Divine Mercy Awaits Us … Always
On March 22, Christian musician Kristeen N. Gillooly made this post to her Twitter feed: “My life is in Your hands, and as scary as that is sometimes, I'm learning to trust You completely.”
What a wonderful sentiment as we approach Divine Mercy Sunday. St. John Paul II instituted it as a Solemnity in 2000, and we Catholics celebrate it – as Jesus requested of St. Faustina – on the first Sunday after Easter. It occurs to me, however, that many of us focus on Divine Mercy only then – only for a short time – never embracing the concept expressed in the headline above.
Divine Mercy awaits us … always.
Within weeks of his elevation to the papacy, our Holy Father delivered his first Divine Mercy Sunday homily – on April 7, 2013. In it, among other things, he said, “God is always waiting for us, He never grows tired. Jesus shows us this merciful patience of God so that we can regain confidence and hope — always!”
Even earlier – just a few days after he greeted the world with a saintly smile and pastoral wave from a balcony overlooking Vatican square (just after we all heard “Habemus Papem!”), Pope Francis said, “I think we too are the people who, on the one hand, want to listen to Jesus, but on the other hand, at times, like to find a stick to beat others with, to condemn others. And Jesus has this message for us: mercy. I think — and I say it with humility — that this is the Lord's most powerful message: mercy.”
Do you know what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says about Divine Mercy? You’ll find it in CCC 1846: “The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God's mercy to sinners. The angel announced to Joseph: ‘You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ The same is true of the Eucharist, the sacrament of redemption: ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’"
Finally, I offer what may be – in my opinion – the most powerful comment regarding Divine Mercy that Pope Francis has made: “May the message of mercy reach everyone, and may no one be indifferent to the call to experience mercy. I direct this invitation to conversion even more fervently to those whose behavior distances them from the grace of God.”
Has it ever occurred to you that denying mercy – and/or forgiveness – to others distances you from the grace of God?
Let go, please … and let God. Kristeen Gillooly is right – as scary as it is sometimes, you … I … all of us must learn to trust in Him.
