Four Steps on the Path to Divine Intimacy
Meditations on Mercy - Sixth Sunday of Easter
Photo By: Flickr/Andre W
I also saw the holy city… prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Rev 21:2
“As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” Jn 13:34
It’s hard to believe that God uses something as ordinary as marriage as a symbol of our eternal destiny, but that’s what we see throughout scripture. The second reading of the Mass for Sunday, April 24th depicts the Church “as a bride adorned for her husband,” while in the Gospel, Jesus calls us to love one another as He has loved us. Jesus shows how to love, giving His life for His bride without counting the cost, purifying her to prepare her for their eternal divine union as one body.
Jesus calls His followers to have that same radical, self-giving love for one another. This is not an easy commandment but with God, all things are possible. Yet when we do fail to love, God, who is “rich in mercy,” picks us up, dusts us off, and wipes away our tears in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, making all things new again. There in the confessional, the merciful Jesus waits for you: trust in Him, go to Him, and let Him teach you how to love.
The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and rich in mercy. Ps 145:8
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About the Author
Born and raised in a faithful Catholic family, I wandered far from my faith for nearly two decades. Through the infinite mercy of Christ and His Church, I found my way back home to the Catholic Church in the early 90s, and began a path of rediscovery of the beauty and truth of the Catholic faith, eventually earning a Bachelor's degree in Christian Tradition. A stay-at-home Mom for many years, my Church ministries grew to include teaching Catechism and First Eucharist classes, writing and facilitating retreats for healing after abortion, and becoming active in pro-life work with our local 40 Days for Life campaign in the Tri-Cities, Washington as an organizer, participant, speaker, and writer. My desire to share the greatest gift of my life, Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and His Divine Mercy, has found expression in my writing. My articles have been published locally in the Tri-City Herald's Spiritual Life and editorial columns; in the Carmelite Digest; Celebrate Life magazine; and recently in the National Catholic Register.
Links to these articles and more can be found on my blog at http://www.catholicethics.blogspot.com/. My Catholic Ethics page is on Facebook at:https://www.facebook.com/CatholicEthics.
