God’s mercy overcomes even our greatest sins

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14).

 

St. Pope John Paul II wrote that through the “Incarnation, God gave human life the dimension that he intended it to have from the beginning.” Through his suffering our Savior continues to recreate humanity by his love for us, continually making us something new. 

 

He paid the ransom for our sins with his very life. We have been set free. We simply have to ask Jesus to apply the salve of his Cross to our hearts wounded by sin.

 

Mercy is the very essence and nature of God. He does not simply show us mercy. He is mercy. In fact, all of creation is sustained by his love and mercy. The psalmist tells us that his mercy endures forever (Ps 136:1). This means his mercy endures even our greatest sin. This transgression of ours may have become for us our identity and it may even still inflict our heart with pain and suffering.

 

 However, Jesus stands before us in the same fashion as he stood before the apostles when he broke into the upper room of their fear and self-doubt. His wounds are intact, ready for us to inspect them and to have their power wash over us. He is ready to hide us within his sacred wounds.

 

The power of God is his love for us revealed from the Cross. It’s forgiveness of our sins. He speaks the same words of mercy and forgiveness to us now as he did to the bystanders who watched him die on the Cross of our salvation. He asks the Father to forgive us and set us free. The mystery of God’s mercy toward us is a weapon we can use to cut off the head of Satan when he attempts to distract us by lies and deceptions about our identity and the identity of others.

 

Our wounds of doubt and pain are access points for God’s grace and mercy to enter our hearts and then freely flow from them. Like the apostles, once we are transformed by his peace, we will go out into the world and tell everyone about it.

 

Father Walter Nolte is pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Fremont. Contact him at wlnolte@archomaha.org.