Jesus, Mercy Incarnate

devise: a form of public death by torture called crucifixion. Now, the sufferings of the truly innocent, such as the suffer- ings of the little children, always merit eternal blessings from our heavenly Father – how much more so the Agony and Passion of His innocent, beloved Son in the flesh! This was a sacrificial offering of far greater value than what was need- ed to make up for our sins. Christ’s sacrifice did not just “bal- ance the books.” As St. Alphonsus puts it: “The value of the death of Jesus Christ infinitely exceeded the satisfaction due by us for our sins to the divine justice.” 11 It was, in short, a superabundant satisfaction for sin. By this sacrifice the Son of God not only cleared our debts; He also merited an infi- nite ocean of graces which he longs to pour out upon us from His merciful Heart. St. Faustina was therefore absolutely correct: the price paid for us in the precious Blood of Jesus can never be equalled, and even one drop of Christ’s Blood shed for us was enough to make up for our sins. Therefore, we have every reason to place our trust in the Passion of our Lord as clear proof of His love for us, and to place all our hope in His Mercy (again, see diary entry no. 72). 12 (b) Jesus Died for Each and Every One of Us In addition, St. Faustina tells us that Christ Jesus died for her as a unique individual . Our Lord said to her (diary entry no. 1761): “My daughter, today consider My sorrowful Passion in all its immensity. Consider it as if it had been undertaken for your sake alone.” Sr. Faustina did not believe that Christ placed her above others in this regard; rather, what she learned was that Christ would have died for each one of us, alone, even if we had been the only sinners in the whole world. It is the same truth that astonished the apostle St. Paul when he wrote in Galatians 2:20 of “the Son of God who loved me [i.e., who loved Paul, as an individual] and gave Himself for me.” St.Alphonsus also commented on this in his meditations on the Passion: 46 Jesus, Mercy Incarnate