Jesus, Mercy Incarnate

In fact, God’s love for His creatures always takes the form of merciful love. As we read in the Psalms (24:10), “all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth;” and again (144:9), “His tender mercies are over all His works.” When He created the world “ex nihilo,” therefore, and holds it in being at every moment, it is an act of merciful love: His merciful love overcoming the potential nothingness, the possible non-existence of all things. When the divine Son became incarnate and dwelt among us, that was an act of merciful love too: His merciful love in sharing our lot, showing us the way to the Father, and making the perfect offer- ing for our sins. When He sends His Holy Spirit into our hearts to refresh and sanctify us, that too is His merciful love: His merciful love pouring into our hearts the power to grow in faith, hope, and love, and to serve Him with joy. Psalm 135 says it best; while celebrating all the works of the Lord in creation and redemption, the psalm bears the constant refrain: “for His mercy endures for ever.” It was St. Catherine of Siena who summed up for us the cen- trality of the merciful love of God for us: By your mercy we were created. And by your mercy we were created anew in your Son’s blood. It is your mercy that preserves us.... Your mercy is life-giving. It is the light in which both the upright and sinners discover your goodness. Your mercy shines forth in your saints in the height of heaven. And if I turn to the earth, your mercy is everywhere. Even in the dark- ness of hell your mercy shines, for you do not punish the damned as much as they deserve. You temper your justice with mercy. In mercy you cleansed us in the blood; in mercy you kept company with your creatures. O mad lover! It was not enough for you to take on our humanity: you had to die as well! Nor was death enough: you descended to the depths to summon our holy ancestors and fulfill your truth and mercy in them.... 112 Jesus, Mercy Incarnate