April 22, 2017

2nd Sunday of Easter (April 23, 2017)

-->
Commentary


How Merciful is God’s Mercy?

We might sometimes, or even often, limit God’s mercy to the forgiveness of our sins.  We think of it as a kind of pardon – similar to what given to a criminal after the person has served the deserved punishment.

It is true that we are all sinners who are repeatedly in need of God’s mercy and pardon.

But God’s mercy is not the same as our juridical system, in which the records of one’s crimes are kept – sometimes seemingly forever. 

God, in His great mercy, forgives our sins.  Moreover, God, in the death and resurrection of God’s only Son, has made us free children of God.  Thus, the profession of the First Letter of Peter (today’s 2nd Reading),   
“The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy, gave us a new birth to a living hope …, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”

That is the extent of God’s mercy.  

 Image source:  www.agnusday.org

No comments: