No Hands but Yours

Divine Mercy Sunday is a recent addition to the Roman liturgy as it was added by St. John Paul II in 2000 after his canonization of Sister Faustina Kowalska, a Polish sister whose visions of Christ as Divine Mercy led to this special devotion.

The mercy of Christ is for everyone- a theme which is central to this Year of Mercy- which we cannot be reminded about too much. It is not an abstraction Christ is merciful not just to humanity but to each of us individually (God loves me!).

Mercy is not just a Christian topic but a quality much admired and wanted by everyone.  Sometimes it is helpful to review what others say as a starting point for reflection.

What have others said about mercy?

· Abraham Lincoln: “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.”

· William Shakespeare (Merchant of Venice):  “The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes….
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice.”

· Graham Greene (Brighton Rock): “You cannot conceive, nor can I, of the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God.”

· St. Augustine: “Every day my conscience makes confession relying on the hope of Your mercy as more to be trusted than its own innocence.”

· Jon Sobrino (famous Central American theologian):  “…it is mercy that stands at the origin of all that Jesus practices.”

· Joyce Meyer (famous TV evangelist): “Mercy is the stuff you give to people that don't deserve it.”

· St. Francis of Assisi (Letter to the Faithful): “Let those who have received the power of judging others, exercise judgment with mercy,  as they hope to obtain mercy from the Lord. For let judgment without mercy be shown to him that doth not mercy. Let us then have charity and humility and let us give alms because they wash souls from the foulness of sins.”

· Pope Francis: “In the past few days I have been reading a book by a Cardinal ... Cardinal Kasper said that feeling mercy, that this word changes everything. This is the best thing we can feel: it changes the world. A little mercy makes the world less cold and more just. We need to understand properly this mercy of God, this merciful Father who is so patient. ... Let us remember the Prophet Isaiah who says that even if our sins were scarlet, God's love would make them white as snow. This mercy is beautiful.”

Are we ready to be merciful to others? 

Do we choose to accept the overwhelming mercy from God for us? 

To help Mission Doctors Association show mercy to God’s poor through free medical care?

Today's guest blog post is contributed by Brother John Kiesler, OFM is a member of the facility of the Franciscan School of Theology in California. Brother John is a member of the Formation Facility for long-term missionaries through Mission Doctors and presents at the Annual Retreat Seminar on the theology of mission. Additionally he serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Mission Doctors Association.