"Father of Mercy..." (installment 2)

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Continuing to read St. John Paul II’s encyclical on Mercy, having begun to ponder “Mother of Mercy”, which he speaks of in section 9, I am now only up to the section which treats of Mercy in the Old Testament:

…The Old Testament proclaims the mercy of the Lord by the use of many terms with related meanings; they are differentiated by their particular content, but it could be said that they all converge from different directions on one single fundamental content, to express its surpassing richness and at the same time to bring it close to man under different aspects. The Old Testament encourages people suffering from misfortune, especially those weighed down by sin - as also the whole of Israel, which had entered into the covenant with God - to appeal for mercy, and enables them to count upon it: it reminds them of His mercy in times of failure and loss of trust. Subsequently, the Old Testament gives thanks and glory for mercy every time that mercy is made manifest in the life of the people or in the lives of individuals.

In this way, mercy is in a certain sense contrasted with God’s justice, and in many cases is shown to be not only more powerful than that justice but also more profound. Even the Old Testament teaches that, although justice is an authentic virtue in man, and in God signifies transcendent perfection nevertheless love is “greater” than justice: greater in the sense that it is primary and fundamental. Love, so to speak, conditions justice and, in the final analysis, justice serves love. The primacy and superiority of love vis-a-vis justice - this is a mark of the whole of revelation - are revealed precisely through mercy. This seemed so obvious to the psalmists and prophets that the very term justice ended up by meaning the salvation accomplished by the Lord and His mercy. Mercy differs from justice, but is not in opposition to it, if we admit in the history of man - as the Old Testament precisely does-the presence of God, who already as Creator has linked Himself to His creature with a particular love. Love, by its very nature, excludes hatred and ill - will towards the one to whom He once gave the gift of Himself: Nihil odisti eorum quae fecisti, “you hold nothing of what you have made in abhorrence.” These words indicate the profound basis of the relationship between justice and mercy in God, in His relations with man and the world. They tell us that we must seek the life-giving roots and intimate reasons for this relationship by going back to “the beginning,” in the very mystery of creation. They foreshadow in the context of the Old Covenant the full revelation of God, who is “love.”

Of course Jesus is the full revelation of God who is love. The Father gave Jesus, sent Him to save us, and Jesus continues to come to us through Mary, who is Mother and Model for the Church. There is so much to ponder in this encyclical. Hopefully some of you are at least putting “Dives in Misericordia” on your reading list. It is a good preparation for the opening of the “Year of Mercy” on December 8, 2015. As I mentioned before, it is good to read slowly and not too much at once, in order to ponder his words. It may take me until December to finish the encyclical, but I am continuing to be grateful for the blessings it brings.

Approaching the start of this Jubilee Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis, it is very important, as St. John Paul II says in the words underlined above: “to seek the life-giving roots and intimate reasons for this relationship” between justice and mercy in God. Today there is great need for understanding true justice and true mercy – so many, however have separated themselves from God – they do not even realize their lack of understanding.

O my Jesus, pardon us and save us from the fires of hell; draw all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Your Mercy.
Mary, Mother of Mercy, Mother of the Church, pray for us.