Divine Mercy and Conversion
Divine Mercy Sunday
“Give thanks to the LORD for he is good, his love is everlasting.”Ps. 118
Not seven, but seventy times seven, Jesus told Peter that he should forgive, that is, always. And then he gave him the parable of the one who was forgiven of a huge sum that he could never have paid, and going out he found a friend who owed him little and begged him for forgiveness with the same words that he had just used to receive the king’s forgiveness, but he would not forgive him and put him in jail. When this was communicated to the king, he said, it cannot be so, to darkness and condemnation.
And there is manifested a great truth and a great message for our lives. Only with conversion do we open ourselves to mercy. Without a new heart you have not received God’s love or forgiveness. TRUST IN GOD. This is what Jesus reveals to St. Faustina, to put at the foot of her merciful image: I trust in you.
Confession is not just an outward act, like none of the sacraments. All have as their most important aspect the spiritual or interior. The dispositions of the heart to receive it with fruit. The priest must ascertain, as far as possible, that there is repentance and conversion, because without this absolution cannot and should not be given, since it would deceive them; it would make them think that they are already forgiven when they are not, because without conversion of heart they leave the confessional as they entered.
The root of all sin is lack of faith, which we can also conceive of as a lack of trust in God. We need to trust Him, otherwise we would not benefit from Him. We allow ourselves to be enriched by Him to the extent that we believe and trust in Him. If I believe him, I will listen to him and listen to him, and that is how I benefit from his wisdom and his loving guidance as a good shepherd.
And what good would God’s forgiveness be if one still continues in his sin, does not yet detest it, does not yet trust Jesus or allow himself to be guided by Him? What good is it for your child to forgive him because he is going to get high, if he is going to take drugs anyway and wants to do it? That forgiveness is useless, on the contrary, it is negligence and complicity, you become guilty of his sin, if instead of correcting him and helping him improve you leave him in his sin and overlap him or pimp him with your “forgiveness”. That does not deserve the name of forgiveness or mercy but rather of indolence and complicity. God truly loves us, forgives us, and tells us, from now on, sin no more. For our sake.
But today’s world demands that indolence and complicity when it cries out for its pseudo-rights, asks for tolerance with all kinds of sins, even with iniquitous laws destructive of individuals and community, such as abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, etc. But love is not that false or malevolent tolerance, love leads to help not to pimp or give on your side. If the mother loves her son, she will make him take the medicine to cure his son, even if he does not want to, even if it costs him to win the hatred and rejection of the son. He who loves you will do you good, even if it costs him. Thus the church watches over and advocates for the good of all, defending the rights of the most defenseless, and although it earns enemies and rejections and persecution, it will continue to do so.
Readings for the Week
Monday: Acts 4:23-31; Ps 2:1-9; Jn 3:1-8
Tuesday: Acts 4:32-37; Ps 93:1-2, 5; Jn 3:7b-15
Wednesday: Acts 5:17-26; Ps 34:2-9; Jn 3:16-21
Thursday: Acts 5:27-33; Ps 34:2, 9, 17-20; Jn 3:31-36
Friday: Acts 5:34-42; Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14; Jn 6:1-15
Saturday: Acts 6:1-7; Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19; Jn 6:16-21
Sunday: Acts 2:14, 22-33; Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-11; 1 Pt 1:17- 21; Lk 24:13-35