Ave Maria Meditations
(Mercy) seems to be more particularly His, His Virtue, His own inclination…Yes, mercy is truly the attribute of the Heart of Jesus. Holy Scripture, and especially the immortal songs of David, resound with the praises of the mercy of God, exalt it, and magnify it in a thousand ways. It was, however, only when Our Savior had been given to us, that divine mercy appeared to us under a sensible form, palpable, so to speak, to the intellect of man and to his love. Under the law of fear, people got a glimpse of mercy; under the law of grace, it has been seen and touched.
“Love was God; and Love was with God; and It has come into the world” (John 1:1,14); and when It covered Itself with the veil of humanity, when It descended upon the earth, It remained Love, but It took a new name and a new form. It took the name and the form of Mercy; It became Jesus or Mercy. Mercy or Jesus is the same adorable form of Love!
All the words, all the acts, all the divine manifestations of this humanized Love, of this Jesus, bear the seal of mercy. It goes forth from Him quite naturally, as the water issues forth from its source, as heat escapes from the burning fire: ” I will have mercy and not sacrifice ” (Mt 9:13), says He. His wish is to be merciful.
“The Son of Man is come to seek and save that which was lost ” (Lk 19:10). He has come to bring to the fallen creature the grace of repentance and heavenly pardon. It is to save and not to judge that He has been sent into the world. Thus, we hear Him say to His apostles when they display too great eagerness in demanding justice: ” You know not of what spirit you are!” (Lk 9:55).
+ Mother Louise Margaret Claret de la Touche (Sacerdotal Virtues of the Heart of Jesus)
