Divine Mercy Sunday: Justice Served, Mercy Dispensed

2^ND SUNDAY OF EASTER C

DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

April 28, 2019

Jesus, I trust in you!

When the risen Jesus appeared to his disciples on the evening of Easter Sunday, he showed them his hands and his side. He did not do this as a reproach for running away on the night of his arrest in the garden of Getsemane. He did not come to cast blame on them for these wounds. Instead, he came with a greeting of Peace: “Peace be with you.” He showed them his hands and side in order to assure them that everything is now in peace. His death on the Cross has reconciled us with the Father. He paid the debts of our sins. All things being settled with God, everything is now in peace: Peace be with you…and he showed them his hands and his side.

In fact, in order to assuage the doubt of Thomas, he even invited him to come closer and to put his finger in the wound of his hand and to probe his wounded side with his fist. He said: “Doubt no longer but believe.”

The Lord showed them his wounds and allowed them to verify their authenticity in order to assure all of us that his death was real. It was not an illusion. He really died. This proof of death is necessary to affirm that the debt of our sins has been paid. The wounds are like a receipt of payment, evidences that the eternal debt of sins is already settled. Justice has been served. The eternal debt of our sins was paid by the death of the eternal Son of God. This is why the Lord is now able to declare pardon for the world.

He breathes on his disciples and sends the Holy Spirit to them. By doing so, he gives his apostles the power to make his mercy accessible to those who wish to avail of it: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” He sends the Holy Spirit so that our sins may be forgiven through the waters of Baptism and through the tears of compunction in confession. He desires that repentance for the forgiveness of sins be preached to all nations. Now that Divine Justice is satisfied, Divine Mercy may be dispensed to all who seek it. He desires to forgive. All we have to do is ask for it and believe in the power of his mercy.

Jesus said to St. Faustina: “From all my wounds, like from streams, mercy pours for souls, but the wound in my heart is the fountain of unfathomable mercy. From this fountain springs all graces for souls. The flames of compassion burn me. I desire greatly to pour them out upon souls. Speak to the whole world about my mercy.” (Diary, 1190)

As the world today experiences catastrophe after catastrophe, we know that we are reaping the fruits of our sins. It is time to turn to the Mercy of God. It has been an earthshaking week for the country. The tremors reminded me of the Tower of Siloah which the Lord spoke of during Lent. The tower collapsed and killed 18 people and the Lord said, “Repent or you will perish as they did.”  He told us to repent and to seek his mercy or else we will perish. 

Let not the excitement over “Avengers: The End Game” make us forget the earthquakes. Let us turn to the Lord and beg his mercy. Jesus said: “I am mercy itself for the contrite soul. A soul’s greatest wretchedness does not enkindle me with wrath; but rather, my Heart is moved towards it with great mercy.” (Diary, 1739)

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.  

7TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C: Becoming truly the Children of God

7^TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C

YEAR OF THE YOUTH

FEBRUARY 24, 2019

Jesus, I trust in you!

The people we love are those who are good to us. The people we lend money to are those from whom we can expect repayment. And these are most likely to be expected from everybody. Goodness begets goodness. We are naturally attracted to what is pleasant. Jesus says: “Even sinners do the same.”

The Lord in today’s gospel pushes us more to the extremes of love. He tells us: “Love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back.” The Lord challenges us to do more than what is naturally expected of us. He tells us to go to the very extreme limits of loving. He tells us: “You can do more than just loving those who are good to you. You can do more than lend money to those from whom you can expect payment. You can do more because you are greater than the ordinary. You are more than what is just natural…You are children of the Most High who is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” The Lord reminds us of who we are: We are children of God. Therefore, we must strive to imitate God: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” The kindness of God extends even to those who do not deserve it.

2 Sundays ago, we heard of the vision of God’s holiness which was given to the prophet Isaiah. “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of hosts,” the cherubim sang unceasingly. We said that the holiness of God means that he is unlike any of his creatures. His excellence consists in absolute goodness. Here is where God’s goodness exceeds that of all his creatures: his kindness goes beyond the limits of pleasantness. It extends even to the ingrates and to the wicked. The Lord loves not only those who love him. He loves even those who despise him. This we know is true for if he did not love the wicked, then they would cease to exist. He allows the sun to shine on both the good and the bad. He allows the rain to fall on both the saint and the sinner.

And so, our duty as children of God is to love as God loves. Jesus has proven that he is truly the Son of God. When he was crucified, Jesus prayed to his Father: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” To the repentant thief, he gave the assurance: “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus is merciful as his Father is merciful. Now, he tells us to do the same: I give you a new commandment “Love one another as I have loved you.” He loved us even though we are unworthy and ungrateful. Therefore, our love becomes truly like that of the Father when we forgive and when we do good to those who hate us. Love is our response to their hatred.

St. Paul says in the 2^nd reading that the natural comes first, then the spiritual. Therefore, our love as Christians must progress from the natural to the spiritual. We begin from loving what is naturally appealing. Then, little by little, we strive to become like Jesus. At first, we might feel it to be naturally repulsive to love our enemies and to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us and pray for those who mistreat us. But we try to defeat this repulsion by our self denial: “Lord, help me deny myself by loving those who hate me.” Slowly, we become like Jesus. We learn to forgive those who have offended us. We learn to love those who hate us. Eventually, “we shall bear the image of the heavenly one.” To err is human, to forgive is divine. We are called to that divinity for we are children of the Father who is good even to the ungrateful and to the wicked.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

The Priest as Custodian of the Divine Mercy

2^ND SUNDAY OF EASTER B (DIVINE MERCY)

YEAR OF THE CLERGY AND CONSECRATED PERSONS

APRIL 8, 2018

Jesus, I trust in you!

The Lord Jesus said to St. Faustina: “No soul will be justified until it turns with confidence to My mercy, and this is why the first Sunday after Easter is to be the Feast of Mercy. On that day, priests are to tell everyone about My great and unfathomable mercy.” (Diary, 570) The Feast of Mercy that we celebrate today in the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated persons, gives us the opportunity to speak about priests as proclaimers of the mercy of God.

On the evening of Easter Sunday, the Lord appeared to his disciples and said to them: “As the Father sent me, so I send you.” Then he breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whatever sins you forgive, they are forgiven.” Having offered himself upon the Cross as a sacrifice of atonement for our sins, the Lord Jesus, at his resurrection, gave priests the power to absolve sins. The Lord’s death on the cross made this possible. Having risen from the dead, he sends his disciples on a mission of mercy: In my name, repentance shall be preached from Jerusalem until the ends of the earth. The Lord sends his priests to preach repentance. This mandate comes from the Lord’s desire to forgive and to bestow mercy: “I am Love and Mercy itself. There is no misery that could be a match for my mercy, neither will misery exhaust it, because as it is granted – it increases. The soul that trusts in my mercy is most fortunate because I myself will take care of it.” (Diary 1273) If the Lord is not willing to forgive, then he would not send his disciples to preach repentance. He desires to forgive. All we have to do is to trust his mercy and never underestimate his goodness. “Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul’s distrust! Such a soul professes that I am holy and just, but does not believe that I am mercy and does not trust in my goodness. Even the devils glorify my justice but do not believe in my goodness. My heart rejoices in this title of Mercy.” (Diary, 300)

Together with the mandate to proclaim his mercy, the Lord gave his priests the power to absolve sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This sacrament makes the Lord’s mercy accessible to us. No sin is too grave that it could not be forgiven at confession. We should trust that the Lord has given priests this great power to absolve sins. “Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy. 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 (the priest) 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)

Therefore, the priest proclaims the Mercy of God by preaching about it and even more so, by absolving sins in the sacrament of Confession. As the Father sent his Son to the world so that all who believe in him might be saved, so the Risen Christ sends his priests to declare forgiveness in his name. Let us avail of Christ’s Easter gift. Let us confess our sins and trust in his mercy!

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

The Scandalous Mercy of God

The Magdalene who loved much because she was forgiven much

Jesus, I trust in you!

Simon the Pharisee underestimated Jesus for seemingly not knowing the kind of woman who was touching him: “If this man were a prophet, he would know what sort of woman this is touching him, that she is a sinner.” Apparently, many people today are like Simon who thinks that God does not want to be touched by sinners. While it is true that God finds sin repulsive, Jesus today shows us how he allows himself to be touched by the repentance of sinners.

In the first reading, the prophet Nathan reproved David for very grievous sins: adultery with Uriah’s wife and then plotting the same man’s murder. “Why have you spurned the Lord and done evil in his sight ...You have despised me!” The evil nature of David’s sins was enough to separate him from the Lord and yet, when David realized the gravity of his sins, he confessed: “I have sinned against the Lord.” That was all Nathan had to hear in order to assure David of Divine absolution: “The Lord on his part has forgiven your sin: you shall not die.”

We often do not understand how God could easily forgive David when in fact his sins were so grave. How could the Lord Jesus allow the woman to touch him in spite of her many sins: “… her many sins have been forgiven.” We do not realize that the mercy of the Lord is really very scandalous. It offends our sense of justice, or rather, our desire for retribution. Shouldn’t David be punished? Shouldn’t the sinful woman be publicly humiliated? Shouldn’t that criminal be hanged? What about the victims? Do we not care that they get justice? Pope John Paul cautioned us about how justice is easily distorted by spite, hate, and cruelty. “In such cases, the desire to annihilate the enemy, limit his freedom, or even force him into total dependence, becomes the fundamental motive for action…It is obvious, in fact, that in the name of (an alleged) justice, the neighbor is sometimes destroyed, killed, deprived of liberty or stripped of fundamental human rights.” (Dives in Misericordia, 7.) Pope John Paul concludes: “The experience of the past and of our own time demonstrates that justice alone is not enough, that it can even lead to the negation and destruction of itself, if that deeper power, which is love, is not allowed to shape human life in its various dimensions.” (Ibid.)

Mercy defines the love of God. “All the subtleties of love become manifest in the Lord’s mercy for those who are his own.” (DM, 4.) God’s mercy is more powerful and more profound than his justice. “Love is ‘greater’ than justice: greater in the sense that it is primary and fundamental. Love conditions justice and justice serves love. The primacy and superiority of love vis-a-vis justice are revealed through mercy.” (Ibid.) Jesus himself said to St. Faustina: “Let the sinner not be afraid to approach me. The flames of mercy are burning me – clamoring to be spent; I want to pour them out upon souls.” (Diary, 50.) Thus, those who were at table with Jesus rightfully asked themselves about Jesus: “Who is this who even forgives sins?” This, indeed, is Jesus: he is the One who forgives sins. He was sent by the Father as expiation for our sins (1 John 4:10).

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

The Fountain that Cleanses Sins

Blood and Water from the Pierced Heart of Jesus

Jesus, I trust in you!

In today’s Gospel Reading, Jesus said, “The Son of Man must endure many sufferings.” I say, “So what?” So what if he has to suffer? Do we not all have to endure suffering? Even Gautama Buddha acknowledged this and made it one of the central truths of Buddhism: “All life is suffering.”

Jesus also said, “He must be put to death.” I say, “So what?” All of us have to die one day. This is the way of all flesh, so the Bible says. And so if he dies, we also will die.

What makes the suffering of Jesus so unique? What makes his death so different? The prophet Zechariah gives us beautiful words for our first reading: “They shall look on him whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one who mourns for an only son, and they shall grieve over him as one grieves over a first born.” Who is this only son? Zechariah is definitely referring to the Lord Jesus. At the River Jordan and at the Mountain of the Transfiguration, God the Father introduced Jesus to all: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Jesus is the Only-Begotten Son of God and our Lord.

Who is this first-born? Again, the prophet is definitely referring to Jesus. St. Paul said that Jesus is the first-born of all creation. He is also the first-born of the dead. It is ion knowing that the prophet was referring to Jesus that we appreciate the prophecy even more: “They shall look on him whom they have pierced.” When our Lord Jesus died on the Cross, a soldier pierced his side with a lance. And out of that wounded side flowed Blood and Water. From the pierced Heart of the Savior came forth in abundance Blood and Water. Thus, the prophet said, “On that day, there shall be open to the house of David and to the other inhabitants of Jerusalem, a fountain to purify from sin and uncleanness.” That fountain that purifies sin and uncleanness is that opened side of Jesus, his pierced heart from which flowed Blood and Water. This fountain of Blood and Water purifies us from sin. This fountain of Blood and Water empowers the Sacraments so that they may have the capacity to bring about the forgiveness of sins. This is why we go to Church. We acknowledge that we are sinners and we wish to draw close to the purifying fountain of our Savior’s heart. This is why I simply scratch my head at people who accuse churchgoers of self-righteousness: “Pasimba-simba pa kayo. Akala mo kung sinong malilinis, eh panay makasalanan naman pala.” “Yang pari ninyo, pamisa-misa pa. akala mo kung sinong malinis, eh makasalanan din naman pala.” Excuse me? They are badly mistaken. The reason why we go to church, the reason why I offer mass is not because we feel righteous but because we acknowledge our sinfulness and so we need to draw close to the fountain of mercy which is the Savior’s heart. To accuse us of self-righteousness is like saying to a person who takes a bath: “Paligo-ligo ka pa. Akala mo kung sinong malinis, eh marumi naman pala.” The reason why we bathe is because we are soiled. When I tell someone to take a bath, the person oftentimes smell his armpits and say, “Father, I don’t smell bad.” Thos who refuse to take a bath are those who think that they are clean. Those who refuse to take a bath are those who think they don’t stink. In like manner, those who refuse to go to church are those who think that they are righteous enough that they don’t need to go.

And so we ask, “Why does the suffering of Jesus forgive sins? Why does his death take away sins? Why do the Blood and Water flowing from his wounded heart wash away sins?” The answer is given by the Gospel reading: Jesus is the Messiah of God. The Lord asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “The Messiah of God!” 

Indeed, You, O Lord Jesus are the Messiah of God. That is why your sufferings bring to us forgiveness of sins. Even if we were to endure all the sufferings that the world can offer, none of us could obtain for the world forgiveness of sins.

You, O Jesus, are the Messiah of God. That is why your death takes away the sins of the world. You are the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Even if we were to die a million times, none of them could take away the sins of the world.

You, O Jesus, are the Messiah of God. That is why the Blood and Water flowing from your opened heart wash away our sins and purify us from uncleanness. Even if we were to wound ourselves and bring out all the blood and water that would bodies can give, none of us can purify the sins of the world.

You, O Jesus, are the only Begotten Son of the Father. You are the first-born of all creation. You are the first-born of the dead. You are the Messiah of God. You are the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Have mercy on us and on the whole world.

O Fountain of life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty yourself out upon us. O Blood and Water that gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in you!   

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Becoming Merciful

Jesus, I trust in You!

PRAISED BE Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

As we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday during the Year of the Poor, it would truly be beneficial for us to see the devotion to the Divine Mercy and its relationship with the poor. Many of us associate the devotion to the veneration of the now famous painting of the Divine Mercy. We should include in this devotion the sacrament of Confession and also of the Eucharist. And of course, the devotion would not be complete without the 3:00 prayer and the chaplet of the Divine Mercy. However, there is one aspect of the devotion that we usually neglect, and that is the performance of the works of mercy.

The Acts of the Apostles portrayed for us a picture of the infant Church wherein those who followed the Lord Jesus put their resources together: “The community of believers was of one heart and one mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common.” Thus, “there was no needy person among them.” Their relationship with the Lord transformed them to the point that they placed even their financial resources at the service of each other. The mercy which they experienced from the Lord made the disciples themselves bearers of Divine Mercy. The works of mercy became a lifestyle: “In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this: that we keep his commandments.”  The Lord Jesus himself admonished us to feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked and shelter the stranger, to visit the sick and the imprisoned for “whatever you do to the least of my brethren, that you do unto me.” We must imitate the Father who is holy and merciful: “Be merciful for the Father is merciful.”

We glorify God’s mercy by being merciful ourselves. In her diary, St. Faustina wrote this prayer: “O Most Holy Trinity! As many times as I breathe, as many times as my heart beats, as many times as my blood pulsates through my body, so many thousand times do I want to glorify your mercy.

“I want to be completely transformed into your mercy and to be your living reflection, O Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes, that of your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my neighbor. Help me, O Lord, that my eyes may be merciful , so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look for what is beautiful in my neighbor’s soul and come to their rescue. Help me, that my ears may be merciful, so that I may give heed to my neighbor’s needs and not be indifferent to their pains and moanings. Help me, O Lord, that my tongue may be merciful, so that I should never speak negatively of my neighbor, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all. Help me, O Lord, that my hands may be merciful and filled with good deeds, so that I may do only good for my neighbors and take upon myself the more difficult and toilsome tasks. Help me that my feet may be merciful, so that I may hurry to assist my neighbor, overcoming my own fatigue and weariness. My true rest is in the service of my neighbor. Help me, O Lord, that my heart may be merciful so that I myself may feel all the sufferings of my neighbor. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness. And I will lock myself up in the most merciful Heart of Jesus. I will bear my own sufferings in silence. May your mercy, O Lord, rest upon me.

“You yourself command me to exercise the 3 degrees of mercy. The 1^st: the act of mercy, of whatever kind. The 2^nd: the word of mercy – if I cannot carry out a work of mercy, I will assist by my words. The 3^rd: prayer – if I cannot show mercy by deeds or words, I can always do so by prayer. My prayer reaches out even there where I cannot reach out physically. O my Jesus, transform me into yourself, for you can do all things.” (Diary, 163.)

Jesus. I trust in you! O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Joy at being found

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

When the tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to listen to Jesus, the Pharisees and scribes began to complain: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” The response of Jesus to this complaints are three parables that end with the same refrain: “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep;” “Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost;“ and “We must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come back to life again; he was lost and has been found.” Through these parables, the Lord reveals to us that the reaction of the truly righteous to the return of sinners to the Lord should not be complaint but rejoicing. The Pharisees and scribes who enjoyed the reputation of righteousness amongst the Jewish circles complained upon seeing that sinners were drawing near to Jesus to listen to him. But the angels in heaven rejoice over the repentance of one sinner.

In fact, the repentance of a sinner should be cause for joy because it is the evidence of God’s search for us who were lost. Oftentimes we think that repentance is the result of a person’s search for God. The parables of the Lord tell us otherwise. Repentance is the result of God’s search for us. The sheep, once it discovers that it has gone astray, lays down helplessly and waits for its doom. The coin that rolls beneath furniture stays put and gathers dust. The wayward son sits in the pig sty and waits to be offered the pods on which the pigs are fed. Sinners return to God not because they found the Lord but because they were found by Him. Repentance is a sheer act of grace. And so, the repentance of sinners should be for us a cause for rejoicing because none of us would be here if the Lord had not searched for us.

St. Paul had nothing but gratitude towards the Lord Jesus because in spite of what his wayward life, the Lord called him into divine service: “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant, but I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.” Isn’t this our common experience? Are we not all here because each of us has been mercifully treated by the Lord? If we have been found righteous, it is not because we have never gone astray for “all men have sinned and have been deprived of the glory of God.” If we are found trustworthy, it is because God searched for us and found us. And this is why we are all here. We are grateful that the Lord did not annihilate us on account of our sins. We are grateful that we have been mercifully treated by the Lord. “Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his Death and Resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation, giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you.” (Kami’y nagpapasalamat dahil kami’y iyong minarapat na tumayo sa harap mo para maglingkod sa iyo.) We do not gather here to flaunt our holiness. We gather here to show our gratitude: “I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me trustworthy in appointing me to the ministry.” This Eucharist is our thanksgiving for once we were lost but now are found. We were blind but now we see.

Jesus, I trust in you. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Even When We Were Yet Sinners...

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

Samaritans and Jews were not exactly friends to each other. If you recall the gospel reading two Sundays ago, there was a Samaritan town that refused to accept Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. The rivalry was as old as the division of Israel into two kingdoms: the northern kingdom (Samaritans) composed of ten tribes of Israel and the southern kingdom (Jews) composed of two kingdoms. On account of the rival temple which the Samaritans built on Mt. Gerizim, the rift between the two peoples reached its peak because the Jews have always held the tradition that the true Temple was built on Mt. Zion (Jerusalem). That is why that the Lord Jesus would make a Samaritan as the protagonist of his parable would strike a sensitive chord in the hearts of the Jewish listeners.

A Samaritan coming to the aid of a Jew who was robbed and left for dead – the parable was more than just a simple lesson of charity beyond boundaries (borders). It was a portrayal of the history of salvation. Man was robbed by the devil of all the riches he has been endowed with by God. After he was robbed, man was left for dead: “Through the disobedience of one man, sin entered into the world, and together with sin, entered death.” (Romans 5:12) The priest and the levite who both passed by the dying man stood for the Jewish religion. They passed the poor man by not because they did not care but because there was nothing that they could do for him.  The religion of the Law told people what to do and what not to do but the same religion could do nothing more than this. It has no power to save.

It was the Samaritan who came to help. Jesus identified himself with the Samaritan because he, who came from heaven, came to help man who was in reality in enmity with God. St. Paul said: “For why did Christ, when as yet we were weak, according to the time, die for the ungodly?  For scarce for a just man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man some one would dare to die.  But God commendeth his charity towards us; because when as yet we were sinners, according to the time, Christ died for us; much more therefore, being now justified by his blood, shall we be saved from wrath through him.  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.  And not only so; but also we glory in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5: 6-11) This is precisely what Jesus did for us. We were ungodly, we were sinners, and yet he cleaned and bound our wounds and lifted us upon his own flesh by himself dying on the cross. He allowed himself to be beaten and be stripped. He was not left half-dead. He himself went all the way – he died on the Cross. Indeed, the Lord Jesus is truly a neighbor for us. He is the “one who treated him (us) with mercy.” And he commands us to do the same. The Lord said weeks ago: the one who is forgiven much loves much. He bound our wounds. By his stripes we were healed. He treated us with mercy. Let us forgive as we have been forgiven. Let us heal as we were healed. We were forgiven much. Therefore, let us love much.

Jesus, I trust in you. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Confession and the Divine Mercy

Jesus, I trust in you!

“Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Risen from the dead, the Lord Jesus stood before his disciples on that Easter evening. These were the very disciples who denied him and abandoned him 2 nights before. The resurrection has vindicated him against his enemies and so the Lord had every right to reproach the apostles for their cowardice. But he did not do this. Instead, he greeted them with peace and then bestowed upon them power which no human being ever had – the power to forgive sins. No human being ever had this power for only God can forgive sins. And yet, on that evening, the Lord breathed on them and gave them the Holy Spirit who empowered them to forgive sins. This power to forgive sins is honored by heaven itself.

At the resurrection, the Lord Jesus, who was humiliated by suffering and death, was glorified: “I am the first and the last, the one who lives. Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I hold the keys to death and the netherworld.” He is the Glorious One who holds the keys to death and the netherworld – the keys to death that entered the world as a consequence of sin.  He now unlocks the fetters that bound us to death – the fetters of sin. He does this by bestowing upon his apostles the power to break the chains of sin – that power is the forgiveness of sins. The glorious face of Jesus is God’s face which “is the face of a merciful Father who is always patient,” so said Pope Francis, “the patience he has for us…is his mercy. He always has patience, patience with us. He understands us, he waits for us, he does not tire of forgiving us if we are able to return to him with a contrite heart…God never tires of forgiving us!...The problem is that we ourselves tire, we grow weary of asking for forgiveness.” (Francis, 1^st Angelus Message, 17 March 2013.)

Those who are weary of asking for forgiveness are “those who trust in themselves and in their own merits…blinded by their ego and their hearts are hardened in sin.” (Benedict XVI, I Believe in God, 139.) On the other hand, “those who recognize that they are weak and sinful entrust themselves to God and obtain from him grace and forgiveness…In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, whatever the sin committed, if it is humbly recognized and the person involved turns with trust to the priest-confessor, he or she never fails to experience the soothing joy of God’s forgiveness. (In the Sacrament of Reconciliation), what is central (is) the personal encounter with God, the Father of goodness and mercy. It is not sin which is at the heart of the sacramental celebration but rather God’s mercy, which is infinitely greater than any guilt of ours.” (Ibid., 139-140.)

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

The Gates of Forgiveness

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

Last Sunday, we saw how God the Father manifested his love for Jesus by resurrecting Him from the dead. All the gospel spoke of was an empty tomb and burial linens cast aside which were supposed to be evidences that Jesus is not among the dead for he is living. Today, the Gospel speaks of Jesus appearing to his disciples – yes, to his disciples who, on the night he was betrayed, abandoned him. They abandoned him out of fear. In fact, they were still afraid as they kept themselves behind closed doors. They were afraid of the Jews. And yet, despite the closed doors, Jesus stood before them. He did not come with a reproach: “Why did you abandon me? Where were you when I needed you?” He came with a greeting: “Peace be with you!” It was truly a fitting greeting for now, all is at peace. By his death and his resurrection, the Father has reconciled the world to himself and now, there was one thing left to do: to send the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. Thus, he breathes on his apostles and says to them: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whatsoever sins you forgive, they are forgiven them; whatsoever sins you do not forgive, they are not forgiven.”

He sends the Holy Spirit primarily to bring about the forgiveness of sins. “It was when he gave the Holy Spirit to his apostles that the risen Christ conferred on them his own power to forgive sins.” (CCC, 976) This forgiveness of sins is obtained first of all through baptism which is “the first and chief sacrament of forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ, who died for our sins, so that ‘we too might walk in newness of life.’” (CCC, 977) This is why when we look at the image of the Divine Mercy, we see rays of light coming forth from his wounded heart: a ray colored red and another pale: “The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls.” (Diary 299) The Water which makes souls righteous is the Baptismal Water. The Roman Catechism says: “When we make our first profession of faith while receiving holy Baptism that cleansed us, the forgiveness we received then was so full and complete that there remained to us absolutely nothing left to efface, neither original sin nor offenses committed by our own will, nor was there left any penalty to suffer in order to expiate them…” (Roman Catechism 1, 11, 3; CCC, 978)

The devil, however, does not let up in his attempt to snare us into his trap. In the weakness of our nature, we still combat the movements of concupiscence that never cease leading us into evil. That is why the merciful Savior gives us a second means to rise in the event that we fall into sin: the Sacrament of Penance. The Roman Catechism says: “If the Church has the power to forgive sins, then Baptism cannot be her only means of using the keys of the Kingdom of heaven received from Jesus Christ. The Church must be able to forgive all penitents their offenses, even if they should sin until the last moment of their lives” (Roman Catechism 1, 11, 4; CCC, 979). The Lord Jesus said to St. Faustina: “Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy (Sacrament of Penance). 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 the 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)

Indeed, “there is no offense, however serious, that the Church cannot forgive. ‘There is no one, however wicked or guilty, who may not confidently hope for forgiveness, provided his repentance be honest.’ Christ who died for all men desires that in his Church the gates of forgiveness should always be open to anyone who turns away from sin.” (CCC, 982)

Jesus, I trust in you!

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

The Crucified One and the End of our Slavery

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

The Babylonian exile was the darkest moment in Israelite history. Due to the increasing infidelity of the leaders and the people against the Lord, “the Lord’s anger against his people was so inflamed that there was no remedy. Their enemies burned the house of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, set all its palaces on fire, and destroyed all its precious objects. Those who escaped the sword were carried captive to Babylon where they became servants of the king of the Chaldeans and his sons.” It was a foreigner, Cyrus, the king of Persia, who would bring this captivity and bitter exile to an end. He will order the rebuilding of the Temple of God and restore the freedom of the people of Israel.

Cyrus, the king of Persia, is a wonderful image of Christ. Just as he declared: “All the kingdoms of the earth, the Lord, the God of heaven has given me,” so will the Lord Jesus later declare: “Everything in heaven and on earth has been given me by my Father in heaven.” Just as Cyrus declared: “God has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem,” so will the Lord Jesus later declare: “Destroy this temple and in 3 days I will raise it up.” Just as Cyrus declared that all the captive Israelites are to return to their homeland, so would the Lord Jesus later say: “He has sent me to declare freedom to prisoners.” Indeed, the captivity which the Israelites inflicted upon themselves by their sins was ended by Cyrus. In like manner, the captivity which we inflicted upon ourselves by our sins was ended by the Lord Jesus: “God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ.”

It is the love of God that has done this: God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. Contrary to the cruelty which the world accuses God, God has nothing but love for us. “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” God is not cruel to us. We inflict this cruelty to ourselves. We condemn ourselves by staying away from the light and love of God: “This is the verdict: that the light came into the world but people preferred darkness to light because their works were evil.” Don’t we sometimes wonder why people prefer darkness to light? Why are many young people attracted to a culture of darkness? Why a preference for darkness? Perhaps it is because the darkness gives people a false sense of freedom. Darkness gives people the illusion that under the cover of its shadows they can do what they want. And the forces of darkness refuse to let their subjects draw close to the light because they know that the light will expose the chains of slavery to which their subjects are attached. “Everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come towards the light, so that his works might not be exposed.”

God draws us to Jesus who is lifted up on the wood of the Cross. Christ on the Cross is the lamp placed on the lamp stand that illumines the entire household. Christ on the Cross exposes the ugliness of sin and the gravity of its slavery. When we look upon the Crucified One, we see what our sins have done to Him. And yet, Christ on the Cross reveals to us the greatness of God’s love for us. When we look upon the Crucified One, we see what God, in his love, is willing to do for us. In the Crucified One, God shows “the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” It is by this grace that we are saved!

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

What is new?

Praised be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Seeing the faith of the 4 men who brought him a paralytic through the roof, Jesus said to the paralytic: “Your sins are forgiven.” The scribes, not knowing the divine nature of Jesus, thought that the Lord was blaspheming: “Who but God alone can forgive sins?” And rightly they said so. Thinking that they were criticizing Jesus, the scribes unknowingly gave witness to the Lord’s Divinity. It is true that God alone can forgive sins and so, when Jesus said that “The Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth,” he was already revealing to us the Divinity that hides beneath his humanity. Giving the healing of the paralytic as proof to his claim to Divine authority, the Lord has done something new…something that made people around him say: “We have never seen anything like this!” Indeed, what the Lord said through the prophet Isaiah has come to pass: “see, I am doing something new!...It is I, I, who wipe out, for my own sake, your offenses; your sins I remember no more.”

Why is it that people said, “We have never seen anything like this”? Has God not forgiven offenses in the past? Why did he say, “I am doing something new”? Obviously, even in the past, the Lord has been manifesting His mercy. He revealed himself to Moses as the God “who is slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression;” (Num. 14:18) Again and again, he forgave the infidelity of the people of Israel. The novelty in what Jesus did lies in the fact that the authority to forgive sins on earth is exercised by the Son of Man, that is, by God who has assumed a human nature. By the mystery of the Incarnation, God forgives sins by using the human nature he assumed as his instrument. In and through the sacred humanity of Christ, salvation is accomplished for us. In and through his sacred humanity, our sins are forgiven. In and through his sacred humanity, our wounds are healed.

Thus, in the Incarnation of God’s only begotten Son, God affirms his love for humanity. “The Son of God was not ‘yes’ and ‘no’ but ‘yes’ has been in him. For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him,” said St. Paul to the Corinthians. There could be no clearer affirmation of Divine Love for us than in the Incarnation of his only begotten Son.

Thus, as Lent approaches, let us not hesitate to seek the forgiveness of God. Let us never doubt, even for a single instant, the Lord’s desire to forgive our sins, no matter how many or how grave they may be. To St. Faustina, the Lord Jesus said: “My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of my goodness? For you I descended from heaven to earth; for you I allowed myself to be nailed to the Cross; for you I let my Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come, then, with trust to draw graces from this fountain. I never reject a contrite heart. Your misery has disappeared in the depths of my mercy. Do not argue with me about your wretchedness. You will give me pleasure if you hand over to me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of My grace.” (Diary, 1485)

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Divine Mercy and Advent

In a catechetical class about the long Old Testament preparation for the coming of the Messiah, a student once asked me: Why did it take God so long in sending His Son? We ask ourselves: Why the delay in the Lord’s return? St. Peter, in the 2^nd reading, reminds us that what seems a “delay” to us isn’t really so for the Lord because “with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day.” The length of time did not really matter to the Lord to whom past, present, and future is all the same. God dwells in the eternal present. Time does not matter to Him who is beyond time.

The seeming delay of that dreadful day of judgment, when everything shall be dissolved by fire, is actually an expression of the patience of the Divine Mercy: the Lord is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. It is not that the Lord is slow in coming. Rather we are slow to repent. It takes us so much time to realize our faults. It even takes longer for us to come to repent over what we have done. All we have to do is to look at the way we deal with our favorite sins. It takes long for us to admit our guilt. It takes so long for us to overcome it. We confess our favorite sins again and again because we keep on doing it. That is why it is called “favorite sin.”

Thus, the Lord delays in bringing us to justice. He gives us time to repent. Patiently, he awaits for our return to him because he does not want the sinner to die. Rather, he wants the sinner to repent and live. Thus, he gives us many opportunities to avail of his mercy. Look at the Gospel. Before sending His Son, he sends first John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord. Contrary to our stereotyping of John the Baptist as a fire and brimstone prophet, the man is actually a proclaimer of the Divine Mercy: John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. His mandate is one of tender compassion: Comfort, give comfort to my people…Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated. Attracted by the message of mercy that the Baptist brings, people were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. Indeed, that dreadful day of judgment will come with the suddenness of a thief’s coming. But before that day, the Lord extends the limits of his mercy. He makes his mercy accessible to all.

Thus, we should take advantage of this time of reprieve. We should not hesitate to go to confession which is the tribunal of the Divine Mercy. Let us repent while we still can. Let us go to the priest and to him acknowlege our sins. Let us do this while the Lord allows his patience to delay his judgment. “Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care.” To St. Faustina, the Lord said: “Before I come as the just Judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy.” (Diary, 83.)

Christ the King and the Works of Mercy

St. Faustina recorded this incident in her diary: “Jesus came to the main entrance today, under the guise of a poor young man. This young man, emaciated, barefoot, and bareheaded, and with his clothes in tatters, was frozen because the day was cold and rainy. He asked for something hot to eat. So I went to the kitchen but found nothing there for the poor. But, after searching around for some time, I succeeded in finding some soup, which I reheated and into which I crumbled some bread, and I gave it to the poor young man, who ate it. As I was taking the bowl from him, he gave me to know that He was the Lord of heaven and earth. When I saw Him as He was, He vanished from my sight. When I went back in, and reflected on what happened at the gate, I heard these words in my soul: My daughter, the blessing of the poor who bless me as they leave this gate have reached my ears. And your compassion, within the bounds of obedience, has pleased Me, and this is why I came down from My throne – to taste the fruits of your mercy.” (Diary, 1312)

St. Faustina responded to that voice: “O my Jesus, now everything is clear to me, and I understand all that has just happened. I somehow felt and asked myself what sort of a poor man is this that radiates such modesty. From that moment on, there was stirred up in my heart an even purer love toward the poor and the needy. Oh, how happy I am that the superiors have given me such a task! I understand that mercy is manifold: one can do good always and everywhere and at all times. An ardent love of God sees all around itself constant opportunities to share itself through deeds, word and prayer. Now I understand the words which You spoke to me, O Lord, some time ago”. (Diary 1313)

The Lord Jesus answered St. Faustina: “I know, My daughter, that you understand it and that you do everything in your power. But write this for the many souls who are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet, spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of each soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of ju dgement. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasures for themselves, they would not be judged for they would forestall My judgement with their mercy.” (Diary, 1317)

The Son of Man will come seated on His throne and escorted with His angels. He will come to judge all the nations who will be assembled before Him. And He will judge each of us according to our works of mercy. There will be no exemption because “one can do good always and everywhere and at all times.” If we cannot afford to do temporal works of mercy, there are always the spiritual works of mercy that are within the reach of every soul. The temporal works of mercy are: To feed the hungry; To give drink to the thirsty; To clothe the naked; To harbour the harbourless; To visit the sick; To ransom the captive; To bury the dead. The spiritual works of mercy are: To instruct the ignorant; To counsel the doubtful; To admonish sinners; To bear wrongs patiently; To forgive offences willingly; To comfort the afflicted; To pray for the living and the dead.

Knowing that our time is running out and that we are really approaching the day of judgement, let us waste no time. Let us take hold of every opportunity to gather eternal treasure for ourselves. Remember: If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Blessed are the merciful, they shall obtain mercy.

On Confession

Jesus said to St. Fautina: "Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles it. Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls."

Diary, 1602.

(CNA) Conversion of Planned Parenthood Manager

Sherman, Texas, Sep 9, 2011 / 04:14 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Ramona Trevino has a compelling story to tell about her exodus from the nation's largest abortion provider. But in her first public appearance, she chose to emphasize what God accomplished through a vigil outside the clinic she used to manage.

“My message is to glorify God, and to glorify what wonderful things all of you are doing and continue to do. I'm so excited, and honored, to hopefully be a part of that,” she told 40 Days for Life participants at a recent event outside the defunct Planned Parenthood facility in Sherman, Texas.

“People like me everywhere are waiting for a miracle. And that is indeed what happened … Three months later, this place is out of business.”

Trevino, its former manager, had already taken a “leap of faith” on May 6, “leaving behind my job … half of my family's income.” It meant “having to worry about how we were going to survive, and pay the mortgage, and put food on the table.”

She told the assembled members of 40 Days for Life that there had been “a tugging in my heart, on and off, during the three years that I was managing. And it was a tugging that it shames me to say, I did ignore.”

Although Trevino's clinic did not perform abortions, she “still had a hand in the referrals. I still had to give out the number, I still had to give out the information on the locations … where they could get an abortion.”

“That's a truth I finally had to face. And that was a truth that would be brought to light due to the wonderful 40 Days for Life vigil that was held out here.”

In an interview with CNA, Trevino gave more details of her story, explaining how she tried to reconcile her Catholic faith with her work at Planned Parenthood. She also described the dramatic change of heart that coincided with the beatification of Pope John Paul II.

“I was raised Catholic, but I didn't really have a lot of formation in my faith as a kid,” said Trevino. “When I was a little girl … I felt like I was being called to the religious life.” But she “didn't have the formation, as a young child, to elaborate on that calling.”

Instead of becoming a nun, Trevino became pregnant in high school. She left school, and was in a non-Catholic marriage for eight years.

Two years after her subsequent marriage within the Church, Trevino learned about a part-time position at Planned Parenthood from a coworker at her former government job. She had gone through more extensive Catholic formation to prepare for marriage, but still lacked a proper understanding of issues surrounding sexuality and human life.

“I think there was still a lot about my faith that I didn't know – that I didn't get,” she recalled.

Trevino, who says she was “always pro-life,” also lacked an understanding of Planned Parenthood's leading role in the abortion industry. She associated the organization mostly with contraception, which she regarded as wrong for Catholics, but not for others.

“It didn't take me long before I became uncomfortable working there,” she remembered. “It was probably within the first three or four months. The thing that struck me hard was when I had to do my first referral for an abortion.”

“We provided pregnancy tests. So a lot of women would come in to confirm pregnancy, and if they were pregnant sometimes they would want an abortion. And we would have to counsel them on the information, the referrals, how far along they were, and that type of thing.”

“I remember the very first time I had to do that. I went into my office, I closed the door, and I cried. I guess it was something that I didn't think I was actually going to have to do. I was naïve, and I was too focused on the opportunity of being a manager.”

The referrals came relatively infrequently in the small Texas town, and other staff sometimes handled them. When they did occur, Trevino found ways to soothe her conscience.

“I would say prayers for them, and I would justify my actions all the time. I'd come home a wreck, and ask my husband 'Am I guilty?' And I would talk myself out of it, to justify it: 'Really, I'm not making the decision for her; when she walks out the door or gets off the phone, it's up to her what she does. I really am not responsible for what she chooses.''”

“I would constantly try to feed myself lies,” she said. “Eventually it got to me. I wasn't standing up for those babies. I wasn't trying to save their lives … Over time, I couldn't deny it to myself anymore.”

Trevino also became disillusioned with policies she said were geared toward “pushing things on people” for financial gain. “It's about making money. You didn't get the sense that they really, truly cared about these women they way they say they did.”

But the clinic manager's decision to leave Planned Parenthood and its practices behind, is mysterious even to her.

“I can't explain it on a human level. To me, it's all divine.”

The point when she says “everything began to change” was December 2010. She tuned in to her local Catholic radio station for the first time, and heard a show on women's post-abortion experiences. Almost every caller spoke of having an abortion through Planned Parenthood. She also learned about “the workings of contraception,” and its ability to cause an abortion.

“I began to tune in every day,” she said. She learned about Abby Johnson, the former Planned Parenthood employee who chronicled her pro-life conversion in the bestselling book “UnPlanned.”

One night, coming back from the clinic, “I was listening to Catholic radio … I remember a woman saying: 'One day, when we die and we meet our maker, he's going to ask: “What did you do to prevent and stop abortion?”’ Right there, it was like a dagger in my heart.”

She began praying the Rosary during Lent, and said that on the third day, “the blinders just completely came off my eyes.” She dropped her excuses about working at a non-abortion-facility, and “understood why working for Planned Parenthood was wrong.”

“Shortly after, the first 40 Days for Life vigil was held outside the clinic. I got the courage to go out and talk to them, and ask for their prayers.” Trevino says she felt the strength God gave her through the prayers of the pro-life volunteers.

And it's possible that another intercessor, whom the Church celebrated just after Easter, may have been offering his prayers as she neared her decision.

“It was on Divine Mercy Sunday, the day that Blessed Pope John Paul II was beatified … At that time, I said I was probably going to leave Planned Parenthood in June. But I remember, on Divine Mercy Sunday … I just couldn't control my tears. Because at that moment I just felt God calling me.”

“I just took that leap of faith, and trusted God, and said: 'I'm out. I'm done.'”

Trevino, who hopes to pursue a pro-life ministry in the future, will give a keynote speech in Dallas on Sept. 27 as 40 Days for Life begins its fall campaign.

New Planned Parenthood defector hopes to glorify God and save lives :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Retalliation, Mercy, and 9/11

Today is the 10th anniversary of that infamous 9/11 attack. We look to that dreadful day when, a decade ago, 3,000 lives perished as a result of a well-orchestrated terrorist act. The war on terror and the death of Osama Bin Laden became the retaliation of the Western world to Muslim terrorists. But as so many things have taken place in a decade, why is it that the papers continue to speak of the US facing new threat on the 10th year of 9/11?

I find it so providential that the 10rh anniversary of 9/11 should fall on that Sunday when the word of God teaches us about retaliation and mercy. The initial international response to the terrorist act was a war on terror. Undeniably, this is an act of retaliation. Call it by so many other names, justify it with so many reasons, but the war on terror will always be a retaliation against the attack that killed so many lives. But the question is: has retalliation accomplished its goal? Is it working? Is it right?

The Book of Sirac speaks in very clear terms against revenge: “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the Lord’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail.” Our desire for retaliation stems from the false impression that healing comes with revenge. However, even the relatives who witnessed the execution of their loved ones’ assailant would confess that the death of the criminal does not fill in the vacuum left by the crime in their lives. The word of God gives us the only legitimate option that assures healing to any damage created by injustice: that solution is forgiveness. “Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then, when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, and seek pardon for his own sin? If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins?” The Lord himself brings out the necessity of forgiveness:”I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?”

Healing does not begin when you have gotten even with your enemy. Healing begins with forgiveness. “Unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart, so will my heavenly Father do to you.” Oftentimes, we still feel the pain despite getting even because we continue to nourish anger against the unjust one. But instead of harbouring that grudge against the offender, why not simply forgive and live everything to God? Remember that we have our own debts to pay to the Lord. We ourselves are in need of his mercy. If you need mercy, then be merciful because Jesus himself says: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” “Remember your last days, set emnity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin. Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbot; remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.”

Perhaps this is the reason why the war on terror goes on with no end in sight. We stubbornly stick to a paradign of revenge that has accomplished nothing but further damage to the world. By doing so, we dig more graves, deeper graves for more dead. We still refuse to try forgiveness as a genuine step to healing, peace, and real security. Peace continues to be elusive because we never turn to mercy. Jesus himself said to St. Faustina: “Mankind will not have peace until it turns in trust to My mercy.” (Diary, 300).

Missionary Zeal

Eternal Love, I want all the souls You have created to come to know You. I would like to be a priest, for then I would speak without cease about Your mercy to sinful souls drowned in despair. I would like to be a missionary and carry the light of faith to savage nations in order to make You known to souls, and to be completely consumed for them and to die a martyr's death, just as You died for them and for me. O Jesus, I know only too well that I can be a priest, a missionary, a preacher, and that I can die a martyr's death by completely emptying myself and denying myself for love of You, O Jesus, and of immortal souls.

St. Faustina, Diary, 302.

How we wish that such ardent missionary desire would still be present in Catholic souls! If only we would have that desire to make the Merciful Jesus known to many souls drowned in despair! Here is the solution to the problem of suicide the world over: Make the Divine Mercy known and loved to all the world!

Mercy for both sinners and saints

We might immediately judge the parable today as a lesson in bad gardening. After all, we were always taught that pulling out weeds is a good gardening habit. Weed, so we were told, compete with the good plants for the nutrients of the soil. And so weeding them out would eliminate competition and would maximize the use of the soil.

Perhaps that was in the mind of the slaves who suggested to the Master: “Do you want us to go and pull them out?” It must have surprised them that the Master decided to keep both the wheat and the weeds till harvest time when the segregation will take place: “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning but gather the wheat into my barn.”

Let us remember that the parable is not a lesson on gardening. Rather it is the Lord’s explanation on the co-existence of good and evil people: “He who sows good seeds is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, the enemy who sows them is the devil.” When confronted by the reality of evil people who make the lives of the just miserable, we always ask: “Why does the Lord allow them to thrive? Why does he not simply eradicate them from the face of the earth?” The answer is given by the Book of Wisdom: “There is no god besides you who have the care of all…though you are master of might, you judge with clemency, and with lenience you govern us…And you taught your people by these deeds, that those who are just might be kind, and you gave your children good ground for hope that you would permit repentance for their sins.”

Why does God allow evil men to thrive? It is because he is merciful. He does not want the sinner to die but rather to repent and live! In fact, the Lord does not only patiently wait for the evil man’s conversion. He does not simply wait and ask: “Kailan kaya mauuntog sa katotohanan ang taong ito?” No, the Lord aggressively acts. He produces opportunities for conversion. And he makes repentance accessible. To St. Faustina, the Lord Jesus said: “Write, speak of my mercy. Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is in the Tribunal of Mercy (confession). 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 be lost, it is not so for God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores the soul in full. How miserable are those who do not take advantage of this miracle of God’s mercy! They will call out in vain but it will be too late.” (Diary 1448)

But you may protest that God’s mercy spoils the evil men. What about the just? Should he not take care first of those who strive to be faithful to him? To St. Faustina, the Lord said: “Both the sinner and the righteous have need of my mercy. Conversion, as well as perseverance, is a grace of my mercy.” (Diary 1577) “Let souls who are striving for perfection particularly adore my mercy, because the abundance of graces which I grant to them flows from my mercy. I desire that those souls distinguish themselves by boundless trust in my mercy. I myself will attend to the sanctification of such souls. I will provide them with everything they will need to attain sanctity. The graces of my mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to me, because I pour all the treasures of my graces into them. I rejoice that they ask for much, because it is my desire to give much, very much. On the other hand, I am sad when souls ask for little when they narrow their hearts.” (Diary 1578.) as St. Paul wrote to the Romans: “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness.”

When the Master chose to let the wheat and the weeds grow together, his choice was on account of his mercy. On account of his mercy, he prolongs his patience towards evil men in the hope that his grace will bring them to repentance and to salvation. On account of his mercy, he fortifies the just with his graces so that they may be sanctifies and by their perseverance they may win their lives.