Thought of the Day February 15, 2019 We are in need of God's mercy.
This is what
St. Augustine says of mercy. “We
human beings, we are vessels of clay that are damaged by the slightest nick” We
cannot live together in harmony, in the family and in any type of community,
without the practice of reciprocal forgiveness and mercy. Mercy (“misericordia”
in Latin) is a word composed of “misereo” and “cor”; it means to be moved in
your heart, to be moved to pity, in the face of suffering or by your brother’s
mistake. This is how God explains his mercy when he sees the people going
astray: “My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred” (Hosea 11:8).
Pope
Benedict in one of his reflections on mercy says: “Indeed, mercy is the central
nucleus of the Gospel message; it is the very name of God, the Face with which
he revealed himself in the Old Covenant and fully in Jesus Christ, the
incarnation of creative and redemptive Love.”
Jesus’ outreach in mercy both in
teaching and action is rooted in his understanding of the true dignity of each
person. Thus, he could say: “Those who are well do not need a physician, but
the sick do. Go and learn
the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy,
not sacrifice.’ I did not come to
call the righteous but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13)
We are all sinners and are in need of God's mercy constantly and continually. (To be continued)
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