From the Feast of the Immaculate Conception to the Feast of Christ the King.
MISERICORDIAE - Misericordia is the Latin for "mercy", derived from misericors, "merciful", which is in turn derived from misereri, "to pity", and cor, "heart".
The Jubilee of Mercy was formally declared through the papal bull Misericordiæ Vultus, issued on April 11, 2015, which emphasizes the importance of mercy and the need to "gaze" on it; the bull also recalls the need for the Church to be more open, keeping alive the spirit of the Second Vatican Council.
This year, during lent, specifically on March 4th/5th, every church is supposed to have 24-hours penitential service - sacrament of reconciliation - confession - and special priests who are given the authority to absolve specific mortal sins (like abortion, which earlier was done only by the Bishops), should be allotted to every parish - they are called MISSIONARIES OF MERCY... This 24 hr service is to be CELEBRATED in all parishes
The holy doors of the major basilicas of Rome (including the Great Door of St. Peter's) were opened, and special "Doors of Mercy" were opened at cathedrals and OTHER major churches around the world (Check out the nearest for you).
By passing through the holy doors, the faithful can earn indulgences after fulfilling the usual conditions of prayer for the Pope's intentions, confession, and detachment from sin, and communion.
Pope Francis states about the opening of the holy door: "the Holy Door will become a Door of Mercy through which anyone who enters will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instils hope".
The official logo, designed by Father Marko I. Rupnik, shows Jesus, personification of Mercy, carrying on his shoulders a "lost man", emphasizing how deep the Savior touches humanity; his eyes are merged with those of the carried man.
The background is filled by three concentric ovals, with lighter colors outwards, meaning that Jesus is carrying the man out of the darkness of sin. On one side the image is also joined by the official motto: Misericordes Sicut Pater (Merciful Like the Father), derivative from Luke 6:36, which stands as an invitation to follow the example of the Father by loving and forgiving without limits.
In the parables devoted to mercy, Jesus reveals the nature of God as that of a Father who never gives up until he has forgiven the wrong and overcome rejection with compassion and mercy. We know these parables well, three in particular: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the father with two sons (cf. Lk 15:1-32). In these parables, God is always presented as full of joy, especially when he pardons. In them we find the core of the Gospel and of our faith, because mercy is presented as a force that overcomes everything, filling the heart with love and bringing consolation through pardon.
From another parable, we cull out an important teaching for our Christian lives. (Mt 18:23-35).. the parable of the “ruthless servant”... Hope you will re-read this parable. Jesus concludes, “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart” (Mt 18:35).
I leave you to read Mt 18:34 once again... the consequences.. Forgiveness can be withdrawn and punishment awarded!
This parable contains a profound teaching for all of us. Jesus affirms that mercy is not only an action of the Father, it becomes a criterion for ascertaining who his true children are. In short, we are called to show mercy because mercy has first been shown to us. Pardoning offences becomes the clearest expression of merciful love, and for us Christians it is an imperative from which we cannot excuse ourselves.
At times how hard it seems to forgive! And yet pardon is the instrument placed into our fragile hands to attain serenity of heart. To let go of anger, wrath, violence, and revenge are necessary conditions to living joyfully. Let us therefore heed the Apostle’s exhortation: “Do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Eph 4:26). Above all, let us listen to the words of Jesus who made mercy an ideal of life and a criterion for the credibility of our faith: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall OBTAIN mercy” (Mt 5:7): the beatitude to which we should particularly aspire in this Holy Year.
As we can see in Sacred Scripture, mercy is a key word that indicates God’s action towards us. He does not limit himself merely to affirming his love, but makes it visible and tangible. Love, after all, can never be just an abstraction. By its very nature, it indicates something concrete: intentions, attitudes, and behaviours that are shown in daily living. The mercy of God is his loving concern for each one of us. He feels responsible; that is, he desires our wellbeing and he wants to see us happy, full of joy, and peaceful. This is the path which the merciful love of Christians must also travel. As the Father loves, so do his children. Just as he is merciful, so we are called to be merciful to each other.
We want to live this Jubilee Year in light of the Lord’s words: Merciful like the Father. The Evangelist reminds us of the teaching of Jesus who says, “Be merciful just as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36). It is a programme of life as demanding as it is rich with joy and peace. Jesus’s command is directed to anyone willing to listen to his voice (cf. Lk 6:27). In order to be capable of mercy, therefore, WE MUST FIRST OF ALL DISPOSE OURSELVES TO LISTEN (not just hear; listen includes obey) TO THE WORD OF GOD. This means rediscovering the value of silence in order to meditate on the Word that comes to us. In this way, it will be possible to contemplate God’s mercy and adopt it as our lifestyle.
“Patient and merciful.” These words often go together in the Old Testament to describe God’s nature. His being merciful is concretely demonstrated in his many actions throughout the history of salvation where his goodness prevails over punishment and destruction. In a special way the Psalms bring to the fore the grandeur of his merciful action: “He forgives all your iniquity, he heals all your diseases, he redeems your life from the pit, he crowns you with steadfast love and mercy” (Ps 103:3-4).
Merciful like the Father, therefore, is the “motto” of this Holy Year. In mercy, we find proof of how God loves us. He gives his entire self, always, freely, asking nothing in return. He comes to our aid whenever we call upon him. What a beautiful thing that the Church begins her daily prayer with the words, “O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me” (Ps 70:2)! The assistance we ask for is already the first step of God’s mercy toward us. He comes to assist us in our weakness. And his help consists in helping us accept his presence and closeness to us. Day after day, touched by his compassion, we also can become compassionate towards others.
The season of Lent during this Jubilee Year should also be lived more intensely as a privileged moment to celebrate and experience God’s mercy. How many pages of Sacred Scripture are appropriate for meditation during the weeks of Lent to help us rediscover the merciful face of the Father! We can repeat the words of the prophet Micah and make them our own: "You, O Lord, are a God who takes away iniquity and pardons sin, who does not hold your anger forever, but are pleased to show mercy. You, Lord, will return to us and have pity on your people. You will trample down our sins and toss them into the depths of the sea" (7:18-19).
This is the opportune moment to change our lives! This is the time to allow our hearts to be touched! When faced with evil deeds, even in the face of serious crimes, it is the time to listen to the cry of innocent people who are deprived of their property, their dignity, their feelings, and even their very lives. To stick to the way of evil will only leave one deluded and sad. True life is something entirely different. God never tires of reaching out to us. He is always ready to listen. All one needs to do is to accept the invitation to conversion and submit oneself to justice during this special time of mercy offered by the Church.
It would not be out of place at this point to recall the relationship between justice and mercy. These are not two contradictory realities, but two dimensions of a single reality that unfolds progressively until it culminates in the fullness of love. Justice is a fundamental concept for civil society, which is meant to be governed by the rule of law. Justice is also understood as that which is rightly due to each individual. In the Bible, there are many references to divine justice and to God as “judge”.
In these passages, justice is understood as the full observance of the Law and the behaviour of every good Israelite in conformity with God’s commandments. Such a vision, however, has not infrequently led to legalism by distorting the original meaning of justice and obscuring its profound value.
To overcome this legalistic perspective, we need to recall that in Sacred Scripture, justice is conceived essentially as the faithful abandonment of oneself to God’s will.
If God limited himself to only justice, he would cease to be God, and would instead be like human beings who ask merely that the law be respected. But mere justice is not enough. Experience shows that an appeal to justice alone will result in its destruction. This is why God goes beyond justice with his mercy and forgiveness. Yet this does not mean that justice should be devalued or rendered superfluous. On the contrary: anyone who makes a mistake must pay the price. However, this is just the beginning of conversion, not its end, because one begins to feel the tenderness and mercy of God. God does not deny justice. He rather envelopes it and surpasses it with an even greater event in which we experience love as the foundation of true justice.
We must pay close attention to what Saint Paul says if we want to avoid making the same mistake for which he reproaches the Jews of his time: “For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified” (Rom 10:3-4). God’s justice is his mercy given to everyone as a grace that flows from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus the Cross of Christ is God’s judgement on all of us and on the whole world, because through it he offers us the certitude of love and new life.
For his part, Jesus speaks several times of the importance of faith over and above the observance of the law. It is in this sense that we must understand his words when, reclining at table with Matthew and other tax collectors and sinners, he says to the Pharisees raising objections to him, “Go and learn the meaning of ‘I desire mercy not sacrifice’. I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mt 9:13).
Faced with a vision of justice as the mere observance of the law that judges people simply by dividing them into two groups – the just and sinners – Jesus is bent on revealing the great gift of mercy that searches out sinners and offers them pardon and salvation.
One can see why, on the basis of such a liberating vision of mercy as a source of new life, Jesus was rejected by the Pharisees and the other teachers of the law. In an attempt to remain faithful to the law, they merely placed burdens on the shoulders of others and undermined the Father’s mercy. The appeal to a faithful observance of the law must not prevent attention from being given to matters that touch upon the dignity of the person.
God’s forgiveness knows no bounds. In the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God makes even more evident his love and its power to destroy all human sin. Reconciliation with God is made possible through the paschal mystery and the mediation of the Church. Thus God is always ready to forgive, and he never tires of forgiving in ways that are continually new and surprising.
Nevertheless, all of us know well the experience of sin. We know that we are called to perfection (Mt 5:48), yet we feel the heavy burden of sin. Though we feel the transforming power of grace, we also feel the effects of sin typical of our fallen state. Despite being forgiven, the conflicting consequences of our sins remain.
In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God forgives our sins, which he truly blots out; and yet sin leaves a negative effect on the way we think and act. But the mercy of God is stronger even than this. It becomes indulgence on the part of the Father who, through the Bride of Christ, his Church, reaches the pardoned sinner and frees him from every residue left by the consequences of sin, enabling him to act with charity, to grow in love rather than to fall back into sin.
In this Jubilee Year, let us allow God to surprise us. He never tires of casting open the doors of his heart and of repeating that he loves us and wants to share his love with us. The Church feels the urgent need to proclaim God’s mercy. Her life is authentic and credible only when she becomes a convincing herald of mercy. She knows that her primary task, especially at a moment full of great hopes and signs of contradiction, is to introduce everyone to the great mystery of God’s mercy by contemplating the face of Christ.
The Church is called above all to be a credible witness to mercy, professing it and living it as the core of the revelation of Jesus Christ. From the heart of the Trinity, from the depths of the mystery of God, the great river of mercy wells up and overflows unceasingly. It is a spring that will never run dry, no matter how many people draw from it. Every time someone is in need, he or she can approach it, because the mercy of God never ends. The profundity of the mystery surrounding it is as inexhaustible as the richness which springs up from it.
God never ceases being merciful, but neither can He be indifferent towards evil. God always remains a forgiving God, never condoning sin but welcoming the repentant sinner into His loving arms. The Bible is very clear:: God is merciful and slow to anger. The divine punishment for the disobedient is delayed, to allow them an opportunity to come to repentance. (2Peter 3:9).
THE COMPLEXITY OF GOD'S CHARACTER IS BEYOND OUR UNDERSTANDING. BUT TRUTH THAT EXCEEDS THE GRIP OF OUR MINDS IS WITHIN THE GRASP OF OUR FAITH !!!
God's mercy and justice has many facets. It involves God's righteousness, His anger at sin, His punishments and His rewards. God's commands and judgements meet perfect standards of justice, and His apportioning of punishments and rewards is also perfectly just. He vidicates the penitent and the needy.
The world often minimises man's sins. People exaggerate their own goodness by comparing themselves with others who are far worse. Modern culture not only rejects the Bible but also denies the existence of God and His standards of right and wrong.
THOSE WHO DENY THE CONCEPT OF SIN, WILL NATURALLY REJECT THE CONCEPT OF DIVINE JUDGEMENT.
God's mercy is multifaceted. Mercy gathers up the overwhelming love, compassion and kindness of God and offers it to undeserving people. Offenders receive mercy when given less punishment than they deserve or greater rewards than they are worthy of.
The realities of judgement can be very troubling. God embodies grace & truth, love & righteousness, justice & mercy. Are there not times we take firm, decisive actions that may hurt another, (may be in the family), yet in doing so we act in love and truth for a greater good?
SHALL WE MEDITATE ON THE WONDER OF GOD'S MERCY TOWARDS US? THE DEPTH AND BREADTH OF GOD'S MERCY ARE UNFATHOMABLE!
God's mercy describes the quality of His character that inclines Him to be compassionate towards sinners. By nature, God is merciful; He extends mercy effortlessly. His mercy stuns the undeserving. Thinking of an unexpected gift helps us understand mercy and grace - it is God's gift to the undeserving!
He who loves the good, also hates the evil; and he who does not hate evil, does not love the good, BECAUSE, on the one hand, to love the good comes from hatred of evil, and to hate evil rises from the love of good. (🙄🙄) (Fr. Lactantius - 3rd Century AD)
God's mercy is NOT merely a vague concept, but intensely personal. The palpable experience of God's mercy and love defies human comprehension. When we are honest, we recognise the ugliness of our own hearts and inner thoughts and secret sins that expose the depth of our own depravity... It is here, under the weight of our sin, that His mercy meets us and infiltrates our daily life.
We can confidently cry out to God for mercy and know for sure that He hears us, then rejoice when God answers our penitent prayers and provides for us... Do we regularly recognise God's personal mercy extended to each one of us who seek Him? or do we take things for granted???
God hears our humble cries for mercy and extends mercy to sinners. Celebrate this gift of God, given to us through Christ, by deciding to live a life pleasing to Him according to His word.
THE MERCY WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM CHRIST SHOULD COMPEL US TO SHOW MERCY TO OTHERS. GOD'S PEOPLE SHOULD MIRROR HIS MERCY AS THEY INTERACT WITH OTHERS IN THIS WORLD. (Micah 6:8; Luke 6:36)
THERE IS NO GREATER EXPRESSION OF THE MERCY OF GOD THAN THE CROSS OF CHRIST!
God's mercy is tethered to the Blood of Christ. The mercy of God continues to welcome repentant sinners UNTIL THE LAST JUDGEMENT. But our chances for repentance are limited to the shortness of our life. AND BECAUSE GOD'S JUDGEMENT IS CERTAIN, WE MUST NOT DELAY.
When we recognise the extent of God's mercy and justice, we realise that our fleeting lives CANNOT be wasted on this world and its fading pleasures.
THE LIFE-CHANGING REALITY OF GOD'S MERCY CALLS US TO OFFER OURSELVES WHOLLY TO GOD, AS A LIVING SACRIFICE.
In mercy, God will discipline us for our good, calling on us to repent and He will spare us further corruption caused by sin. God uses the consequences of our sins to draw us to repentance.
Think of ALL the ways you can rely on God's mercy every day of your life. His mercy will permeate your life as you trust and obey Him.
HOW WILL YOU SHOW MERCY EVEN TO THE UNDESERVING, ACCORDING TO GOD'S MERCY AND GRACE TOWARDS YOU? Try to recall the gifts and favours you have received.
In mercy, God will discipline us for our good, calling on us to repent and He will spare us further corruption caused by sin. God uses the consequences of our sins to draw us to repentance.
Think of ALL the ways you can rely on God's mercy every day of your life. His mercy will permeate your life as you trust and obey Him.
HOW WILL YOU SHOW MERCY EVEN TO THE UNDESERVING, ACCORDING TO GOD'S MERCY AND GRACE TOWARDS YOU? Try to recall the gifts and favours you have received.
Giving and receiving mercy is central to living THE LIFE GOD HAS GIVEN US and CALLS US TO LIVE... We all need mercy at different times of our lives and we all have AN OBLIGATION TO SHOW MERCY TO OTHERS... If you think about it, God's mercy is overwhelmingly generous. HE CALLS US TO RESPOND WITH THE SAME SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY...
Romans 9: 15-16, says, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.
God's mercy is transformative and it differs greatly from excusing. Mercy is required when we are faced with the INEXCUSABLE and UNFORGIVABLE offenses. God's mercy is outrageous and seemingly unfair, because we receive what we do not deserve.
The key to forgiving ALL injuries and insults, is to become conscious of the fact that God has been merciful towards you and let you off the hook. When we experience this at the depth of our being, it will transform us into becoming "merciful as the heavenly Father" (Lk 6:36).
DON'T DESPISE OR BE UNMINDFUL OF THE MERCY YOU HAVE RECEIVED.
GOD'S JUSTICE GIVES US WHAT WE DESERVE,
GOD'S GRACE GIVES US WHAT WE DO NOT DESERVE, AND
GOD'S MERCY WITHHOLDS WHAT WE DESERVE.
May the Church (we are the church) become the voice of every man and woman, and pray confidently without end: “Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old” (Ps 25:6).
Let us move on to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday tomorrow! BE MERCIFUL, JUST AS YOUR FATHER IS MERCIFUL. (Lk 6:36)
MISERICORDIAE - Misericordia is the Latin for "mercy", derived from misericors, "merciful", which is in turn derived from misereri, "to pity", and cor, "heart".
The Jubilee of Mercy was formally declared through the papal bull Misericordiæ Vultus, issued on April 11, 2015, which emphasizes the importance of mercy and the need to "gaze" on it; the bull also recalls the need for the Church to be more open, keeping alive the spirit of the Second Vatican Council.This year, during lent, specifically on March 4th/5th, every church is supposed to have 24-hours penitential service - sacrament of reconciliation - confession - and special priests who are given the authority to absolve specific mortal sins (like abortion, which earlier was done only by the Bishops), should be allotted to every parish - they are called MISSIONARIES OF MERCY... This 24 hr service is to be CELEBRATED in all parishes
The holy doors of the major basilicas of Rome (including the Great Door of St. Peter's) were opened, and special "Doors of Mercy" were opened at cathedrals and OTHER major churches around the world (Check out the nearest for you).
By passing through the holy doors, the faithful can earn indulgences after fulfilling the usual conditions of prayer for the Pope's intentions, confession, and detachment from sin, and communion.
Pope Francis states about the opening of the holy door: "the Holy Door will become a Door of Mercy through which anyone who enters will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instils hope".
The official logo, designed by Father Marko I. Rupnik, shows Jesus, personification of Mercy, carrying on his shoulders a "lost man", emphasizing how deep the Savior touches humanity; his eyes are merged with those of the carried man.
The background is filled by three concentric ovals, with lighter colors outwards, meaning that Jesus is carrying the man out of the darkness of sin. On one side the image is also joined by the official motto: Misericordes Sicut Pater (Merciful Like the Father), derivative from Luke 6:36, which stands as an invitation to follow the example of the Father by loving and forgiving without limits.
In the parables devoted to mercy, Jesus reveals the nature of God as that of a Father who never gives up until he has forgiven the wrong and overcome rejection with compassion and mercy. We know these parables well, three in particular: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the father with two sons (cf. Lk 15:1-32). In these parables, God is always presented as full of joy, especially when he pardons. In them we find the core of the Gospel and of our faith, because mercy is presented as a force that overcomes everything, filling the heart with love and bringing consolation through pardon.
From another parable, we cull out an important teaching for our Christian lives. (Mt 18:23-35).. the parable of the “ruthless servant”... Hope you will re-read this parable. Jesus concludes, “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart” (Mt 18:35).
I leave you to read Mt 18:34 once again... the consequences.. Forgiveness can be withdrawn and punishment awarded!
This parable contains a profound teaching for all of us. Jesus affirms that mercy is not only an action of the Father, it becomes a criterion for ascertaining who his true children are. In short, we are called to show mercy because mercy has first been shown to us. Pardoning offences becomes the clearest expression of merciful love, and for us Christians it is an imperative from which we cannot excuse ourselves.
At times how hard it seems to forgive! And yet pardon is the instrument placed into our fragile hands to attain serenity of heart. To let go of anger, wrath, violence, and revenge are necessary conditions to living joyfully. Let us therefore heed the Apostle’s exhortation: “Do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Eph 4:26). Above all, let us listen to the words of Jesus who made mercy an ideal of life and a criterion for the credibility of our faith: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall OBTAIN mercy” (Mt 5:7): the beatitude to which we should particularly aspire in this Holy Year.
As we can see in Sacred Scripture, mercy is a key word that indicates God’s action towards us. He does not limit himself merely to affirming his love, but makes it visible and tangible. Love, after all, can never be just an abstraction. By its very nature, it indicates something concrete: intentions, attitudes, and behaviours that are shown in daily living. The mercy of God is his loving concern for each one of us. He feels responsible; that is, he desires our wellbeing and he wants to see us happy, full of joy, and peaceful. This is the path which the merciful love of Christians must also travel. As the Father loves, so do his children. Just as he is merciful, so we are called to be merciful to each other.
We want to live this Jubilee Year in light of the Lord’s words: Merciful like the Father. The Evangelist reminds us of the teaching of Jesus who says, “Be merciful just as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36). It is a programme of life as demanding as it is rich with joy and peace. Jesus’s command is directed to anyone willing to listen to his voice (cf. Lk 6:27). In order to be capable of mercy, therefore, WE MUST FIRST OF ALL DISPOSE OURSELVES TO LISTEN (not just hear; listen includes obey) TO THE WORD OF GOD. This means rediscovering the value of silence in order to meditate on the Word that comes to us. In this way, it will be possible to contemplate God’s mercy and adopt it as our lifestyle.
“Patient and merciful.” These words often go together in the Old Testament to describe God’s nature. His being merciful is concretely demonstrated in his many actions throughout the history of salvation where his goodness prevails over punishment and destruction. In a special way the Psalms bring to the fore the grandeur of his merciful action: “He forgives all your iniquity, he heals all your diseases, he redeems your life from the pit, he crowns you with steadfast love and mercy” (Ps 103:3-4).
Merciful like the Father, therefore, is the “motto” of this Holy Year. In mercy, we find proof of how God loves us. He gives his entire self, always, freely, asking nothing in return. He comes to our aid whenever we call upon him. What a beautiful thing that the Church begins her daily prayer with the words, “O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me” (Ps 70:2)! The assistance we ask for is already the first step of God’s mercy toward us. He comes to assist us in our weakness. And his help consists in helping us accept his presence and closeness to us. Day after day, touched by his compassion, we also can become compassionate towards others.
The season of Lent during this Jubilee Year should also be lived more intensely as a privileged moment to celebrate and experience God’s mercy. How many pages of Sacred Scripture are appropriate for meditation during the weeks of Lent to help us rediscover the merciful face of the Father! We can repeat the words of the prophet Micah and make them our own: "You, O Lord, are a God who takes away iniquity and pardons sin, who does not hold your anger forever, but are pleased to show mercy. You, Lord, will return to us and have pity on your people. You will trample down our sins and toss them into the depths of the sea" (7:18-19).
This is the opportune moment to change our lives! This is the time to allow our hearts to be touched! When faced with evil deeds, even in the face of serious crimes, it is the time to listen to the cry of innocent people who are deprived of their property, their dignity, their feelings, and even their very lives. To stick to the way of evil will only leave one deluded and sad. True life is something entirely different. God never tires of reaching out to us. He is always ready to listen. All one needs to do is to accept the invitation to conversion and submit oneself to justice during this special time of mercy offered by the Church.
It would not be out of place at this point to recall the relationship between justice and mercy. These are not two contradictory realities, but two dimensions of a single reality that unfolds progressively until it culminates in the fullness of love. Justice is a fundamental concept for civil society, which is meant to be governed by the rule of law. Justice is also understood as that which is rightly due to each individual. In the Bible, there are many references to divine justice and to God as “judge”.
In these passages, justice is understood as the full observance of the Law and the behaviour of every good Israelite in conformity with God’s commandments. Such a vision, however, has not infrequently led to legalism by distorting the original meaning of justice and obscuring its profound value.
To overcome this legalistic perspective, we need to recall that in Sacred Scripture, justice is conceived essentially as the faithful abandonment of oneself to God’s will.
If God limited himself to only justice, he would cease to be God, and would instead be like human beings who ask merely that the law be respected. But mere justice is not enough. Experience shows that an appeal to justice alone will result in its destruction. This is why God goes beyond justice with his mercy and forgiveness. Yet this does not mean that justice should be devalued or rendered superfluous. On the contrary: anyone who makes a mistake must pay the price. However, this is just the beginning of conversion, not its end, because one begins to feel the tenderness and mercy of God. God does not deny justice. He rather envelopes it and surpasses it with an even greater event in which we experience love as the foundation of true justice.
We must pay close attention to what Saint Paul says if we want to avoid making the same mistake for which he reproaches the Jews of his time: “For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified” (Rom 10:3-4). God’s justice is his mercy given to everyone as a grace that flows from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus the Cross of Christ is God’s judgement on all of us and on the whole world, because through it he offers us the certitude of love and new life.
For his part, Jesus speaks several times of the importance of faith over and above the observance of the law. It is in this sense that we must understand his words when, reclining at table with Matthew and other tax collectors and sinners, he says to the Pharisees raising objections to him, “Go and learn the meaning of ‘I desire mercy not sacrifice’. I have come not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mt 9:13).
Faced with a vision of justice as the mere observance of the law that judges people simply by dividing them into two groups – the just and sinners – Jesus is bent on revealing the great gift of mercy that searches out sinners and offers them pardon and salvation.
One can see why, on the basis of such a liberating vision of mercy as a source of new life, Jesus was rejected by the Pharisees and the other teachers of the law. In an attempt to remain faithful to the law, they merely placed burdens on the shoulders of others and undermined the Father’s mercy. The appeal to a faithful observance of the law must not prevent attention from being given to matters that touch upon the dignity of the person.
God’s forgiveness knows no bounds. In the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God makes even more evident his love and its power to destroy all human sin. Reconciliation with God is made possible through the paschal mystery and the mediation of the Church. Thus God is always ready to forgive, and he never tires of forgiving in ways that are continually new and surprising.
Nevertheless, all of us know well the experience of sin. We know that we are called to perfection (Mt 5:48), yet we feel the heavy burden of sin. Though we feel the transforming power of grace, we also feel the effects of sin typical of our fallen state. Despite being forgiven, the conflicting consequences of our sins remain.
In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God forgives our sins, which he truly blots out; and yet sin leaves a negative effect on the way we think and act. But the mercy of God is stronger even than this. It becomes indulgence on the part of the Father who, through the Bride of Christ, his Church, reaches the pardoned sinner and frees him from every residue left by the consequences of sin, enabling him to act with charity, to grow in love rather than to fall back into sin.
In this Jubilee Year, let us allow God to surprise us. He never tires of casting open the doors of his heart and of repeating that he loves us and wants to share his love with us. The Church feels the urgent need to proclaim God’s mercy. Her life is authentic and credible only when she becomes a convincing herald of mercy. She knows that her primary task, especially at a moment full of great hopes and signs of contradiction, is to introduce everyone to the great mystery of God’s mercy by contemplating the face of Christ.
The Church is called above all to be a credible witness to mercy, professing it and living it as the core of the revelation of Jesus Christ. From the heart of the Trinity, from the depths of the mystery of God, the great river of mercy wells up and overflows unceasingly. It is a spring that will never run dry, no matter how many people draw from it. Every time someone is in need, he or she can approach it, because the mercy of God never ends. The profundity of the mystery surrounding it is as inexhaustible as the richness which springs up from it.
God never ceases being merciful, but neither can He be indifferent towards evil. God always remains a forgiving God, never condoning sin but welcoming the repentant sinner into His loving arms. The Bible is very clear:: God is merciful and slow to anger. The divine punishment for the disobedient is delayed, to allow them an opportunity to come to repentance. (2Peter 3:9).
THE COMPLEXITY OF GOD'S CHARACTER IS BEYOND OUR UNDERSTANDING. BUT TRUTH THAT EXCEEDS THE GRIP OF OUR MINDS IS WITHIN THE GRASP OF OUR FAITH !!!
God's mercy and justice has many facets. It involves God's righteousness, His anger at sin, His punishments and His rewards. God's commands and judgements meet perfect standards of justice, and His apportioning of punishments and rewards is also perfectly just. He vidicates the penitent and the needy.
The world often minimises man's sins. People exaggerate their own goodness by comparing themselves with others who are far worse. Modern culture not only rejects the Bible but also denies the existence of God and His standards of right and wrong.
THOSE WHO DENY THE CONCEPT OF SIN, WILL NATURALLY REJECT THE CONCEPT OF DIVINE JUDGEMENT.
God's mercy is multifaceted. Mercy gathers up the overwhelming love, compassion and kindness of God and offers it to undeserving people. Offenders receive mercy when given less punishment than they deserve or greater rewards than they are worthy of.
The realities of judgement can be very troubling. God embodies grace & truth, love & righteousness, justice & mercy. Are there not times we take firm, decisive actions that may hurt another, (may be in the family), yet in doing so we act in love and truth for a greater good?
SHALL WE MEDITATE ON THE WONDER OF GOD'S MERCY TOWARDS US? THE DEPTH AND BREADTH OF GOD'S MERCY ARE UNFATHOMABLE!
God's mercy describes the quality of His character that inclines Him to be compassionate towards sinners. By nature, God is merciful; He extends mercy effortlessly. His mercy stuns the undeserving. Thinking of an unexpected gift helps us understand mercy and grace - it is God's gift to the undeserving!
He who loves the good, also hates the evil; and he who does not hate evil, does not love the good, BECAUSE, on the one hand, to love the good comes from hatred of evil, and to hate evil rises from the love of good. (🙄🙄) (Fr. Lactantius - 3rd Century AD)
God's mercy is NOT merely a vague concept, but intensely personal. The palpable experience of God's mercy and love defies human comprehension. When we are honest, we recognise the ugliness of our own hearts and inner thoughts and secret sins that expose the depth of our own depravity... It is here, under the weight of our sin, that His mercy meets us and infiltrates our daily life.
We can confidently cry out to God for mercy and know for sure that He hears us, then rejoice when God answers our penitent prayers and provides for us... Do we regularly recognise God's personal mercy extended to each one of us who seek Him? or do we take things for granted???
God hears our humble cries for mercy and extends mercy to sinners. Celebrate this gift of God, given to us through Christ, by deciding to live a life pleasing to Him according to His word.
THE MERCY WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM CHRIST SHOULD COMPEL US TO SHOW MERCY TO OTHERS. GOD'S PEOPLE SHOULD MIRROR HIS MERCY AS THEY INTERACT WITH OTHERS IN THIS WORLD. (Micah 6:8; Luke 6:36)
THERE IS NO GREATER EXPRESSION OF THE MERCY OF GOD THAN THE CROSS OF CHRIST!
God's mercy is tethered to the Blood of Christ. The mercy of God continues to welcome repentant sinners UNTIL THE LAST JUDGEMENT. But our chances for repentance are limited to the shortness of our life. AND BECAUSE GOD'S JUDGEMENT IS CERTAIN, WE MUST NOT DELAY.
When we recognise the extent of God's mercy and justice, we realise that our fleeting lives CANNOT be wasted on this world and its fading pleasures.
THE LIFE-CHANGING REALITY OF GOD'S MERCY CALLS US TO OFFER OURSELVES WHOLLY TO GOD, AS A LIVING SACRIFICE.
In mercy, God will discipline us for our good, calling on us to repent and He will spare us further corruption caused by sin. God uses the consequences of our sins to draw us to repentance.
Think of ALL the ways you can rely on God's mercy every day of your life. His mercy will permeate your life as you trust and obey Him.
HOW WILL YOU SHOW MERCY EVEN TO THE UNDESERVING, ACCORDING TO GOD'S MERCY AND GRACE TOWARDS YOU? Try to recall the gifts and favours you have received.
In mercy, God will discipline us for our good, calling on us to repent and He will spare us further corruption caused by sin. God uses the consequences of our sins to draw us to repentance.
Think of ALL the ways you can rely on God's mercy every day of your life. His mercy will permeate your life as you trust and obey Him.
HOW WILL YOU SHOW MERCY EVEN TO THE UNDESERVING, ACCORDING TO GOD'S MERCY AND GRACE TOWARDS YOU? Try to recall the gifts and favours you have received.
Giving and receiving mercy is central to living THE LIFE GOD HAS GIVEN US and CALLS US TO LIVE... We all need mercy at different times of our lives and we all have AN OBLIGATION TO SHOW MERCY TO OTHERS... If you think about it, God's mercy is overwhelmingly generous. HE CALLS US TO RESPOND WITH THE SAME SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY...
Romans 9: 15-16, says, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.
God's mercy is transformative and it differs greatly from excusing. Mercy is required when we are faced with the INEXCUSABLE and UNFORGIVABLE offenses. God's mercy is outrageous and seemingly unfair, because we receive what we do not deserve.
The key to forgiving ALL injuries and insults, is to become conscious of the fact that God has been merciful towards you and let you off the hook. When we experience this at the depth of our being, it will transform us into becoming "merciful as the heavenly Father" (Lk 6:36).
DON'T DESPISE OR BE UNMINDFUL OF THE MERCY YOU HAVE RECEIVED.
GOD'S JUSTICE GIVES US WHAT WE DESERVE,
GOD'S GRACE GIVES US WHAT WE DO NOT DESERVE, AND
GOD'S MERCY WITHHOLDS WHAT WE DESERVE.
May the Church (we are the church) become the voice of every man and woman, and pray confidently without end: “Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old” (Ps 25:6).
Let us move on to celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday tomorrow! BE MERCIFUL, JUST AS YOUR FATHER IS MERCIFUL. (Lk 6:36)
Great compilation!!!
ReplyDelete