our mindset, leading to “a change of heart, a change of feeling, of way of acting, and a different way of looking at things.”
To demonstrate this, the Pope offered the example of a work of art, which an architect can behold either with cold envy or with joy and goodness.
“The new covenant changes our heart,” Francis said.
The Pope invited those present to consider the doctors of the law who persecuted Jesus, who did everything prescribed by the law.
Stressing that their mindset was distanced from God, Francis lamented it was an egotistical mindset, focused on themselves, and condemning others. On the other hand, the Pontiff stressed, the new covenant changes our hearts and minds. “There is a change in mindset.”
“At times, I like to think about joking with the Lord: ‘You don’t have a good memory!’ This is the weakness of God: when God forgives, He forgets,” Francis shared.
Lord Recreates Us
“He forgets, because he forgives. Before a penitent heart, He forgives and forgets: ‘I will forget, I will not remember their sins’. But this too is an invitation not to remind the Lord of our sins, that is, to not sin any more: ‘You have forgiven me, you forgot.’
“A change of life, a new covenant renews me and changes my life, not only the mindset and heart, but my life. To live without sin, far from sin: this is to recreate. This is how the Lord recreates us.”
Speaking about the ‘change of appearance’. He said, “We belong to God, other gods do not exist… A change of mindset changes the heart, life, and appearance.” He reiterated that this “is the re-creation, which the Lord makes even more glorious than the first Creation.”
Change Your Heart, Life
He then exhorted Christians to follow through with this covenant and to be ever true to it.
“The seal of this covenant is faithfulness, to be faithful to this work which the Lord has completed to change our mindset, to change our hearts. The prophets said, ‘But the Lord will change your heart of stone into a heart of flesh’: To change one’s heart and life and to sin no more.”
Pope Francis concluded, praying: “May the Lord give us the grace to know how to discern what is going on in our hearts and to choose the right path upon which the Father draws us to Jesus.”
