Sweet Land of Liberty
Meditations on Mercy - The Church and the Mercy of God
Photo By: Flickr/Douglas Scortegagna
The apostles and elders, in agreement with the whole church,
decided to choose representatives and to send them to…
convey this same message by word of mouth:
"It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities…"
Acts 15:22-29
The holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God…
had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,
on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Rev 21:10-14, 22-23
< What great mercy and love our Lord has shown in providing us with the guidance of His Church, led by the Holy Spirit. The first reading for Sunday, May 1st shows the apostles settling disputes which arose in the early church and determining which rules Christians must follow. The full glory of God’s plan for His Church is revealed in the second reading, with John’s vision of the heavenly City built on the rock foundation of the twelve apostles.
Then, in the Gospel, we hear Jesus’s beautiful promise to dwell with those who keep His word. Yet, knowing we would often fail to keep His word, Jesus gave His Church full authority to determine what is sinful, and also to forgive sins. But Jesus will not force us to accept this great gift of mercy. We must respond by turning to God in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where Jesus longs to pour out His healing love for each of us.
Do not fear; come, and find grace, mercy, and the peace that passes all understanding.
“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him...
My peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”
Jn 14:23,27
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.
