Jesus - Heart of Mercy

Beads of Joy 05-21-10

Jesus - Heart of Mercy
©2010 James Dacey, Jr. SFO

Heart of Jesus 5/5
Hello Everyone,

Today I start with this thought, "Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life." Jude 1:21. The mercy of our Lord. hmm.. now we all know that the mercy given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ is far beyond anything anyone could ever imagine. His mercy?, scripture has taught us that whatever mankind does, or desires, has no effect on the mercy given to us by God. His love for us is beyond our understanding I believe. He loves us, not because we love Him, but because He is God, He is our creator; His love for us really has nothing to do with how we feel about Him. That is true love. And now today we reflect upon His mercy. How can someone (God) who is constantly offended, ignored and even mocked by a society, still have an unmeasurable everlasting mercy for us? I often ponder that very thought. I am so grateful in my heart that Jesus loves us so much that it doesn't matter what people say or do; He still remains deeply in love with us.

Let us learn from Jesus and His Father how "mercy" needs to be part of our lives. We really need to learn from them and to be more like them. Mercy like love needs to be unconditional. "They will know we are Christians by our love." That indeed says it all, but love is often linked to mercy and forgiveness. We are so unworthy to be loved so much, to be given such mercy for our wretched sinful souls. Just read these couple of verses found in Romans and you'll see where I get so much joy, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:1-6.

So today we could reflect on some really special aspects of our faith. We are so blessed to be able to have such a loving, merciful God. Let's share Him with everyone we possible can. Sometimes we don't have to share scripture or be in church; sometimes we just need to be unconditionally loving towards one another. Actions and comments and concern, so speak louder than words. I believe once you have embraced Jesus into your life, and you have really (I mean REALLY) made Him thee absolutely center of your entire life and world. You will always find yourself being just like Him towards others. I found that the Parable of the Good Samaritan is a wonderful example we can learn much from. I just have to share it in full, so you can see the splendor in it like I do.

"On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself." "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." Luke 10:25-37. That is so powerful. I really pray that we find it in our hearts to be merciful like that also.


Your brother in Christ Jesus & His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr SFO