Advent Retreat - Where God is, There is Mercy - Closing Conference

Where God is, There is Mercy

We began “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the one who is and who was and who is to come….” (Rev 1:8)

That what advent is about celebrating the one who is, who came for us, and getting ready for him to come again.

The first man and the woman lived in paradise. They were friends of God. They walked with God in the evening.  God gave them all of creation and he didn’t give them the 10 commandments. God had one rule, “Don’t eat from these two trees.”

The serpent comes along to challenge God’s word. Why not eat the fruit of these trees? Listening to the serpent, they sinned.

God could have looked at this sin and with a just a word to start all over. Humanity was young. All the evils of the world hadn’t started yet. God could have started over. But that is not the God of Mercy.  God  called to them but in their shame, the man and the woman hid from him.

In God’s mercy, he let them start over. He let them know the consequences of their sin, but his mercy was still with him. Even another remarkable thing is that God’s mercy was given to the serpent.

In the Old Testament, you will find God’s mercy. The stories of Abraham, Joseph, Jonah, David, and so many others are stories of God’s mercy. The history of God’s people is a history of God’s mercy of benevolence, forgiveness, and loving-kindness.

Through the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, she was made ready to be the Mother of Mercy, the vessel to bring God’s mercy in human form to live among us. Jesus is the face of God, the face of his mercy. God has blessed us in Christ. (Eph 1:6)

Jesus’ “I Am(s)” tells us of his Mercy. When Jesus says “I Am” it manifests his gentle mercy. During his time on earth, he lived his greatest “I Am,” the example of mercy.  

The blind man shouted “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me” (Mk 10:47) and Jesus let him see. Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, and fed the hungry. Jesus offered mercy to those that society didn’t see the prostitutes, tax collectors, and sinners.

Just like the first man and woman, our life is from God. Our earthly life is from the Father and he has given us opportunity for a new eternal life through Christ. Both these gifts we carry in our earthen vessels. Life is fragile to suffering, illness, and death. The promise of new life is fragile to loss from sin. We continue only by the mercy of God. “The dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the life breath returns to God who gave it.(Ec 12:20)

Look at our lives for examples of God’s mercy. Find time when something really stupid was done and we were protected by God’s mercy. Think of every day, when God protect us by his mercy from things we are not aware.

Years ago, because of illness and not paying close attention to my money, I had difficult times. I thought my car was paid off but there was a partial payment due at the end, I never paid it. One day, the sheriff showed up, there was a small balance of less than $100 dollars. They took my car. Thank you God, at least I have a house, they came for that the next day.  

Over an eight year period, I had missed three payment years apart. Life issues like illness, hospital stays, or the starting of school had disturbed the payment schedule. I thought they were caught up, the bank never said anything, until the sheriff showed up.

Like Adam, I was ashamed, hiding from God and blaming my wife. .

But God’s mercy was there. We got the car back.  The bank refinanced. God’s mercy was there, telling me he was in control.

Human have a hardness of heart that resist God’s mercy for us and for others. People put the things of this world before God; but, mercy cannot exist without God. People put things before Christ so they cannot bring Christ, the face of Mercy.

Mercy comes directly from God and by Christ working in us through corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The loving-kindness of the corporal works of mercy are feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, ransom the captive, and bury the dead. The benevolent compassion of the spiritual works of mercy are instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish sinners, bear wrongs patiently, forgive offences willingly, comfort the afflicted, and to pray for the living and the dead.

Christ asks us to forgive others. Christ asks us to bring him to the world.

Advent is time to ready ourselves for the coming of Christ. The coming of Christ we are waiting and the Christ in the world every day.  The Christ we see in the hungry, the oppressed, the victims, and the one sitting next to us. The face of God’s mercy is the Christ that is in us. 

Where God is, there is mercy.  Praise the LORD, for he is good, his mercy endures forever. (Ps 136:1)  

Amen!!!