“ The cross takes our sins away because it is the act of God’ s gracious judgment on Christ for our benefit.”
“ Approaching the Lord of mercy with confidence, adds Francis, requires a‘ shattered heart.’”
MERCIFUL LIKE THE FATHER
“ The cross takes our sins away because it is the act of God’ s gracious judgment on Christ for our benefit.”
sins, redeeming us from them, healing us from the deep wound of original sin and its effects( NG, no. 42-43; MV, no. 22), and reconciling us to the Father in the power of the Spirit( 2 Cor 5:19). Christ’ s atoning work“ constitutes even a‘ superabundance’ of justice, for the sins of man are‘ compensated for’ by the sacrifice of the man-God”( DM, no. 7).
The reference to the“ superabundance” of justice is an allusion to its perfection, its excess: past, present, and future sins are fully satisfied by Christ’ s death on the cross. Furthermore, superabundance refers to the“ excessive” character of God’ s reconciling act in that God gives himself in the self-sacrificial love of Jesus’ s death for his enemies. As St. Paul tells us,“ When we were God’ s enemies we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son”( Rom 5:10).
The interrelationship between justice and mercy( NG, no. 77), of the wrathful and forgiving God, in the light of the cross, which is the manifestation of the fullness of God’ s love, is then the key, Francis says, to understanding“ God’ s way of reaching out to the sinner, offering him a new chance to look at himself, convert, and believe”( MV, no. 21). Francis adds,“ Salvation comes... through faith in Jesus Christ, who in his death and resurrection brings salvation together with a mercy that justifies”( no. 21).
Justice and Mercy as Aspects of God’ s Love
So both justice and mercy have their origin in God’ s holy love, but how so? These two, says John Paul,“ spring completely from love: from the love of the Father and of the Son, and completely bears fruit in love”( DM, no. 7). Pope Francis explains that“ these [ justice and mercy ] are not two contradictory realities, but two dimensions of a single reality that unfolds progressively until it culminates in the fullness of love”( MV, no. 20). God’ s love is the single reality that unfolds dynamically throughout salvation history in the dimensions of justice and mercy, with these two harmoniously coming together supremely in the cross.
In sum, the cross takes our sins away because it is the act of God’ s gracious judgment on Christ for our benefit:“ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”( 2 Cor 5:21). The basis of this act is divine love:“ In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins”( 1 Jn 4:10; Jn 3:16).“ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”( Rom 5:8; Eph 2:4-5).
This saving act arises at once from the will of the Son and of the Father:“ By his obedience unto death, Jesus accomplished the substitution of the suffering Servant, who‘ makes himself an offering for sin,’ when‘ he bore the sin of many’, and who‘ shall make many to be accounted righteous,’ for‘ he shall bear their iniquities.’ Jesus atoned for our faults and made satisfaction for our sins to the Father”( Catechism of the Catholic Church [ CCC ], no. 615). St. Paul writes,“ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’ s wrath through him. For if, when we were God’ s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life”( Rom 5:9-10).
The Response Factor
The way the believer receives the grace of Christ’ s atoning work, his gift of infinite mercy, is by faith( Rom 3:21-25; Eph 2:8-9). Thus, Pope Francis identifies the need“ to recognize our emptiness, our wretchedness”( NG, no. 43); reminds us of“ our need for forgiveness and mercy”; in short, our need“ to confess our miseries, our sins” in order to obtain mercy( no. 32) by faith in Jesus Christ. Sin is not only a stain upon our soul, but it is also“ a wound,” Francis teaches, that“ needs to be treated, healed”( no. 26). Approaching the Lord of mercy with confidence, adds Francis, requires a“ shattered heart,” meaning thereby, having“ consciousness of our sins, of the evil we have done, of our wretchedness, and of our need for forgiveness and mercy”( no. 32).
Of course, even this recognition of oneself as a sinner and the corresponding act of repentance stems from an act of grace that is the Lord’ s gift to us. Furthermore, we have the promise, Pope Francis tirelessly emphasizes, that“ if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”( 1 Jn 1:9). Of course, without
“ Approaching the Lord of mercy with confidence, adds Francis, requires a‘ shattered heart.’”
repentance and God’ s forgiveness, the state of the impenitent sinner is such that it“ causes exclusion from Christ’ s kingdom and the eternal death of hell”( CCC, no. 1861).
The Gospel of Love
Christians pray for the perfection of divine love in their lives so that they may stand by God’ s grace in the Day of Judgment without fear.“ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love”( 1 Jn 4:17-18).
So, mercy triumphs over judgment. Mercy is the expression of God’ s love toward sinners, and that divine love is fully realized in the cross of Calvary.
Dr. Eduardo Echeverria is professor of philosophy and theology at Sacred Heart. shms. edu 15