4
3.âI invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very
moment, to a renewed personal encounter with
Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting
him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this
unfailingly each day. No one should think that
this invitation is not meant for him or her, since
âno one is excluded from the joy brought by the
Lordâ.
1
The Lord does not disappoint those who
take this risk; whenever we take a step towards
Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there,
waiting for us with open arms. Now is the time to
say to Jesus: âLord, I have let myself be deceived;
in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet
here I am once more, to renew my covenant with
you. I need you. Save me once again, Lord, take
me once more into your redeeming embraceâ.
How good it feels to come back to him whenev-
er we are lost! Let me say this once more: God
never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who
tire of seeking his mercy. Christ, who told us to
forgive one another âseventy times sevenâ (
Mt
18:22) has given us his example: he has forgiven
us seventy times seven. Time and time again he
bears us on his shoulders. No one can strip us of
the dignity bestowed upon us by this boundless
and unfailing love. With a tenderness which nev-
er disappoints, but is always capable of restoring
our joy, he makes it possible for us to lift up our
heads and to start anew. Let us not flee from the
1
âP
aul
VI, Apostolic Exhortation
Gaudete in Domino
(9 May 1975), 22: AAS 67 (1975), 297.