Lest You Remain

Speaking on behalf of repentant sinners, Fr. Stanislaus justifies with the words of Christ Himself who said: “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do” (Mt 9:12). He told the Pharisees that He is the healer of souls and that He was sent not to the healthy ones—that is the saints, but to the sick—that is the sin- ners. Those are the ones whom He heals with the most effective medicine of all— His Body and Blood. 13 Jesus rejects the Pharisees’ accusation that He does wrong when He eats with tax collectors and sinners (cf. Mt 9:11). They were driven by pride and as servants of the devil they imitated their master. Sensing that they themselves cannot attain salvation, because they do not want to humbly ask for it, they envied it in others. This is why they persecuted not only the Son of God, but also those who came to Him, so as to receive mercy. 14 In order to encourage trust in Divine Mercy, which opens itself before sinful people, the Servant of God illustrates its blessed results. Blessings of mercy Our world is so full of sin that God could rightly annihilate it. However, God’s goodness continues to keep it in existence. This is precisely for Fr. Papczy < ski the first proof for this, that God is indeed a Merciful God. Preserving the world from annihilation regardless of its sinfulness is an exceptional blessing, which the Merciful God grants to people. Because God’s mercy tempers justice. In this His mercy people also participate who show mercy to others. Father Papczy < ski is con- vinced that when God sees people showing compassion one to another, He changes His severe judgment and does not look on the sins of those who show mercy to their neighbors. He is merciful to those who are merciful and because of them He is also merciful toward others. In this manner human mercy unites with God’s mercy and the punishment is changed into grace. 15 Our apostle of mercy offers this advice to those who judge that there is no one to whom they can show mercy. Let them in the meantime have compassion on their own soul redeemed through God’s Love. One must deny one’s own soul, if one does not wish to lose it (cf. Mt 10:39). 16 Another blessing of mercy is the joy that derives from the conversion of a sin- ner. Fr. Stanislaus called the day when a sinner experiences the grace of conversion L EST Y OU R EMAIN W ITHOUT W ORK IN THE V INEYARD OF THE L ORD 200 13 Ibid., f. 136r. 14 Ibid. 15 Ibid., f. 139r. 16 „Tu, si non habes, cuius miserearis, animae tuae miserere; ne perditum illam eas, quam redemit Charitas: perdes autem nisi perdideris”. Ibid., f. 139r.