Then I heard the words: As you are united with Me in life, so will you be united at the moment of death. After these words, such great trust in God’s great mercy was awakened in my soul that, even if I had had the sins of the whole world, as well as the sins of all the condemned souls weighing on my conscience, I would not have doubted God’s goodness but, without hesitation, would have thrown myself into the abyss of the divine mercy, which is always open to us; and, with a heart crushed to dust, I would have cast (131) myself at His feet, abandoning myself totally to His holy will, which is mercy itself. (Diary of Sr. Faustina (1515)
It is very difficult to understand what ‘Infinite mercy’ is. Then to seek to understand the reality of ‘the lost’ is another ingredient that makes it only thornier. One problem is that we too easily understand punishment and the pain that comes with it. We humans on a regular basis bludgeon each other both in a metaphorical sense as well as physically, either on a one to one basis, or through a more wide spread approach; war for instance. Where millions can be killed with impunity; the civilians just considered collateral damage. So to be harsh and demanding, unforgiving and seeking justice is all mixed up in our understanding of God. Then of course the stories in the Old Testament don’t help much in that regard as well.
Yet we have in Jesus Christ and how he lived his life and related to others that shows another way. Even when he was angry towards the religious authorities and spoke the truth it was done only as a way to open them up to another way When people speak of telling the truth to others in love, it is often a mask to cover over anger and even hatred for the one being hammered in the name of the Lord. Yes, we find it easy to understand eternal punishment, because often we can wish our enemies to go that place of endless torment, which our imaginations can easily fill in the blanks. This is often unconscious, the delight in thinking about eternal judgment for those we think who deserve it.
What is not understood is “Infinite Love’, sense it is other than human love. Sr. Faustina was used by God to try to instill trust, since religion can often with the best of intentions bring out the opposite. Hell as we understand justice is easy to comprehend, which is the problem. What it is within the reality of Infinite Love is something yet to be learned and understood.
We all need to speak the truth to one another “in love”, not in anger, or spite, or in some self-righteous way that only pushes people away. I believe that goes for all areas of life, but especially when we talk about our relationship with God. In the story of the Prodigal Son, I believe it is brought out that the nature of the Father’s love is much more than an earthly father is capable of…..hence our need to not judge, but again knowing when to speak the truth in love. It goes both way, can we accept the truth spoken in love when it comes to us?
Br. Mark Dohle, OCSO
Holy Spirit Monastery
