His Holiness Pope Francis: Even if we hit rock bottom, God lets us start over with Him

This news is shared from the website of Vatican News.

His Holiness Pope Francis releases his catechesis for the weekly General Audience, which was not held as he recovers from bilateral pneumonia, and recalls that it is never too late to consign everything to God and start anew in our journey.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

As Pope Francis recovers in his residence at the Casa Santa Marta after being discharged from Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Sunday, he has called on the faithful to never lose hope, for God always grants us the possibility of starting over.

The Pope did so in the text that had been prepared for the Wednesday General Audience, which he asked the Holy See Press Office to publish.

Since his medical team discharged the Pope calling for two months of rest for a proper convalescence, the Press Office continues to distribute the catecheses prepared for the Audience, as it did during his hospitalization. 

In his catechesis, focusing on encounters in Jesus' life, the Pope focused on the biblical episode of the Samaritan Woman recounted in the Gospel of St. John.

At our 'crossroads'

The Samaritan woman meets Jesus at a well, where He asks her for water and reveals that He is the Messiah. Through their conversation, He exposes her past and offers her "living water," symbolizing eternal life. Transformed by this encounter, she leaves her water jar, runs to her village, and brings others to Jesus.

After contemplating the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus, who went in search of Jesus, and the Samaritan woman, the Pope observed that we are reflecting on moments where Jesus shows that He is waiting "right there," at that "crossroads" in our life.

He recognized how this could have been somewhat shocking for the Samaritan woman, who likely felt ashamed of her life. "Perhaps she felt judged, condemned, and not understood," said the Pope, recalling that she had had five husbands and now was with a sixth who was not her husband. 

“She felt judged, condemned, not understood... She had had five husbands and now was with a sixth man.”

To go to Galilee from Judea, he observed, Jesus would have had to choose another road and not pass through Samaria. Yet, Pope Francis marveled, "He wants to pass through there, and stops at that very well, right at that time!"…

This news was originally published on the website of Vatican News, click here to read more.