How greatly today’s world needs God’s mercy!
Have you heard it said that when sin is present, grace is present all the more? Scripture refers to this in Romans 5:20 when Paul states, “Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more.” This has been a hopeful message for every generation, including our society today.
The evil one adapts himself to the times and influences of every age. Evil exists in the modern world. We are not immune to these influences, and too often evil succeeds in his courtship with us.
The culture porn creates
Many religious and academic leaders refer to our culture as the “culture of death,” and more recently as a “pornographic culture.”
Porn has created a culture of its own, and this culture influences each one of us spiritually, physically, emotionally, and relationally–though to a greater or lesser extent if we directly participate in the use of pornography. There are immense moral, social, and spiritual dangers.
The movies and television we watch, our state and national laws, and our public schools now tell us how and what to think about our sexuality. Their main message says human sexuality has no God-given purpose. Society–the pornographic culture–says we can use our sexuality to gratify ourselves at any moment. The consequences ought not be considered, and any negative consequences can be easily “fixed.”
The pornographic culture says do what you want, how you want, when you want, and at whatever cost– even if it’s at the cost of human dignity, betraying God’s design for the sexual act, your marriage and family, your child’s innocence, your priestly or religious vows, and so on.
We are in such great need for mercy–now more than ever.
This is the reality of our society, but let us not get discouraged. There is something available to us that provides faith, hope, love and strength in the midst of our passive or active role in the culture of pornography, and it is Divine Mercy.
Why our culture needs Divine Mercy
Divine Mercy is the message of love the world needs proclaimed now more than ever. We need the relief and hope that can be found in God’s merciful love.
The culture of pornography offers us the very opposite of love, while love is the only thing the human person really desires. This disordered culture offers us a twisted version of love. In fact, it’s not love at all. It’s lust, abuse, violence, selfishness, addiction, lack of freedom, vice and so on.
The message of Divine Mercy can bring about a new culture of life and a new civilization of love.
How? Divine Mercy brings Christ into our times. We need this, and even if we don’t know it, we desire this. Together, let us cry out to God for His mercy in our lives and in our world!
“Who is God?” my spiritual director once asked me. I responded, “God is love!”
Pope Saint John Paul II describes mercy in Dives in Misericordia as “love’s second name,” and as “the specific manner in which love is revealed and effected in the face of the reality of the evil that is in the world, affecting and besieging man.”
Sitting with my spiritual mentor, I should have added “and mercy!”
Mercy is love’s second name. In his book The Second Greatest Story Ever Told, Father Michael Gaitley inserts that mercy is love’s response to our brokenness, our deep wounds, our struggles, weaknesses, and every sin. Simply put, mercy is love, and love is mercy.
This merciful love is so strong it’s even more powerful than evil. It can even bring good out of evil. This is God. When we feel and experience grace, when merciful love is poured into our brokenness and our sin, it’s then we see the face of God.
That mercy will flood every heart of man
Again, God is love and mercy itself. God loves us all, and His love and mercy are greater than our sins. Thus, we need to trust God, receive His mercy and allow for His mercy to flow through our lives and into the lives of others. In this way, all people will experience peace and share in God’s joy!
If we can’t find hope and joy in the message of God’s merciful love, then where will we find it? It can’t be found anywhere else. It’s impossible. This is our source to everlasting life, so let us pray and proclaim the message in and through our own lives in order that mercy will flood every heart of man.
God desires life and love for all of us. He doesn’t want to punish us, and He certainly doesn’t want us to hide or run from Him when we need Him the most. In our moments of sin when our brokenness comes crashing through, God wants all the more to press you into His merciful heart.
There is nothing men and women need more than the merciful love of God. There is no other hope than this.
This message may be difficult to understand and accept. The way forward in this “time of mercy” is by completely trusting in Jesus and by not being afraid. We must tell Him, “Jesus, I trust in you! Jesus, I trust in you! Jesus, I trust in you!” We accept the message by asking for and accepting our Lord’s mercy that He has so willingly offered since the creation of man.
How do we welcome Christ’s Divine Mercy?
It’s precisely because of the suffering and sin in our time that now is the time of mercy. It must be proclaimed in the face of darkness, even a growing darkness. The world will find peace and happiness only in the mercy of God!
Today we who know this message of mercy and intimacy must proclaim and witness to it, for it is at the very heart of the Gospel–God’s mercy for sinners, for whom we are the first.
- Pray to God for His mercy and ask Him to increase your desire for it.
- Receive God’s mercy and extend love and charity to others. Proclaim and witness to God’s mercy!
- Trust in Jesus and be not afraid. The more we allow ourselves to trust in Jesus, the more we will be open to receive from Him and will refrain from things that hurt our relationships with Him and hurt our selves, others and ultimately take away our joy!
The Roman Catholic Church celebrates Christ’s Divine Mercy the Sunday after Easter ever year (this coming Sunday!), which is called Divine Mercy Sunday, also known as the Feast of Mercy.
A section of this blog post was originally printed in Our Northland Diocese, titled: “A Pornographic Culture (Part I)” by Amanda Zurface.
What a wonderful blog reminding us of the overwhelming mercy of God in Jesus Christ. The Bible reminds us that “God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.” That kind of love can move and motivate the broken-hearted. Amanda reminds us to cry out to Jesus and throw ourselves on His mercy. The Bible says, “Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” As Jesus and His amazing mercy increases in our lives we can know the greatest freedom and happiness that can come to any soul. His mercy leads us to repentance and is the door to a whole new life. Thanks, Amanda, for your many well-written and inspiring blogs!