God is indeed waiting for you; he asks of you only the courage to go to him. How many times in my pastoral ministry have I heard it said, “father, I have many sins”? And I have always pleaded, “don’t be afraid, though to him, he is waiting for you, he will take care of everything.” We hear many offers from the world around us; but let us take up God’s offer instead: he is a caress of love. Even if we are sinners, we are what is closest to his heart.
– Pope Francis, The Church of Mercy