Jesus Has Mercy at Heart

Have you ever received something good you know you didn’t deserve or expect? After squandering away his entire inheritance, the prodigal son in Luke 15 felt ashamed and uncertain when he decided to return home. Would his father still take him back? What would he say? Still far off, the father spotted him, running to welcome him, arms wide open. His son is transformed: from feeling unworthy to knowing he belongs again. Just as the father waited for his son in hopeful anticipation, Jesus waits for our return. Whatever we’ve done, however far we’ve strayed, however low we go, Jesus never tires of welcoming us back because He has mercy at heart.

When Jesus appeared to a young Polish nun, St. Faustina Kowalska, in the 1930s, He gave her an image of Himself and a message to reveal to the world: do not be afraid to come to Me and trust in My mercy. He asked the Church to honor His divine mercy in a special way and in 2000, Pope St. John Paul II consecrated Divine Mercy Sunday on the Sunday after Easter. This day reminds us that Jesus wants us to know His mercy, loving us especially where we feel uncertain, ashamed and unworthy.

Instead of telling us to get our act together, He meets us with gentleness, understanding and truth…and a way forward. Nothing is lost or stuck with Him. Divine Mercy Sunday invites us to return home and experience, even be surprised by, Jesus’ merciful, loving embrace in the deepest, darkest places where our hearts and lives need it the most.