Mercy

Over the last several days, God's recurring "theme" has been that of Mercy, and how infinite indeed is the ocean of His merciful love! I finally got to hear the entirety of the conversion account of one of my favorite preachers, Father John Korapi, and it left me in tears (par for the course). The magnificence of God's transformative love never fails to move me, especially when I think about how He has likewise trained that radiant beam of love and mercy upon my wretched life. I don't think it was any coincidence that, later that week, I too would have the opportunity to once again witness to His saving Grace. And I felt His love so warmly from the direction of the brothers and sisters who listened, most of them for the first time, to how He changed my life so amazingly. The expression of His love was most evident as well from the "cheering squad" in the back, all of whom I love so very dearly and who love me back as well - Jas and Melo, Amats (and Day, in spirit!) Johanna (LG), Boyet a.k.a. "Robert," Ojie, my AGL Tina (who knows exactly how *swak* the entire Mass and everything the priest said was at this particular point in my life), and of course from everyone else who was there that evening.

Last Sunday's Gospel was also one of mercy - the account of Jesus and the Samaritan adulteress at Jacob's well. He knew all she had done, and yet loved her and offered her the satisfaction only true love could bring - the true love she had been looking for all her life. John 4 is one of my favorite passages in scripture because it is essentially MY love story...I found the One Love I was looking for when He drew near me despite what I had done and told me that He loved me, for who I was, nonetheless. And I've found that nothing and no one satisfies like He does. Solo Dios basta. :-) Naturally, when Bo Sanchez's talk this afternoon dwelt once again on God's mercy as expressed in John 4, the tears of joy freely fell once more (I've quit bringing tissues to The Feast; what's the point, when I never have enough anyway!)

The tearduct activity intensified even more when Bo talked about the redeeming, merciful love of Hosea for his harlot of a wife, and when Rinka Romero started singing about how incredible such unconditional love is, a love that readily gave up everything else just to buy back a traitorous heart. This was the expression the Lord chose to demonstrated His own love, the unbelievable love of a God who would later allow Himself to be crucified and to give up everything, even His life, just to win back His incorrigibly errant and ungrateful children. Good thing that Oman is used to my submission to the wonderful gift of tears (and boy, have I been extremely gifted!) because I almost used his shirt to blow my nose.

Finally, just this evening, I watched Mother Angelica talk about the Lord's mercy towards another female sinner, and mention another verse from scripture that is also close to my heart. In Luke 7, she is described only as a woman known as a sinner, who wept at the Lord's feet, wiped away her own tears with her hair, and anointed His feet with expensive ointment(in the other Gospels, she is identified as Mary, sister of Martha, the same Mary who by tradition is also the Magdalen, the adulteress the Lord refuses to condemn and thereby saves). Jesus counters the Pharisee's self-righteousness through the very brief parable of the two debtors being forgiven their debts - one had a bigger debt than the other. At the end of it, He explains the meaning of the story - and the meaning of my renewed life in His service - indeed, the more we have been forgiven, the more we love the One who forgives. In my case, He has forgiven much. :-)

Praise God for His Mercy and His Love! As I like to say...yahoo!