Divine Mercy: The Heart of the Gospel

28 Divine Mercy: The Heart Of The Gospel If parables are not unique to Jesus why does Luke include so many that Matthew and Mark do not? Does the fact that he positions the majority before and after chapter 13, which deals with repentance hold significance for us? It would therefore seem appropriate to refresh our understanding of exactly what a parable is. The Dictionary o f Jesus and the Gospels presents this information: The English word parable refers to a short narrative with two levels of meaning.... Parables tend to be brief and symbolical. They often make use of balanced structures involving two or three movements. They typically omit unnecessary descriptions and fre­ quently leave motives unexplained and implied questions unan­ swered.25 That a parable might have many levels o f meaning and that it is the hearer who must draw conclusions and make decisions is very impor­ tant. For Divine Mercy or salvation is a gift o f God for all mankind and requires a real decision for us to receive and accept it. In Diary, entry no. 1486 we have a description o f Jesus working with a sinful soul: Jesus calls to the soul a third time, but the soul remains deaf and blind, hardened and despairing. Then the mercy o f God begins to exert itself, and, without any co-operation from the soul, God grants it final grace. I f this too is spurned, God will leave the soul in this self-chosen disposition fo r eternity. This grace emerges from the merciful Heart o f Jesus and gives the soul a special light by means o f which the soul begins to understand (83) God’s effort; but conversion depends on its own will. The soul knows that this, for her, is final grace and, should it show even a flicker o f good will, the mercy o f God will accomplish the rest.26 When he first uses a parable by Jesus, Luke makes sure that we under­ stand the need for us to listen in order to enter into the meaning of the parable: not to be deaf, but to understand, perceive, and respond to it: And some seed fell into good soil and grew and produced its crop a hundredfold. Saying this he cried, Anyone who has ears for listening should listen! His disciples asked him what