A conversation about the Merciful God

Mark Dohle

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A conversation about the Merciful God
With a Despairing Soul.

Do not be absorbed in your misery – you are still too weak to speak of it – but, rather; gaze on My Heart filled with goodness, and be imbued with My sentiments. Strive for meekness and humility; be merciful to others, as I am to you; and, when you feel your strength failing, if you come to the fountain of mercy to fortify your soul, you will not grow weary on your journey--Faustina’s diary(1485)

There is no end to God’s mercy; it is given to those who have committed acts that are unforgivable. Mercy is something that can’t be earned, either from God or for that matter from other human beings. It can’t be demanded, nor presumed, but it can be asked for and embraced when it is offered. If mercy is not accepted, there is nothing that can be done. However, when one truly understands the need for mercy, it is found not to be easy to receive either, since it strips away all of our good reasons for doing what is unforgivable. Yet love, agape forgives that which should not be forgiven from a human standpoint. Human justice is seldom loving, but exact and demanding. Which has its place, yet mercy trumps justice, or perhaps God’s mercy is God’s justice. Mercy calls us out of ourselves. Our self-absorption and self-pity, as well as our angry defenses that keep us imprisoned in our own inner hell. To sin against another human being, made in the image and likeness of God is an act of sacrilege. Hence our need for mercy and compassion, as well as empathy…our connection with others is, in fact, our need for mercy as well. Self-knowledge is the great leveler.—Br.MD
 

com7fy8

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it can be asked for and embraced
And I would say embracing God's mercy works by how now we also are merciful like God has been with us. This includes >

"forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." (in Ephesians 4:32)

perhaps God’s mercy is God’s justice.
I would say the best way of justice. If God forgives a sinner and changes the person into a loving and caring person, this means the person has stopped doing evil, plus now he or she is part of the solution to the problem of evil.

But if God just punishes a person . . . in this life . . . and the person goes on as an evil person, this does not work so well. This means Satan and evil keep the person. The perfect revenge is to take a person away from Satan, and change the person into a love being who is helping to bring all God's good to us.

empathy…our connection with others is, in fact, our need for mercy as well.
Yes, we need not only to get mercy for ourselves, but to care for others and have mercy on them >

"He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness." (Hebrews 5:2)

Mercy can be how God does not smite an evil person, but what works best is how God has mercy on someone by changing him or her into being like Jesus and having compassion for others.
 
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