Dives in Misericordia: “He Who Sees Me Sees the Father” (3, continued)

Chapter 3 of “Dives in Misericordia” (“Rich in Mercy”) is entitled “When Christ Began To Do and To Teach.” It continues as follows:

“3. . . . In this way, the messianic message about mercy preserves a particular divine-human dimension. Christ – the very fulfillment of the messianic prophecy – by becoming the incarnation of the love that is manifested with particular force with regard to the suffering, the unfortunate and sinners, makes present and thus more fully reveals the Father, who is God ‘rich in mercy.’ At the same time, by becoming for people a model of merciful love for others, Christ proclaims by His actions even more than by His words that call to mercy which is one of the essential elements of the Gospel ethos. In this instance it is not just a case of fulfilling a commandment or an obligation of an ethical nature; it is also a case of satisfying a condition of major importance for God to reveal Himself in His mercy to man: ‘The merciful . . . shall obtain mercy.”

 

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Pope John Paul II: “Dives in Misericordia”