Urgency and Mercy
Day 31 of our 40 Days of Mercy Fast
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Urgency and Mercy
‘I have eternity for punishing sinners, and so I am prolonging the time of Mercy for the sake of sinners. But woe to them who do not recognize this time of My visitation! (1160) ‘A strange power has been pushing me into action, not giving me a moment’s peace. A strange ardor has been lit in my heart, urging me to action and I cannot stop it.’ (569)
How can we not experience the disquiet of St. Faustina?
We live between the ‘now’ of Mercy and the ‘not yet’ of God’s judgment.
‘Mercy is a sign of the end times; after it will come the day of justice.’ (848) Souls hang in the balance. Our lives are prophetic, a testament to Mercy and the hard truth that those who refuse it have hell to pay. If that does not inspire a holy urgency on our part, what will?
We must allow the Spirit of Mercy who is also the Spirit of judgment to rouse us on behalf of souls—to teach us to pray in unexpected hours, and to follow His lead in connecting with the wayward.
He also teaches us to bear His grief on behalf of wickedness and to cry out for Mercy. We are Mercy’s advocates, imploring Him to have Mercy on perpetrators of evil before their judgment is sure. Each of us can do so according to His lead and our limited capacity to bear such grief.
Here we must be alert to our own defenses, the self-protection that cries peace when there is none. If we seek to bear grief over evil with Him, our lives will be disrupted. We will taste the urgency of the hour that will inspire a deeper cry for Mercy in us. For me that urgency applies to sexual brokenness in both the Church and in the world.
In His Mercy, Jesus called me out of homosexuality many years ago. It was at the onset of the ‘gay rights’ era and I could discern even then the powerful drive to include practicing homosexuals on all fronts, including ‘marriage’ and church office.
Taking a step back, one can see ‘the gay agenda’ as a symptom of a greater evil: the devastation of God’s image in humanity. Friends with ‘benefits’, ‘no-fault’ divorce, Internet porn as foreplay to the sexual abuse of children, contraception and abortion—all the ways in which we made sex our little game to manipulate at the cost of human life and dignity—that is the fault-line of ‘personal rights’ on which gays aspire to be equal opportunity offenders.
And the Church, which upholds the truth of God’s will for our sexual humanity, has failed to live out that truth. As never before, the glare of worldwide scrutiny is on the Church for its mishandling of sexually and spiritually abusive priests.
Shepherds eat the sheep and bishops cry peace. The Church fails to discipline her own, so the state steps in to protect kids from creepy priests. The bishop of Kansas City just became the first to be indicted by a Grand Jury for failing to remove a charming pedophile priest. Devastating. Is it any wonder that the percentage of American priests who have abused children corresponds with the 3% of citizens who claim to be gay? The sins of the fathers are passed down…
‘What business is it of mine to judge those outside of the Church? Are you not to judge those inside? ‘(1 Cor. 5:12) ‘If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak anymore in His Name”, His Word is like a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.’ (Jer. 20:9)
‘Have Mercy, Jesus. We have all contributed to the devastation of human dignity through sexual brokenness. Have Mercy on us all; do not pay us back as our sins deserve. Reclaim lives from the fire of ‘lust and greed, which is idolatry.’ (Eph. 5:5)
Mercy also on Your Church, as You allow her to be judged in this hour. Let Your severe Mercy have its perfect way in her, that she might be restored as a bright and pure fount of Your Mercy. Receive our repentance in this hour, merciful King, that You would be unashamed to dwell in Your house.’
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Author’s note – Each day’s entry is based a passage from St Faustina’s diary. The passage entry is the number in parentheses at the end of each opening quote or simply a page number in parenthesis. Diary of St Maria Faustina Kowalska – Divine Mercy in My Soul (Association of Marion Helpers, Stockbridge, MA 01263) is available through the publisher or Amazon.com.
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