Pope Francis gave his very first Angelus address three years ago this week, from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square. His comments on the Gospel proposed for our reflection this Sunday – the merciful encounter between Jesus and a woman accused of adultery – are especially appropriate for this Jubilee Year of Mercy.

On this fifth Sunday of Lent, the Gospel presents us with the episode of the adulterous woman Jesus saves from the death sentence. Jesus’ attitude is striking: we do not hear words of scorn or condemnation, but only words of love, of mercy, words that invite us to conversion. “Neither do I condemn you: go and sin no more!” Brothers and sisters, the face of God is that of a merciful father, who always has patience.

Have you thought about God’s patience for each of us? That is his mercy. He always has patience, he understands us, he waits for us, he does not weary of forgiving us, if we know how to return to him with a contrite heart. Great is the mercy of the Lord! These last several days I have been able to read a book by Cardinal Kasper on mercy. This book did me much good … mercy changes everything! It is the best word we can hear: it changes the world. A little mercy makes the world less cold and more just. We need to rightly understand this mercy of God, this merciful Father, who has so much patience ... Even if our sins are bright red, God’s mercy can make them white as snow.

Mercy is beautiful! I remember, when I had just become a bishop, there was a big Mass for the sick, and I went to hear confessions. Near the end of the Mass, an old lady came to me, a humble lady, over 80 years old. I looked at her and I said to her: “Grandma, do you want to go to confession?” “Yes,” she said to me. “But if you haven’t sinned...” And she said to me: “We have all sinned. But the Lord forgives everything,” she told me, certain of what she was saying. “But how do you know that, madam?” She replied, “If the Lord did not forgive everything, the world would not exist!” This is the wisdom that the Holy Spirit gives: interior wisdom about the mercy of God.

Let us not forget this: God never wearies of forgiving us, never! The problem is that we grow weary; we tire of asking for forgiveness. He never tires of forgiving, but we tire of asking forgiveness. Let us never tire! He is the loving Father, who always forgives, who has that heart of mercy for all of us. And we too learn to be merciful with everyone. We invoke the intercession of Our Lady, who held in her arms the Mercy of God made flesh.