Divine Mercy: The Heart of the Gospel

32 Divine Mercy: The Heart Of The Gospel Me at any moment, at any time; I want to speak to you and desire to grant you grace. Soul: Lord, I doubt that You will pardon my numerous sins; my misery fills me with fright. Jesus: My mercy is greater than your sins and those o f the entire world. Who can measure the extent o f my goodness? For you I descended from heaven to earth; for you I allowed myself to be nailed to the cross; for you I let my Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source o f mercy for you. Come, then, with trust to draw graces from this foun­ tain. I never reject a contrite heart. Your misery has disap­ peared in the depths o f My mercy. Do not argue with Me about your wretchedness. You will give me pleasure if you hand over to me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasure o f My grace.32 Notice the action of the Shepherd when he finds the lost sheep — And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders (Luke 15:5) — and compare this action to what Jesus says in Diary, entry no. 1486: Jesus: What joy fills My Heart when you return to Me. Because you are weak, I take you in My arms and carry you to the home o f My Father.33 I would like to end by giving some comments on the parable o f the Prodigal Son. There has been so much written about this parable that is saccharine and is what I term “sloppy agape.” However, in our study of St. Luke’s Gospel as the Gospel o f Mercy, there are several points that need to be made about this parable. No one would question the statement that this parable is really about the Mercy and Compassion o f God the Father as John Paul II so ele­ gantly stated in the opening quotation o f this paper: The Gospel writer who particularly treats o f these themes in Christ’s teaching is Luke, whose Gospel has earned the title of “The Gospel o f Mercy” .34 Notice that the Father gives the son freedom to make his own choic­ es, and that then the son responds to circumstances and begins to