³⁶Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. ~ Luke 6:36 (NRSVACE)

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In many ways, mercy begins and ends with love. Case in point, God created the Earth and everything on it (Genesis 1: 1-24). He loved us first in the very act of preparing a place to which we could survive and live in His grace. Furthermore, God’s love is taken to an even higher level through the very act of making us a reflection of Himself (Genesis 1:26) creating us in his own image. In these two thoughtful actions, our all-powerful creator proves His agape love simply by including us in His universal plan. But God didn’t stop there for his love still rises higher through a conscious purposeful choice to meet our sin with mercy expressed in the form of an undeserved-forgiveness that is rooted deeply within His all-powerful, all-consuming, and all-inclusive love (1 John 4:16). Therefore, my brothers and sisters in Christ our mercy for each other is one of the greatest ways we have to emulate His very first acts in loving us. (Eph 5:2) Thus, to be merciful encompasses every physical act, every word spoken, and every thought we think, or share with and for others.

The Many Faces of Mercy

Putting God’s Love First

Because God does not always confront our sin with judgment rather in most instances our sin is met through his mercy as a sinner in need of Jesus as our Savior. Therefore, Jesus when asked what was the most important of the commandments He responded with, ³⁷“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40) Because Jesus placed love above all other things, and because Jesus is the earthly representation of Our God in heaven, love must come first. We are therefore commanded to love God and our fellow human beings. When we place love above anger, above our selfish wants, and human greed we become capable of being loving in our actions, words, and thoughts. Our life no longer revolves around our own egos and selfish desires but around others in union with God. From this union we emulate God through the forgiveness of others, we show mercy by helping those less fortunate, and our words become laced with a pearl of kind wisdom. This is the first face of mercy rooted in God’s agape love.

Mercy Builds Hope for the Future

Hardheartedness feeds selfish desires, it propagates loneliness, and in the guise of unearned self-promotion breeds fear and hopelessness. Then God’s plan is thrown to doubt by a sinful, resentful, and evil-minded society. Looking forward becomes a painful proposition which is shrouded in pointless repetition. Still, our God looks through the unhappiness, selfishness, and ego-centric lives who have been caught up in this web with nothing but undying love and a deep longing to bring the many sinners into His light of mercy because He is love. Therefore, when we surrender to God we allow Him on a daily basis to chip away at our hardheartedness so we, through His mercy, can look forward with nothing but a concrete hope for the future. When we emulate God in this way our words even when we are angered, or embarrassed, and perhaps blamed thus tested beyond our ability to cope will be nothing but kind and filled with the truth of reason. Hateful words or phrases that people often spew such as, “You are an embarrassment!”, “You are stupid!”, “You ruined our reputation!”, or “I hate you!” will be met with a calm steel and skillful love. Words of scorn shot down by words of mercy which will move hearts to a future of greater love. This is the second face of mercy rooted in God’s agape love.

Mercy Makes Forgiveness an Imperative

A hand given to lift a person from where they have fallen, food given to the hungry, medical attention given to the sick and dying, or the invitation to a safe place to find rest, all are examples of the greatest works of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ which was so urgently demonstrated during his life. Mercy given in such ways makes the human heart desirable to God, which brings one closer to God. It is so easy to ignore our brothers and sisters in need as our human hearts sometimes silently blame the less fortunate among us for some unknown bad decision they may have made which led them to such ills. But in the eye’s of God, the act of mercy through forgiveness puts judgment aside and His healing love becomes the central focus. For the Lord God, kissed the leper, fed the homeless, and cleansed the sick all of which are mercies we can also grant to those in need. When we forgive we invite the mercy of the Holy Spirit into our lives and thus lead others to do the same which in turn lifts the human soul up as Jesus had done. This action of mercy makes forgiveness the imperative bringing countless of God’s underserved into His divine love. This is the third face of mercy rooted in God’s agape love.

Mercy Gives Rise to Joy

Kindness in actions, the kindness of words, and kindness rooted in mercy are all found in every page of the Holy Bible. God’s message for humanity is clear. The mercy God grants is a renewing and redeeming, “encounter between two hearts: the heart of God who comes to meet us and a human heart.” (Pope Francis, 2016). In this exchange, God’s love and merciful heart is the source which leads to salvation and a rebirth of the human heart which is lifted up and cleansed; raptured in joy despite our human sinfulness. The greatest example of this is the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross. The mercy granted in that act of taking our sins upon Himself redeemed the world of its sin. Within this exchange, the human heart finds that it is a “new creation” (Gal6:15). “I am loved, therefore I exist; I am forgiven, therefore I am reborn; I have been shown mercy, therefore I have become a vessel of mercy.” (Pope Francis, 2016). Being a vessel of mercy opens the doors to love which gives rise to a greater joy! This is the fourth face of mercy rooted in God’s agape love.

Let Us Pray!

In honor of those who have been killed in Gilroy, Ca. – El Paso, Texas – & Dayton, Ohio.

PRAYER FOR THE VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE

Catholic Health Association of the United States

Loving God, you are the author and sustainer of our lives. You know the anguish of the sorrowful, you are attentive to the prayers of the brokenhearted. Hear your people who cry out to you in their need; strengthen their hope in your lasting goodness.

We pray today for those who have died because of violence, of terrorism. Draw them to yourself; let your face shine upon them. May they be greeted with choirs of angels and experience your eternal peace and joy.

Be near to all those who have been touched by violence: those who have been hurt, lost their loved ones or lost their sense of security. Be for them a steady comfort and safe resting place.

Soften the hearts and steady of the minds of those who would do violence to others. May hate be replaced with love, violence with peace and darkness with your light.

Amen.

Glory to the Father and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia.

Saint Joseph, Pray for us. ~ Sancte Ioseph – ‘ora pro nobis,’

NOW GO SPREAD THE WORD!

Knights of Columbus
St. Louis de Montfort Council 11137 Inservice to one. In service to all.

Permission to print for personal use only.

The First Act of God’s Love

SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – PSALTER, WEEK III

May 13, 2018

¹“First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don’t see.” – The Message Bible (MSG)

God in the absolute is a creator God. He alone knows all the secrets of what He has made. In that, each singular creation reflects an individualized miracle from the creation of the universe with its many miracles we have yet to discover and all the things which are now in our knowing. In all these miraculous things within the universe, God saw fit to spread life throughout. Therefore, He gave life to each sun, planet, moon, within each galaxy right down to every solar system. When we look up into the night sky we are really looking at a detailed oriented creator who is all about life in all it’s it many forms. Yet God held in the highest esteem an idea of a creation that would represent him in the flesh, made in His own image. Acting upon His idea God created man from the dust of the Earth and women from the rib bone of man which we traditionally call Genesis. Life is God’s gift, His divine love, and His hope manifest and expressed in an infinite number of ways too numerous to count. So I testify today my brothers and sisters that God created all that we see and all that we do not see out of love.

LET US NOW TALK ABOUT LIFE!

⁷Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. – Genesis 2:7 New International Version (NIV)

What is life? What parameters equal life? Well from the scientific definition of the word we find that life is, ‘the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.’ – Dictionary.com

This explanation of life is a good description of what living things do but fails to express the source of life. What gives organic matter life? For this, there is an element most people in the scientific community is not ready to admit but is necessary to explore in order to get the full picture. With that said, life originates from God. Nothing lives without the blessing of God over it first. That being the case then nothing dies without the blessing of God over it as well. This makes God the absolute source of both life and death. The bible teaches us that God formed Adam, molding him from the dust of the Earth but Adam though created was not yet alive. It wasn’t until God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. In this act, God gave Adam a soul or spirit which is in its most basic expression a piece of God, which resided within Adam that which gave him life. We are no different from Adam in that we are formed and given a spirit or in other words, a tiny piece of God Himself which resides within us. This is why Jesus answered the Pharisees as he did, “He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” – Luke 17: 20-21 New King James Version (NKJV)

This is our eternal link to God the absolute creator. In everything so far discovered life abounds and is a reflection of God. Life then is also much more than the actions of a living being, rather life is the very embodiment of the living God which dwells within each one of us. Life is precious because it is both a miracle and a blessing from God again in every form that it takes. Life is sacred because it is the very expression of God’s love. Therefore, God could not forsake us when we fell into sin. Think of it this way, God being a detail-oriented creator is also a detailed oriented savior. Where he gave life there can be found His love, mercy, and grace. Thus, life is as much about forgiveness as it is about living justly and morally. For the Kingdom of God is also in each one of us and in God’s eyes that makes us scared.

IT’S ALL ABOUT LOVE!

¹⁶We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. – 1 John 4:16 New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Insite – When I was about five years old I remember the Baptist Preacher bigger than life preaching away about sin and moral consequences and everything was a sin which as he put it, ‘Will take you straight to hell! No passing go, no collecting $100, and no hope for redemption!’ It was this kind of language and fire and brimstone tone that truly scared me because I did many of the things he was talked about! Yes… I cussed twice, I disrespected others a couple of times, I got angry and threw a fit, I lied more than I could count on my fingers and toes, and worst of all I was a sinner for life headed straight to hell… at five! On the other hand unnoticed to me at the time was this pastor never talking about God’s love, which is a shame because as I grew older I had to learn about this awesome concept through other means known as life experience and studying about the subject.

Moreover, the older I grew the more I would hear many people around me blame God for the bad things which happened to them while never seeing the moral life lesson God was teaching them. The problem of course with this is that God was not the culprit because God had enough foresight to have given all mankind something called ‘Free Will’, which happens to be the most sacred and greatest gifts which God has never interfered with. Thus, if said person does something that causes negative repercussions that comes back to haunt them then said person who decided to perpetuate whatever it was in the first place cannot by default blame God! Why? Because everyone is held responsible for every action, decision, and words spoken be them good or bad! But yet somehow many people still want to blame God for things they themselves have done. People are willing to do ungodly things but yet cling to the concept that they are saved because Jesus saved them on the cross. Sorry, but it doesn’t work that way! Rest assured my brother’s and sister’s God loves you and He knows how you are feeling every minute of every day. Likewise, He knows every lie you have ever told, every ill thing you have done to someone else, and He is aware of every consequence to those actions which were perpetrated through individual human free will! Here is the kicker I inherently already knew all this at the ripe old age of 5 yet it takes many people an entire lifetime to figure that one out. Go figure!

Yes… God is willing to forgive us for our transgressions but we must humbly come to Him first. Wait! Free will again? You got it! God didn’t force us to ask for forgiveness or to humble ourselves… that happens through our own free will… or perhaps guilt hopefully played its part. But when the guilty truly come to God looking for forgiveness it is a decision made by that person alone and as for God… He has a strick none interference policy much like the Federation in Star Trek! This being true what more could anyone ask for from a God of Love? Oh… wait! A savior? A savior willing to sacrifice himself for you? From Jesus’s perspective and His mothers perspective, His death was cruel, but God allowed it, and Jesus complied with God’s wishes. Jesus is the very definition of love just as God is love. Without the passion, there would be no salvation! There would be no hope, no peace, no grace, and no life in God. But yet it is through love we find God, we have hope, He gives us eternal grace and is responsible for the miracle of life within Him. That is love expressed to it’s fullest extent. God gave us life, a spirit, and a path back to Him and His kingdom and on top of it free will all out of love. For truly I say to you my brothers and sisters only a God of Love, a God of creation, a God of detail would dare to give so much to beings that did not deserve not one ounce of any of it. But we have only scratched the surface… [To Be Continued]

Guiding Question: “How can God not be about love after doing all this for us?”

LET US PRAY

Lord, open my lips.

– And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

Glory to the Father, and Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia.

PSALMODY: Easter 7th Sunday: The Lord is King, robed in splendor, alleluia.

PSALM 93

SPLENDOR OF GOD THE CREATOR

The Lord our mighty God now reigns supreme; let us rejoice and be glad and give him praise (Revelation 19:6-7)

¹The Lord is king, with majesty enrobed; the Lord has robed himself with might, he has girded himself with power.