Divine mercy

“ This edifice of dust and passion, whereof you too are in the bonds, should plead with you for mercy; a voice in it should cry out upon your clamant indignation, asking a little pity by reason of its own malignant composition. Here stands the body humbled before the magnificent soul, itself the plea for its own pardon. To the one falls the burden of the long day; to the other is meeter that divine communion to which you would exhort us. If, indeed, we stand between God and the brute, pardon us a little that we divide our interests unevenly. ”

“ Cast on them a look of mercy, free them from their pains, and put them in possession of the inheritance of heaven. Remember that they are the work of thy hands, redeemed by the most precious blood of thy divine Son Jesus; deal with, them according to thine infinite mercy. Hear, O Lord, the prayer I make to thee with all confidence, through the merits of the passion and death of thy most dear Son Jesus, that they may be consoled, and may enjoy without delay that immortal glory which thou hast prepared for thine elect. O merciful Lord, have pity upon them, according to our trust in thee. ”

“ I am more troubled at the greatness of the torments which I have deserved for my sins. I would have my sorrow for my sins to be as great as the sins themselves: I would have my regret for having displeased Thee proportioned to the injuries committed against Thee: I would have a grief equal to Thy mercy: I would willingly bewail the enormity of my sins with tears of blood: more for the offence and insult offered Thy divine Majesty than for the injury and perdition they bring upon myself. ”

“ Does he think he is able to sin beyond the power or reach of divine mercy? Pray tell him, there may be a time when provoked mercy will no longer strive, and when God may refuse to hear; but that ’tis never too late for men to ask mercy; and we that are Christ’s servants are commanded to preach mercy at all times, in the name of Jesus Christ, to all those that sincerely repent: so that ’tis never too late to repent. ”

“ The Divine mercy towards repentant sinners knows no restrictions; the cleansing power of the Saviour’s blood, no limitations.
If there be any self-convicted and self-condemned sinner, still hesitating to throw himself p. 37upon the mercy of God in Christ, let him hear the Psalmist, who has represented under the most striking and affecting images, the love of God towards man: “The Lord is full of compassion and mercy; long-suffering and of great goodness. He will not always be chiding, neither keepeth He his anger for ever. ”

“ His own transgressions can be adjusted by prayer and repentance. He conceives of divine mercy as infinite—there is no reaching the end of it; hence with unlimited credit he may draw on his account whenever he feels sinfully disposed. ”

“ O God! there are some who will not believe that there is a hell until they fall into it. Can you, beloved Christians, complain of the mercies of God, after he has shown you so many mercies by waiting for you so long? ”

“ Hence, again, it is evident that the divine mercy of the Lord is pure mercy, but not immediate mercy.
If men could be saved by immediate mercy, all would be saved, even they who are in hell. Yea, there would be no hell, because the Lord is mercy itself, love itself and good itself. Therefore it is contrary to his Divine to say that He is able to save all immediately, and does not save them. It is known from the Word that the Lord wills the salvation of all and the damnation of no one. ”

“ Receive from a sick man what he can give you. Oh me, oh me, have mercy on so many souls that perish! Do not consider the scandal which occurred in this city, in which surely the devils of hell busied themselves, to hinder the peace and quiet of souls and bodies: but Divine Goodness saw to it that no great harm came from the great evil, but your sons pacified themselves, and now ask of you the oil of mercy. ”

“ Thus mercy is made to absorb the other divine attributes, and sinners emboldened in wickedness. By such considerations they make themselves vile without concern. Some become so hardened and unfeeling, that the approach of death doth not alarm them. ”

“ AND in this life mercy and forgiveness is our way and evermore leadeth us to grace. And by the tempest and the sorrow that we fall into on our part, we be often dead as to man's doom in earth; but in the sight of God the soul that shall be saved was never dead, nor ever shall be. ”

“ Let not those that receive mercy from God be thereby emboldened to sin, for the mercies they receive will aggravate their sin and hasten the punishment of it; yet let not those that are under divine rebukes for sin be discouraged from repentance, for their punishments are means of repentance, and shall not prevent the mercy God has yet in store for them. ”

“ But we may produce many instances of suffering among human beings, which are not a punishment for sin. We might refer to the feeling of compassion, which is always painful, and sometimes wrings the heart with the most exquisite agony; and yet this was not planted in our bosom as a punishment for sin, but, as Bishop Butler has shown,188 it was ordained by a God of mercy, to teach us a lesson of mercy, and lead us to mitigate the manifold miseries of man's estate. ”

“ TWO things belong to our soul as duty: the one is that we reverently marvel, the other that we meekly suffer, ever enjoying in God. For He would have us understand that we shall in short time see clearly in Himself all that we desire.
And notwithstanding all this, I beheld and marvelled greatly: What is the mercy and forgiveness of God? For by the teaching that I had afore, I understood that the mercy of God should be the forgiveness of His wrath after the time that we have sinned. ”

“ And Mercy is a working that cometh of the goodness of God, and it shall last in working all along, as sin is suffered to pursue rightful souls. And when sin hath no longer leave to pursue, then shall the working of mercy cease, and then shall all be brought to rightfulness and therein stand without end.
And by His sufferance we fall; and in His blissful Love with His Might and His Wisdom we are kept; and by mercy and grace we are raised to manifold more joys.
Thus in Rightfulness and Mercy He willeth to be known and loved, now and without end. ”

“ And thus when we, by the working of mercy and grace, be made meek and mild, we are fully safe suddenly is the soul oned to God when it is truly peaced in itself: for in Him is found no wrath. ”

“ For the ground of mercy is love, and the working of mercy is our keeping in love. And this was shewed in such manner that I could [3] not have perceived of the part of mercy but as it were alone in love; that is to say, as to my sight. ”

“ Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Antiphons.
Sin no longer, O my soul; think upon; the sudden change from sin to endless torments. There, in hell, penance is not accepted and tears profit not. Turn, then, whilst thou hast time; cry out and say, Have mercy upon me, O my God.
In the midst of life we are in death; but to whom can we look to be our helper save thee, O Lord, who art justly angry with us because of our sins? O holy God, holy and strong, holy and merciful Saviour, deliver us not over to a bitter death. ”

“ O Lamb of God! sacrificed and lifeless on the cross, remember that I am a soul redeemed by thy precious blood: pardon me my sins, for I am sorry for them from the bottom of my heart. Yes, raise thy wounded hand to bless and pardon me. Receive the traitor that now casts himself in sorrow at thy feet. My sins fill me with terror, for I know that I deserve to be in hell this moment; but surely, since thou hast died for me, thou wilt not now refuse me mercy. Behold me here, O my God! what wilt thou have me do? Shall I weep over my sins? ”

“ I am astonished and confounded at thy unwearied patience in supporting a most provoking sinner. From the bottom of my heart I detest all my sins; and because I love thee, and will love thee above all things created, I steadfastly purpose, by thy holy grace, never to offend thee more, and rather to die than commit one mortal sin. Amen.
THE STATIONS OF THE SACRED PASSION.
O MOST sweet Jesus! praying to thy Father in the garden, sorrowful even unto death, and sweating blood in an agony of grief, have mercy on us.
R. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us. ”

“ That all possible kinds of mortification, if they were void of the love of GOD, could not efface a single sin. That we ought, without anxiety, to expect the pardon of our sins from the Blood of JESUS CHRIST, only endeavoring to love Him with all our hearts. That GOD seemed to have granted the greatest favors to the greatest sinners, as more signal monuments of his mercy. ”

“ O SUFFERING Son of God! I now behold thee in the last convulsive pangs of death; thy veins opened, thy sinews torn, thy hands and feet distilling blood. I acknowledge, most loving Jesus! that my reiterated offences have been thy merciless executioners, the cause of thy bitter sufferings and death. Yet, Godof mercy! look on my sinful soul bathed in the precious blood. Let me die to the vanity of the world, and renounce its false pleasures. Thou didst pray, my Jesus! for thy enemies; I forgive mine; I embrace them in imitation of thy charity: I bury my resentment in thy wounds. ”

“ O Truth and Beauty, ever ancient and ever new ! Too late have I known thee, O ancient Truth; too late have I loved thee, O eternal Beauty; too long have I gone astray from thee! When shall the time come, that, disgusted with all earthly things, I shall seek my happiness in thee alone, and find rest to my soul? O heavenly manna ! O adorable sacrament! O inestimable pledge of God’s love to mankind! O standing memorial of Christ's passion and death! O inexhaustible fountain of divine grace ! O boundless mercy! O divine charity ! O sacred fire, ever burning and never decaying ! ”

“ The Unpardonable Sin This is the sin against the Holy Ghost:— To speak of bloody power as right divine, And call on God to guard each vile chief's house, And for such chiefs, turn men to wolves and swine:— To go forth killing in White Mercy's name, Making the trenches stink with spattered brains, Tearing the nerves and arteries apart, Sowing with flesh the unreaped golden plains. ”

“ Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me!
O woe is me, a sinner! I am the most wretched of men! There is no repentance in me! Grant me tears, Lord, that I may weep bitterly over my deeds.
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me!
O senseless and wretched man, you are destroying your life in laziness! Think about your life and turn to the Lord God, [91] weeping bitterly over your deeds.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
O most pure Mother of God, look on me, a sinner, and deliver me from the snares of the devil. Direct me onto the path of repentance, that I may weep bitterly over my deeds. ”

“ All so-called calumny or vilification is only Thy own purifying and invigorating mercy. Every beat of the heart, with its push and its pause, is the pendulum-swing of Thy recurring mercy, now advancing into sight and then receding into secrecy. Every heave of the breath signifies a two-fold mercy—Thy in-coming, life-bringing and Thy out-going, refuse-removing mercy. ”

“ From my hidden sins, cleanse me, O Lord! and from the sins of others spare thy servant.
Have mercy on me, O God! according to thy great mercy: and according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my iniquity.
My soul! deplore thy ingratitude - thou hast not loved him who has loved thee with an eternal love, and even unto death, and the death of the Cross. ”

“ Say not, therefore, The mercy of the Lord is great, lie will have mercy on the multitude of my sins; for mercy and wrath quickly come from him, and his wrath looks upon sinners. Walk rather whilst thou hast the light, that the darkness overtake thee not. ”

“ I am willing to do penance for them, and to make satisfaction to the utmost of my power. Forgive me, O my God, forgive me my sins for thy holy name's sake. Save my soul which thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood. Behold, I commit myself to thy mercy; I resign myself into thy hands; deal with me according to thy goodness, not according to my wickedness and iniquity.
My God! I offer thee the confession I am going to make, to thy greater glory, and in obedience to thy will. I beg that my soul may become more pleasing in thy sight, by being purified in thy most precious blood ”

“ This is that sin which not only offers injury and indignity to the Lord of heaven and earth, but even breaks that league of kindness which we owe to our own flesh. To commit sin is the killing of the soul; to refuse hope of mercy is to cast it down to hell. ”

“ We can see by this how merciful God was even to fallen man. “The Lord is gracious and merciful, patient and plenteous in mercy” (Ps. 144, 8) . God punishes man in mercy, and imposes temporal punishments on him, so as to save his soul and make him eternally happy. ”

“ Does the memory of some ugly school-boy sin dog your path, haunting and paralysing you with its importunity? You feel sometimes as if your whole life were poisoned by that one cruel retrospect. Brother, be bold, and dare to look up. I would not have you think your sins one whit less heinous. But if God's righteousness is infinite, so also is His mercy. The Cross is reared before your eyes in this moral wilderness, where you are dying, where all are dying around you. ”

“ Confess, therefore, your sins, and pray to God that He have mercy upon you. And now for your soul's health I will give you all absolution. If you die, you will be God's martyrs, every one of you, and your places are ready for you in His Paradise. ”