Thought of the Day February 26, 2019 Mercy is love transforming

By 9:58 AM


The prayer of Saint Faustina, a humble apostle of Divine Mercy in our times may help us to better understand mercy in action and how to plunge into mercy.
“Help me, O Lord,
…that my eyes may be merciful, so that I will never be suspicious or judge by appearances, but always look for what is beautiful in my neighbors’ souls and be of help to them;
… that my ears may be merciful, so that I will be attentive to my neighbors’ needs, and not indifferent to their pains and complaints;
… that my tongue may be merciful, so that I will never speak badly of others, but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all;
… that my hands may be merciful and full of good deeds;
… that my feet may be merciful, so that I will hasten to help my neighbor, despite my own fatigue and weariness;
… that my heart may be merciful, so that I myself will share in all the sufferings of my neighbor” (Diary, 163).

What is this profit we receive from extending mercy to another?  Not only is the other to be enriched and brought into the reality of his/her self-worth and dignity as a child of God, but we are also to be enriched by the awareness of our common dignity in Christ with this person.  This is the true meeting point of life.  The Christ in me is reaching out to the Christ in the other; and at the same time the Christ in the other is reaching back to me.  In this way, Mercy makes us both richer and more united in Christ, where mere human justice may keep us separated from one another in our own world.  This type of mercy is both life-giving and love transforming. (To be continued)

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