THIS is, of course, a tall order,
especially to confessors
administering the sacrament of penance, and to practically everyone of
us, since we all need to forgive one another. But neither is this an
impossible task.
We all know that God’s mercy is abiding and is forever.
There is nothing that can’t be tackled by it. God is not scandalized
by anything. His mercy can take on anything. Not even our most
grievous mistakes and most stupid blunders can frustrate it.
St. John Paul II once said while our capacity to do evil
can be infinite because of our spiritual nature, God’s mercy can
always limit it. So we should not be too alarmed by any evil, no
matter how ugly and persistent, because God’s mercy can handle that.
Always given readily and in abundance, this divine mercy
has to be dispensed always in the context of truth, justice and a
charity, a combination that is always tricky to the human instruments
through whom it is dispensed. The possibility of mishandling it is
always there.
Dispensing divine mercy, which is the only kind of mercy
proper to us due to our dignity as children of God, requires nothing
less than for the human instruments to be vitally united and
identified with Christ who is the very personification of divine
mercy.
Let’s remember that Christ not only preached what is right
and wrong, what is good and evil, but also assumed all the sinfulness
of man by offering his life on the cross. He came to save, not to
condemn. He was slow to anger, quick to forgive.
He would make use of any sign or trace of goodness, no
matter how slight and mixed up with many other bad elements, to elicit
a conversion. His mercy is the overflow of love that in the words of
St. Paul “is patient and kind...does no insist on its own way...does
not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right...bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Cor 13
4-7)
This is the standard that any human instrument charged
with dispensing divine mercy should follow. But this standard, let’s
be clear about this, is not just abstract idea, a frozen theory and
principle, a historical character buried in the past. This standard is
a living person, always present in our lives, actively intervening and
loving, and easily accessible.
The challenge is precisely in identifying ourselves with
Christ. It’s in adopting his mind and attitudes, his skills and
willingness to suffer for the sins of man. We just can’t rely on our
own theories and human systems of dispensing mercy, nor on our own
estimation of what is fair and just.
We need to enter the very mind and heart of Christ. We
need to reproduce “in vivo” the very sentiments, desires and concerns
of Christ in us. This is something not only possible, but is also very
practicable, because the grace of God is given to us abundantly. What
is simply needed is our generous and even heroic correspondence driven
by faith and charity.
To enter into his mind and heart, we have to be willing to
deny ourselves and to carry the cross, as Christ himself clearly
indicated to us. A lifestyle that is alien to self-denial and
sacrifice can never be welcoming to Christ and to his mercy. We would
miss the true essence of divine mercy even if we can appear, by human
standards, to be kind and merciful.
Let’s remember that it is through the cross that we can
savor God’s wisdom about his infinite mercy. This is the only way we
as dispensers of divine mercy can carry out that duty effectively.
That is when we, like Christ, would be a loving father, an intimate
friend, a competent spiritual doctor and a merciful judge to the
penitents and to our offenders.
We would know how to weigh and assess things, make
judgments, give timely counsel and effective advice to the penitents.
In short, we would know how to deliver the whole mercy of Christ that
culminated with his passion, death and resurrection. Mere study or
reliance on experience, no matter how vast, while helpful, can only go
so far.
Dispensing divine mercy should not just be some
ritualistic, much less, bureaucratic and officious exercise. It has to
flow organically from a vibrant and persistent effort of one’s
sanctification. This is the only way we can capture God’s infinite
mercy and feel the great need of men’s forgiveness from God!
us, since we all need to forgive one another. But neither is this an
impossible task.
We all know that God’s mercy is abiding and is forever.
There is nothing that can’t be tackled by it. God is not scandalized
by anything. His mercy can take on anything. Not even our most
grievous mistakes and most stupid blunders can frustrate it.
St. John Paul II once said while our capacity to do evil
can be infinite because of our spiritual nature, God’s mercy can
always limit it. So we should not be too alarmed by any evil, no
matter how ugly and persistent, because God’s mercy can handle that.
Always given readily and in abundance, this divine mercy
has to be dispensed always in the context of truth, justice and a
charity, a combination that is always tricky to the human instruments
through whom it is dispensed. The possibility of mishandling it is
always there.
Dispensing divine mercy, which is the only kind of mercy
proper to us due to our dignity as children of God, requires nothing
less than for the human instruments to be vitally united and
identified with Christ who is the very personification of divine
mercy.
Let’s remember that Christ not only preached what is right
and wrong, what is good and evil, but also assumed all the sinfulness
of man by offering his life on the cross. He came to save, not to
condemn. He was slow to anger, quick to forgive.
He would make use of any sign or trace of goodness, no
matter how slight and mixed up with many other bad elements, to elicit
a conversion. His mercy is the overflow of love that in the words of
St. Paul “is patient and kind...does no insist on its own way...does
not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right...bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Cor 13
4-7)
This is the standard that any human instrument charged
with dispensing divine mercy should follow. But this standard, let’s
be clear about this, is not just abstract idea, a frozen theory and
principle, a historical character buried in the past. This standard is
a living person, always present in our lives, actively intervening and
loving, and easily accessible.
The challenge is precisely in identifying ourselves with
Christ. It’s in adopting his mind and attitudes, his skills and
willingness to suffer for the sins of man. We just can’t rely on our
own theories and human systems of dispensing mercy, nor on our own
estimation of what is fair and just.
We need to enter the very mind and heart of Christ. We
need to reproduce “in vivo” the very sentiments, desires and concerns
of Christ in us. This is something not only possible, but is also very
practicable, because the grace of God is given to us abundantly. What
is simply needed is our generous and even heroic correspondence driven
by faith and charity.
To enter into his mind and heart, we have to be willing to
deny ourselves and to carry the cross, as Christ himself clearly
indicated to us. A lifestyle that is alien to self-denial and
sacrifice can never be welcoming to Christ and to his mercy. We would
miss the true essence of divine mercy even if we can appear, by human
standards, to be kind and merciful.
Let’s remember that it is through the cross that we can
savor God’s wisdom about his infinite mercy. This is the only way we
as dispensers of divine mercy can carry out that duty effectively.
That is when we, like Christ, would be a loving father, an intimate
friend, a competent spiritual doctor and a merciful judge to the
penitents and to our offenders.
We would know how to weigh and assess things, make
judgments, give timely counsel and effective advice to the penitents.
In short, we would know how to deliver the whole mercy of Christ that
culminated with his passion, death and resurrection. Mere study or
reliance on experience, no matter how vast, while helpful, can only go
so far.
Dispensing divine mercy should not just be some
ritualistic, much less, bureaucratic and officious exercise. It has to
flow organically from a vibrant and persistent effort of one’s
sanctification. This is the only way we can capture God’s infinite
mercy and feel the great need of men’s forgiveness from God!
No comments:
Post a Comment