The Lord wills restoration for his own

from the prophet Ezekiel:

Thus says the Lord:
I will prove the holiness of my great name, profaned among the nations,
in whose midst you have profaned it.
Thus the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God,
when in their sight I prove my holiness through you.
For I will take you away from among the nations, gather you from all the
foreign lands, and bring you back to your own land.
I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your
impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you,
taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts.
I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes,
careful to observe my decrees.
You shall live in the land I gave your ancestors; you shall be my people,
and I will be your God.

so let us pray:

Almighty and most gentle God, who from a rock made flow a fountain of living water for your thirsting people,
draw now from the hardness of our hearts tears of sorrow, that we may weep for our sins and, by your continued mercy, be made ready to accept their pardon.
We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
[opening prayer, Mass for the Gift of Tears]
.