At the Lent Communal Penance Service, Father Ryan shared the first Angelus message of Pope Francis.  The text from which he spoke is below.

Pope Francis’ Angelus Message
Sunday, March 17, 2013
 
           The Gospel presents us with the story of the adulterous woman whom Jesus saves from being condemned to death. It captures Jesus’ attitude: we do not hear words of contempt, we do not hear words of condemnation, but only words of love, of mercy, that invite us to conversion. ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more!’ Well, brothers and sisters! God’s face is that of a merciful father who is always patient. Have you thought about God’s patience, the patience that He has with each of us? That is His mercy. He always has patience, is always patient with us, understanding us, awaiting us, never tiring of forgiving us if we know how to return to him with a contrite heart. ‘Great is the Lord’s mercy’, says the Psalm.

            In these days, I have been able to read a book by on mercy Cardinal Kasper, an on-the-ball theologian, a good theologian. And it did me such good, that book, but don’t think that I’m publicizing the books of my cardinals. That is not the case! But it did me such good, so much good... Cardinal Kasper said that hearing the word mercy changes everything. It is the best thing that we can hear: it changes the world. A bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just. We need to understand God’s mercy well, this merciful Father who has such patience...

           Think of the prophet Isaiah who asserts that even if our sins were scarlet red, God’s love would make them white as snow. That is beautiful. I remember when, just after I was made bishop, in 1992, the statue of Our Lady of Fatima came to Buenos Aires and a large Mass for the sick was celebrated. I went to hear confessions at that Mass. Near the end of the Mass…, an 80-year-old woman came up to me, humbly, very humbly. I asked her: ‘Nonna [grandmother]— that’s how we address our elderly—Nonna, you want to confess?’ ‘Yes’, she told me. ‘But if you haven’t sinned...’ And she said to me: ‘We have all sinned...’ I teased her: ‘But what if the Lord will not forgive you...?’ ‘The Lord forgives everyone’, she told me, with certainty. ‘But how do you know that?’ I asked her. She answered: ‘If the Lord didn’t forgive everyone, the world would not exist.’

           I wanted to ask her: ‘Tell me, have you studied with the Jesuits at the Gregorian?’, because that is the wisdom that the Holy Spirit gives: the inner wisdom of God’s mercy. Let us not forget this word: God never tires of forgiving us, never!  So, what’s the problem? Well, the problem is that we get tired, we get tired of asking forgiveness. Let us never get tired. Let us never get tired. He is the loving Father who always forgives, who has that heart of mercy for all of us. And let us also learn to be merciful with everyone. Let us call upon the intercession of the Blessed Mother who held in her arms the Mercy of God made human.

            Jesus has called us to be part of a new family: his Church. He has called this family of God to walk together the paths of the Gospel. May the Lord bless you and the Virgin protect you! And don’t forget this: The Lord never tires of forgiving. We are the ones who tire of asking forgiveness.

            [And he concluded:] Have a good Sunday and enjoy your lunch!