Divine Mercy: The Heart of the Gospel

Saint Luke: The Gospel of Divine Mercy 27 dresser, “For three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied, “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down” (Luke 13:1-9). Less we miss this point, Luke reiterates this in his summary of Jesus fulfillment o f His mission and His commissioning o f His disciples. And this material is unique to Luke: He said to them, So it is written that the Christ would suf­ fer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness o f sins would be preached to a ll nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses to this. And now I am sending upon you what the Father has promised. Stay in the city, then, until you are clothed with the power from on high (Luke 24:46-49). Notice Luke does not use the phrase “the good news,” but rather “repentance for the forgiveness o f sins” ! What a striking difference! In order to be forgiven you have to acknowledge you are a sinner. Remember forgiveness is open to all those who acknowledge that they need it. Jesus confirms this in Diary, entry no. 1541: Write this for the benefit o f distressed souls: when a soul sees and realizes the gravity o f its sins, when the whole abyss of the misery into which it immersed itself is displayed before it eyes, let it not despair, but with trust let it throw itself into the arms o f My mercy, as a child into the arms o f it beloved moth­ er. These souls (125) have a right o f priority to My Compassionate Heart, they have first access to My Mercy. Tell them that no soul that has called upon My Mercy has been dis­ appointed or brought to shame. I delight particularly in a soul which has placed its trust in My Goodness.24 Continuing in the material unique to Luke we find some parables and some incidents which are only found in Luke. Everyone knows that Jesus talked in parables. But not everyone knows that parables are not unique to Jesus.