to extend mercy to us out of his love to a race that justice demands be eternally punished for our rebellion against God that originated in the first big “ no ” of Adam and Eve . Mercy comes to us because of our sin that we can ’ t get out of ourselves no matter what we do .
Reason for Death and Suffering
Do you know why we die ? It is the just punishment for sin that God enacted after our representatives turned away from him and cast their lot with the devil . It was “ through the envy of the devil that death came into the world ” ( Wis 2:24 ), not because of the will of God .
But , as we will see over and over , the wages of sin is death ( Rom 6:23 ), and sin begets its own punishment , since sin is contrary to our nature and leads us further away from the happiness that we most deeply desire . But it is in Christ and through his blood that we have been redeemed and our sins forgiven , so immeasurably generous is God ’ s favor to us ( Eph1:7-8 ).
Unless we understand the awful truth of our situation , it is impossible to understand what mercy really is . As someone once said , unless we understand the bad news — what we deserve by nature is death — when we hear the good news of God ’ s mercy it strikes us as “ no news .” And this , unfortunately , is how many people understand mercy these days . They don ’ t understand the seriousness of the sin that required such a sacrifice for our forgiveness !
Secondly , we need to comprehend what the holy justice of God required — a deed that could fittingly “ make up for ” millennia of sin and injustice , not only of the past but of the future . Such an offering in the wisdom of God could only be made by God himself taking on our nature in the man Jesus , who then became the new representative of the human race . Through his obedience even to death on the cross ( Phil 2:8 ), Jesus overcame the disobedience of Adam .
Thirdly , we need to understand how utterly precious the mode of our redemption is . That God would do this for us !
“ So , when mercy is offered , we are faced with a choice : to receive mercy with gratitude or remain cold to it with indifference .”
Doesn ’ t that loving act now lead us to praise , to gratitude , to confide our whole lives to such love ? Doesn ’ t it make us want to “ sing of his mercies , forever ”?
And won ’ t we be forever grateful for
God ’ s mercy ? Yes , yes , and yes . So , this indeed is mercy — unearned pardon , gratuitous gift . How must we respond to such a gift for it to be effective in our lives ?
Repentance Must Be the Response Mercy requires a response for it to be fruitful . It requires a response by the very nature of the situation in which mercy comes to us — it comes to us in our sin , in our distance , in our indifference . And it comes to us in such a tender way that it respects our freedom .
So , when mercy is offered , we are faced with a choice : to receive mercy with gratitude or remain cold to it with indifference .
And remember : The indifference to the things of God that is so characteristic of life in this world — indifference to the many mercies and warnings that God gives today — puts us at great risk of condemnation at the hour of our death or when the Lord returns in glory to judge the living and the dead .
Everywhere in the Gospels we find Jesus expecting mercy to result in genuine repentance and a changed way of life . Remember , the Prodigal Son had to make a decision , a change of direction —“ I will return to my Father ”— that opened up the door of the son ’ s heart to the restoration that the Father was always ready to extend to him .
And remember the woman caught in adultery ? Jesus mercifully didn ’ t condemn her but clearly told her not to sin again : “ Neither do I condemn you ; go and do not sin again ” ( Jn 8:11 ).
Is Merciful Living Required ?
I would be remiss , though , not to mention that true conversion means not only abstaining from serious sin but also living a life of mercy . It ’ s absolutely true that “ faith without works is dead ” ( Jas 2:17 ).
In that key text from Ephesians 2 , we read in verse 10 : “ We are truly his handiwork , created in Christ Jesus to lead the life of good deeds which God prepared for us in advance .” God has prepared for us a life of good works . The good works of the Christian life are prayer , service , love , worship , evangelization , etc .
In his document proclaiming the Jubilee Year of Mercy ( Misericordiae Vultus , henceforth MV ), Pope Francis asks us to focus on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy as a way of making sure we are reaching out beyond ourselves to the needs of others . Sometimes , the Holy Father so strongly emphasizes being non-judgmental that people don ’ t notice that he is clear — and in harmony with his predecessors , the Catechism of the Catholic Church , and Scripture — that a response to mercy by way of conversion is necessary for mercy to be effective .
In the very first paragraphs of his apostolic exhortation The Joy of the Gospel , he makes this point clear . The Joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus . Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin , sorrow , inner emptiness and loneliness . . . . I invite all Christians , everywhere , at this very moment , to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ . . . . Now is the time to say to Jesus : ‘ Lord , I have let myself be deceived ; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love , yet here I am once more , to renew my covenant with you . I need you . Save me once again , Lord , take me once more into your redeeming embrace .’ . . . God never tires of forgiving us ; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy . ( No . 1 )
And in Misericordiae Vultus , he makes clear that accepting mercy involves faith , repentance , and a changed way of life . Pope Francis , for example , sees the central symbol of the Jubilee of Mercy , the Holy Door — specially designated doors in certain churches around the world as well as in the primary basilicas of Rome — as doors that lead those on pilgrimage to “ discover a path to conversion ” ( MV , no . 3 ). The pilgrimages that are encouraged as part of the Jubilee of Mercy are seen by Pope Francis as “ an impetus to conversion ” ( no . 14 ).
10 Sacred Heart Major Seminary | Mosaic | Spring 2016