Opening Our Hearts to God's Merciful Love

04-10-2022From the Pastor's DeskMsgr. Ellsworth R. Walden

Today we celebrate Palm Sunday, where many people gathered to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem by making a walkway of palm branches. This is the beginning of our Holy Week where we celebrate and focus on all God has done for us in Jesus. As much as Jesus was welcomed as a Savior on Palm Sunday, five days later He walked the streets of Jerusalem carrying the cross on which He died. Looking back from the vantage point of knowing about the Resurrection, Ascension, and Descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, there are two powerful questions to ponder. First of all how could we ever do such a thing to our God? Secondly, how could God ever be so loving and forgiving? Today’s Gospel at Mass is the Passion of Jesus from the Gospel of St. Luke (Luke 22:14-23:56). In the first part we see Jesus speaking to His disciples at the Last Supper. At this point they are totally clueless about what will happen in just a matter of a few hours. In these words Jesus makes it known who and what He is about as He says, “For who is greater: the one seated at table or the one who serves? Is it not the one seated at table? I am among you as the one who serves.”

Pure love, God’s love, is never a reward for good conduct or consistent obedience. It is a pure gift. The foundation of pure love is humility. Pure humility is the virtue that inspires and impels us to love with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength no matter what. That is exactly what Jesus did all during His three-year earthly ministry that the Gospels proclaim to us and it is that same Jesus and His love that we encounter in our reception of the Sacraments, our time at prayer, and in our efforts to love one another as He has loved us. Over and over again there are two lines from the Scriptures that come to mind and open my mind and heart in awesome wonder: “Father forgive them, they know not what they do,” (Luke 23:24) and “While we were still sinners Christ died for us,” (Romans 5:8). It is a lot easier to give with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength when there is grateful acceptance and acknowledgment of our love than when there seems to be no acknowledgement, gratitude, or difference. Jesus in His humility makes it clear that as much as love can be rejected, in Him love never gives up hope. It is almost too hard to comprehend and trust such love. But this is where that old maxim comes to light: “To err is human to forgive is divine.”

What does God’s unconditional love and inexhaustible desire to forgive do for us? That depends on how seriously we take Him. On a human level we get to the point where enough is enough. Never mind forgiving “Seventy times seven times” (Matthew 18:22). In our human cleverness we say, “Once bitten twice wise” or “The first time you hurt me it is your fault, the second time it is my fault.” The Sacred Heart of Jesus never stops looking to forgive. I am always heartened and uplifted by the words of Jesus to the “Good Thief:” “This day you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) He did not say it was too late to repent or that there would be a few thousand years in purgatory first. Jesus said, “This day you will be with me in paradise.” His humble, powerful love only seeks to make us fully alive in this world and eternally happy with Him when we die.