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A WORD FROM THE PASTOR
Have We Lost Sense Of God's Mercy?
After his election as the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis was interviewed by an Italian journalist. He explained his favorite theme: The Name of God is Mercy. He questioned, "Have we lost sense of sin and sense of God's mercy"?
The Pope spoke about two types of people – those who have lost sense of sin and those who have lost sense of God's mercy. Both attitudes are harmful because they stop us from encountering the healing grace of God's merciful forgiveness.
The tragedy is that this age has lost its awareness of sin because of the influence of relativism, which makes people view - all things seem equal; all things appear the same. The devil seeks to deaden our consciences so we can't tell right from wrong, which is the hallmark of relativism. The devil convinces by saying, "But it is not… but it is not much… no; relax; be calm."
Ultimately, this loss of sense of sin has made a disastrous influence in the church. One can visibly see that there are sinners who retain a deep sense of sin and repent for God's mercy and forgiveness. Unfortunately, there are others who allow corruption and are lost totally in the ditch of sin. It is these individuals who allow corruption and arrogantly deny their need for repentance and God's forgiveness. This makes their sin a habit and way of life. The worst thing is that they are holding their sin as a "true treasure" justifying themselves and their behavior.
However, God's mercy and forgiveness are greater than human sins and sinfulness because the name of God is Mercy. This weekend we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. We need to accept God's invitation to celebrate and practice mercy in our Christian lives. Let us ask God for the faith that culminates in self-surrender to God and that leads us to serve those we encounter with agape love.
Let us come to know Jesus more and more personally and intimately by our daily and meditative reading of the Bible. Let us strengthen our faith through our personal and communal prayer. Let us share in the Divine Life of Jesus by making truly repented sacrament of reconciliation and worthily receiving the Holy Eucharist. St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) presents it this way: "If we pray, we will believe; if we believe, we will love; if we love, we will serve. Only then we put our love of God into action."
In the Service of the Lord,
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