By LAWRENCE P. GRAYSON
The Pope has declared this year to be a Jubilee of Mercy. This is not meant to be an opportunity to shed the punishment for our sins so that we can continue uninhibited in our lifestyles. This is not a spiritual “get out of jail free” card. We still are responsible to a just God for our sins.
Justice and mercy are complementary virtues. Perfectly blended in God, they are necessary here on Earth for a fair and harmonious society. Justice creates order and adherence to obligations. It ensures that all obtain what they are due, whether that be the good they have earned or the punishment they have warranted. It is impartial and objective.
Without mercy, however, justice can be insensitive and harsh. How many of us truly want complete and pure justice for all, including ourselves? Have we not failed more often than we like to admit in our obligations, in our relations with others? Are we not all flawed? Are we not all sinners? Everyone needs God’s forgiveness.
Mercy, in contrast, is compassion for the failings and difficulties of others. It is understanding, patient, and forbearing, even if it makes our own life more difficult. Mercy forgives others’ offenses and the punishment that may be due, and gives offenders a chance to repent and to reform their lives. In this broken world, to which we with our fallen natures contribute, mercy makes relationships possible.
Mercy without justice, however, is entitlement. Without accountability and a fear of punishment, would we not repeat our offenses, especially if they brought pleasure or material gain? True mercy is more than simply forgiveness, for it requires a response. We must reform our lives and heed the words of our Lord in the Gospel of St. John, when He said to the woman who was to be stoned for adultery, “Go, and sin no more.”
God is just and we will be judged accordingly. As stated in the Book of Revelation: “I saw the dead, great and small alike, standing in front of his throne while the books lay open. And another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged from what was written in the books, as their deeds deserved.”
As presented in Scripture, God does pass judgment and inflicts chastisement when the sins of mankind deserve it. But He tempers His justice with mercy. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were banished from Paradise, but were given a second chance through toil and repentance on Earth.
When wickedness was widespread throughout the world, God brought the flood as a punishment, but was merciful to the righteous Noah in having him build an ark so that he and his family would be saved.
When God was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, He showed mercy in having an angel tell Lot to take his wife and daughters and flee the city.
Abominations now abound throughout the world. They violate God’s laws as written into our nature and defy the teachings of His Church. Abortion, pornography, sex outside of marriage, homosexual behavior, gender redefinition, same-sex marriage, euthanasia, and other atrocities against human life and dignity are daring God to release His justice. God has been patient, but He is just. Evil matters. Sin matters. We should not expect His mercy without repentance.
God will inflict punishment, but does so unwillingly. As recorded in St. Faustina’s Diary, our Lord told her: “I do not wish to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to my Merciful Heart. I use punishment when they themselves force me to do so; my hand is reluctant to take hold of the sword of justice. Before the Day of Justice, I am sending the Day of Mercy.”
In 2000, Pope John Paul II, concerned about the future of mankind, consecrated the world to Divine Mercy. He declared a jubilee year to emphasize God’s love for us and ask for the forgiveness of sins, and established the Feast of Divine Mercy to be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter.
With continuing serious problems in the world, especially, as Pope Francis stated, the “widespread and insensitive mentality” toward the sacredness of human life, the Pontiff has proclaimed this year a Jubilee of Mercy. It began on December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and extends through November 20, the Solemnity of Christ the King. The Pope wants to provide “all believers a true moment of encounter with the mercy of God.”
“The tragedy of abortion is experienced by some with a superficial awareness,” said the Pope, “as if not realizing the extreme harm that such an act entails.” Many women believe that “they have no other option” but to have an abortion. “I have met so many women who bear in their heart the scar of this agonizing and painful decision,” the Pope continued. When such a woman has repented and seeks absolution in the Sacrament of Confession, “the forgiveness of God cannot be denied.”
The Pontiff has granted, during this Year of Mercy, all priests the authority, normally reserved only to bishops, to absolve women who confess to having had an abortion and who, with a contrite heart, seek forgiveness.
The Pope also has granted indulgences for remission of the punishment for sin to those who during the year cross the threshold of the Holy Door at the Vatican or in their local diocese, confess their sins, receive the Eucharist and pray for the pope’s intentions. The Pontiff asked “the Church in this Jubilee Year to rediscover the richness encompassed by the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.”
Today, our request, both as individuals and as a community of believes, for God’s mercy is essential. Our Lord told St. Faustina, “Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to my mercy,” and added, “He who refuses to pass through the door of my mercy must pass through the door of my judgement.” Our Lord has asked that people pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for “this prayer will serve to appease my wrath.”
The directive is clear; the response desired is prescribed; the time is right. Say the chaplet daily, pass through the designated Holy Door in the dioceses, and express your gratitude for God’s forbearance and mercy.
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(The author is a visiting scholar in The School of Philosophy at The Catholic University of America.)
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