The Mystery of Mercy
At the Congress of Rome entitled "The Wealth of years," Mercy was often mentioned. In this context, I would like to recall an excerpt from the Bull of Pope Francis, presenting the Church in 2015 at the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. In point 2, the Pope wrote: "We always need to contemplate the mystery of Mercy. It is a source of joy, serenity and peace. It is the condition of our salvation. [...] Mercy is the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us. Mercy is the fundamental law that lives in everyone's heart when he takes a sincere look at the brother he meets on the path of life. Mercy is the path that unites God and man, to open the heart to the hope of being loved forever despite the limits of our sin» (MV 2).
Yesterday, some of us may have been overwhelmed by the story of David, who seduces Bethsabee, Uriah Cheta’s wife, and sends him to war, where the fighting is hardest. Uriah the Hittite died, and David was able to marry Bethsabee (cf. 2 Sam 11). It's a human story, terrible and tragic ... A real storm, echoing the biblical image of the excerpt from the Gospel of Mark that we have read (Mc 4:35-41).
Today we hear the rest of the davidic story in the liturgy. There is a radical turning point in David's life. He is marked by his confession made in the presence of Nathan:"I have sinned against the Lord." This confession leads David on a path of transformation and conversion, on a path to receive God's forgiveness. David decides to "cross to the other side" where there is no storm, where there is silence and peace.
The story of David's transformation becomes an image of the spiritual transformation of man, of each of us. And so, in a storm of the life, let us not hesitate to cross to the other side with Christ, where merciful God comes to meet each of us.
Rome, 1st of february.
Father Roman Chromy
Spiritual Advisor for LAI's Europe Coordination