 |
 |
 |
|
|||
| |||
| |||
| |||
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Maria Zboralska,
“Let no soul, even the most miserable, fall prey to doubt; for, as long as one is alive, each one can become a great saint, so great is the power of God’s grace. It remains only for us not to oppose God’s action.” (Diary 283)
These words recorded by Sister Faustina set us on the path of the Year of Mercy (8 December 2015 – 20 November 2016). They speak about what is most important: God’s love which is stronger than all sin, and the human trust that God can bring good out of every evil. “Today the Lord said to me, I have opened My Heart as a living fountain of mercy. Let all souls draw life from it. Let them approach this sea of mercy with great trust. Sinners will attain justification, and the just will be confirmed in good. Whoever places his trust in My mercy will be filled with My divine peace at the hour of death.” (Diary 1520) Love is patient (1 Cor 13;4)The merciful heart of Jesus is open to every person, because Christ loves everybody and He has redeemed them by his blood. He approaches each person individually and acts in the way which is most appropriate for each individual. God speaks to some through their remorse of conscience, to others through their failures and sufferings, through “thunderstorms”, and still to others through the voice of the Church. (cf. Diary 1728) All this in order to shake a person, to get them to reflect on themselves and their current behaviour before it is too late. “I do not want to punish aching mankind, the Lord Jesus explains to sister Faustina, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart.” (Diary 1588) And although ways in which God admonishes and warns man are manifold and adapted to the calling and the degree of holiness, their goal is one: conversion of man and his return to the Father’s house.
St. John Vianney very vividly describes a situation in which God is fighting for the conversion of the unrepentant sinner, Cain – the murderer of his brother from the Old Testament. In the book entitled O skrusze i miłosierdziu (About repentance and mercy) Saint Curé of Ars wrote: “Can you see the way he treated Cain after he has killed his brother? He finds him to get him to reflect on himself and to be able to forgive him; because we really need to ask for forgiveness if we want to be granted forgiveness. Oh, my God, is it too much? ‘Cain, Cain, what have you done? Ask me for forgiveness that I may forgive you.’ Cain does not want to, he doubts his salvation and continues in sin. We see, however, that the good Lord leaves him on the earth for a long time, to give him time to repent should he want it” Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing (1 Cor 13;6)The Scripture is not the only source of teaching on how merciful God is. For though in the Church constant meditation on the Word of God is of great significance in bringing people close to the sources of the Savior’s mercy, conscious and mature participation in the Eucharist and in the sacrament of penance or reconciliation is of even greater importance. (cf. Pope John Paul II, Dives in Misericordia, 13) For everyone who wants to receive the gift of the transforming love of God, should stand in truth and confidently ask God for forgiveness. For mercy is not indulgence in evil or indifference to it. On the contrary, it implies confession of sin and confident entrusting of one’s weakness to God in the sacrament of penance. Jesus insisted that Sister Faustina wrote the following words: “Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy [the sacrament of reconciliation]. There the greatest miracles take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no [hope of] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late.” (Diary 1448)
Love rejoices in the truth (1 Cor 13;6)God is awaiting every human being – because everyone needs repentance – like the father is awaiting the return of the prodigal son. (cf. Luke 15;11-32) He is standing by the fence, awaiting, looking out, not getting discouraged … And when the son returns from exile, he forgives him with all his heart. St. John Vianney says: “If […] we are fortunate to be converted, this brings Him [God] so much joy, that, as He says, He hurries with His forgiveness more than a mother running to pull her child out of the fire.” And then Pope Francis adds: “The Lord never tires of forgiving! It is we who tire of asking for forgiveness. Let us pray for this grace, let us never tire, let us never tire of asking for forgiveness!” (Vatican City, 17 March 2013) God’s joy with one found sinner is great. The father not only receives the prodigal son, but also gives him a new robe, a ring, and organizes a feast for him. In other words, he gives generously, beyond measure. This happens with every sinner: God never ceases to look for him, and when He finds him, His joy is great. “Look at [Jesus],” says Saint Curé of Ars, “running after his lost sheep; see how He traverses the towns and villages to seek them out and bring them back home to His mercy; see how He leaves the apostles to go and wait for the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, because He knew that she would come there – He is first, He starts the conversation with her, so that His words, full of sweetness united with grace, may touch her and comfort her; He asks her for water to drink, so that she could ask Him for something far more precious, His grace. He was so happy to have won this soul that when the apostles ask Him to eat something, He replies: ‘Oh, no!’ He seems to be saying to them: ‘No, I don’t think about food for the body, for I am so joyful about this one soul I have won for my Father.’”
Love never ends (1 Cor 13;8)One sinner’s conversion is a great celebration for God and His friends. God particularly rejoices when hardened sinners return to Him, tormented souls, living in despair. (cf. Diary 1146) In the Gospel we find many parables helping us understand a little bit of God’s joy at such a meeting. It is illustrated for example by the story of the lost sheep or the lost coin (cf. Luke 15;1-10). What’s important, the joy of conversion is not one-sided. It is also experienced by the one returning home to the merciful Father. He begins a new kind of life, because the rays of God’s grace bring light, warmth and life into his soul. (cf. Diary 1486) He can then become a credible witness of Love, proclaiming and offering mercy to others. St. John Vianney, aware of the magnitude of God’s mercy, warns, however, that God’s grace should not be taken too lightly. Particularly now, in the Year of Mercy it is worth to take his words to heart: “However, my brothers, if the good God is so good as to be waiting for us and to accept us, we should not abuse His patience. If He invites us to come to Him, so we should go out to meet Him. If He accepts us, we need to stay true. Unfortunately, brothers, God may have been calling us for five or six years, so why do we continue in sin?” Source: https://loamagazine.org/archive/2017/2017-38/to-experience-gods-mercy The above article was published with permission from Miłujcie się! in April 2021. Read more Christian articles (English)
Recommend this page to your friend!
|
|
|
|
|
|
