THE NAME OF GOD IS MERCY

“Lord, forgive me if I have forgiven too much. But You’re the one who gave me the bad example!”

That’s from a priest who wondered if he was being too forgiving in the confessional.  You can find the story in Pope Francis’ book The Name of God is Mercy (Random House, 2016). The book’s an easily read collection of anecdotes with a particular focus on God’s loving forgiveness.

It’s a pretty apt summary of this weekend’s readings: the two texts, the psalm, and the Gospel breathe the kind, gracious, merciful nature of God who is eager to forget the past and forge a new future for His people.  All He wants in return is our love, shown through our gratitude and praise of what He does for us, our corresponding kindness, graciousness, and eagerness to forgive as He does; and our desire to rise from sin and chase again ‘the perfection that comes through faith in Christ’, as Paul says to the Philippians.

Reading the book is like continuing to absorb and understand today’s Gospel message. Did you know this particular Gospel text was the one Pope Francis spoke on, as he celebrated his first Mass after being elected Bishop of Rome? On Sunday, 17 May 2013, he said to the crowd in the Church of St Anna in the Vatican, “The message of Jesus is mercy. For me, and I say this with humility, it is the Lord’s strongest message.”

There’s a story Pope Francis tells in his book:

In Argentina there was a mother with young children, who had been abandoned by her husband. She couldn’t find work, and so to feed her children she would prostitute herself.  She’d often visit the local parish which tried to help her by offering material aid.  One Christmas, she went looking for the parish priest.  He thought she wanted to thank him for the food the parish had sent, so he asked, “Did you receive it?”

“Yes, yes, thank you for that, too,” the mother replied, “but I came here today to thank you, Father Bergoglio, because you never stopped calling me Señora.”

Father Jorge Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, said this incident taught him how important it is to treat everyone with dignity and mercy, no matter their situation in life. "For her, the fact that the parish priest continued to call her Señora, even though he probably knew how she led her life during the months when she could not work, was as important – or perhaps even more important than – the concrete help that we gave her," he said.

Like today’s readings, the theme of mercy and forgiveness resounds through the book.  In the stories he tells, Pope Francis shows that the most important thing for every person is not that they should never fall – but rather that they should always get back up. "For as long as we are alive it is always possible to start over; all we have to do is let Jesus embrace us and forgive us," he wrote.

"There is medicine, there is healing, we only need to take a small step toward God, or at least express the desire to take it," he said.

Look at the story of the woman accused of adultery in today’s Gospel text. Would we have sided with her accusers, affirming that the Law should be kept? Would we have understood the mercy shown by Jesus?

St Augustine wrote a series of homilies on John’s Gospel, and in one of them he wrestles with this question of whether Christ is condoning adultery. St Augustine explains it this way:

‘Look at the way our Lord upheld justice without forgoing clemency. Take note of what follows: one who would have approved of immorality would have said: ‘Neither will I condemn you. Go and live as you please; you can be sure that I will acquit you.’ He did not say that. He said: ‘Neither will I condemn you’: you need have no fear of the past, but beware of what you do in the future. I have blotted out what you have done; now observe what I have commanded, in order to obtain what I have promised.

You see then that the Lord does indeed pass sentence, but it is sin He condemns, not people.’

- Paraphrased from Tractate 33, Tractates on the Gospel of John (Augustine)

In his book, Pope Francis says to show mercy, Jesus goes beyond ‘the law that demanded stoning’. Mercy, the Pope says, is something difficult to understand. It doesn’t erase sins. What erases sins is God’s forgiveness. But mercy is the way in which God forgives.

This must be a source of comfort both for us, and for our catechumens who’ll be joining the Church at Easter: God doesn’t condemn us for what we’ve done, no matter how deep into the bondage of sin we’ve gone. He tells us to go, sin no more, and live a new life in Christ, through the Sacrament of Baptism for our new believers, or through the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the rest of us.

What marvels the Lord works for us! Indeed, we are glad.

I forget the past and I strain ahead… (Phil 3:13)

Paul went through more than just a Lenten season of sacrifice and suffering. The only thing he wanted was Christ and to ‘be given a place in Him’.  He spent his whole life after his conversion ‘trying for perfection’, no longer from the Law, but from his newfound faith in Christ. There’s a significant point he makes: that to have Christ and be in Him, Paul needs to suffer in this life. 

It would be nice to think that once we’re baptised in the faith, we’ll live peaceful lives, die a peaceful death, and wait for the resurrection.

That’s totally not what Jesus offers.

The Greek word to express becoming like is symmorphizō. Suffering like Christ morphs us into something more like Him. To share in His resurrection, we must first share in His suffering and death. Because that teaches us to love like Him, to accept like Him, to offer it up to the Father, like Him. Suffering reshapes us to be more like Him.

If we’re like Paul, we’re going to be ambassadors for Christ, and we’ll have to make that Good News apparent. We’re not just going to talk about it. We’re going to manifest it in our lives. It’s the only way to the resurrection.

To get to Easter Sunday, we have to go through Good Friday.

And the message of God’s mercy is a bulwark to prop us up. If we failed in the last four weeks of Lent and if we’re apprehensive facing this final week ahead, we can take heart in what Paul says, ‘Not that I have become perfect yet: I have not yet won, but I am still running.’  

We can still use this Lenten time to draw closer to Christ, like Paul does; to truly join with the Lord, even if union with Him at times seems impossible, given our propensity to turn away from the ‘road in the wilderness’. Paul’s advice? To ‘forget the past and strain ahead’, to ‘race for the finish’ and fix our gaze firmly on ‘the prize to which God calls us’: joy in union with Him!

As we embark on the final week of Lent, we need to take stock of how we’ve been living so far. In his book, Pope Francis gives some pointers as well. Consider:

·     Have we been taking God’s mercy and forgiveness for granted, thinking ‘there’s still time’ or ‘He’ll forgive me, anyway’?

·     Have we stopped trying for perfection, or have we been trying for it via our own strength and will?

·     Have we been reproaching others when they fall?

·     Have we kept examining ourselves, sincerely repenting, seeking reconciliation, doing our best to stay on the path?

·     Have we been wallowing in self-recrimination, believing we’re irredeemable?

·     Have we been willing to open ourselves to God’s mercy?

Even the desire to want to feel repentant is a start. A final story from the book:

A man said to Pope Francis, ‘Oh Father, if you knew my life, you wouldn’t talk to me like that! I have done some terrible things!” To which the Holy Father replied, “Even better! Go to Jesus: He likes to hear about these things. He forgets; He has a special knack for forgetting. He forgets, He kisses you, He embraces you, and He says, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go, (and) from now on do not sin anymore.’ …We need to ask for the grace not to get tired of asking for forgiveness, because He never gets tired of forgiving.

So, if you’re up for it, there are two pieces of homework for you before we accompany the Lord into Jerusalem where the crowds will be waiting with palms to welcome the Son of David:

1. Read the book! You can buy it or borrow it from our national library online. Read it after Mass and finish it within the week. In it there are countless gems about God’s mercy and forgiveness. Apply the lessons you get from it immediately to prepare for Palm Sunday and Holy Week.

2. Find this song: He, written by Richard Mullan / Jack Richards. There are tons of versions – personally, I prefer the instrumental piece, but if you haven’t heard it before, start with this:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6CBeVRyx3k . Andy Williams sings this version. What you want to do is focus on the lyrics. They’re pretty much a summary of Isaiah’s reading. Listen and you’ll understand.

In case you can’t catch the lyrics, here you go:

HE (Richard Mullan / Jack Richards)

He can turn the tides and calm the angry sea

He alone decides who writes a symphony

He lights every star that makes the darkness bright

He keeps watch all through each long and lonely night

He still finds the time to hear a child's first prayer

Saint or sinner calls and always finds him there

Though it makes him sad to see the way we live

He'll always say, "I forgive"

He can grant a wish or make a dream come true

He can paint the clouds and turn to gray the blue

He alone is there to find a rainbow's end

He alone can see what lies beyond the bend

He can touch a tree and turn the leaves to gold

He knows every lie that you and I have told

Though it makes him sad to see the way we live

He'll always say, "I forgive”.

May Father embrace you with forgiveness, the Son fill your heart with His divine mercy, and the Holy Spirit lead you steadily on the path to union with our Triune God!

Article by Joyce Norma, HFC Blog Contributor