Jesus, Mercy Incarnate

Son of God would still have chosen to be born among us. It does seem as though the Triune God has a loving desire to draw as near as possible to His creatures, identifying with His creation, and stir- ring more deeply our human affections of love. Thus, if mankind had never fallen into sin, He might still have been born among us a little child, and then from infancy through adulthood shared every stage of human life, blessing and hallowing every aspect of it. In addition, He would have clearly shown to us, by His human exam- ple of love for God and neighbor, the very fullness and perfection of manhood to which it was always His intention to lift us with the help of His Spirit. All this might have been the crown and comple- tion of His whole work of creating the human race. 9 In fact, many of the saints have found even in the Infant Christ an exemplar who can lead us to the very heart of life in the Spirit. For example, in diary entry no. 184 St. Faustina wrote: Holy Hour. During this hour I tried to meditate on the Lord’s Passion. But my soul was filled with joy, and sud- denly I saw the child Jesus. But His majesty penetrated me to such an extent that I said “Jesus, you are so little, and yet I know that you are my Creator and my Lord.” And Jesus answered me: “I am, and I keep company with you as a child to teach you humility and simplicity.” Again, in diary entry no. 332, the Child Jesus said to her: “Althoughmy greatness is beyond understanding, I commune only with those who are little. I demand of you a childlike spir- it.” And again, in diary entry no. 335, St. Faustina wrote: Once when I saw Jesus in the formof a small child, I asked “Jesus, why do you now take on the formof a childwhen you commune with me? In spite of this, I still see in You the infi- nite God, my Lord and Creator.” Jesus replied that until I learned simplicity and humility, Hewould communewithme as a little child. What did the Christ Child mean by asking her to attain a “child- like spirit,” and “humility and simplicity”? Through His Blessed 25 Saint Faustina and Devotion to the Christ Child