Ridiculous Grace and Scandalous Mercy: Reflections on the Gift and Duty of Mercy - 1759

God’s love, particularly in the context of Jesus’ passion and death, as an expiation for my sins, is an extraordinary gift. The “Perfect” one took on the burden of my sinfulness and allowed Himself to be humiliated and tortured beyond description. Think about that reality. In spite of my transgressions, blindness, indifference, irreverence and callousness toward Him, He loves me anyway – unconditionally! One of the most dramatic truths about the relationship each of us has with our Father God is His insistence on showering us with boundless, ridiculous amounts of grace, no matter what we do. When He turns His ridiculous grace toward us sinners, we experience scandalous levels of His mercy. And once we open ourselves to God’s unearnable gifts of love, mercy and compassion, to be sure, we will be flooded with them! At what level does any of this make rational sense? None I know of. None I can imagine. Only through the prism of faith does God’s unconditional love and generosity make sense. Nothing else in our human experience comes close as a parallel. We are His people and He is our God. What a remarkable love story! But we have an obligation to respond. We must challenge ourselves to show our gratitude by unconditionally loving, serving and showering mercy on those around us. How might that become a reality? St. John Newman’s, Mediation on Christian Doctrine (1848), offers a wonderful benchmark: "O Ruler of Israel…I give myself to Thee. I trust Thee wholly. Thou are wiser than I – more loving to me than I myself. Deign to fulfill Thy high purposes in me whatever they be – work in and through me. I am born to serve Thee, to be Thine, to be Thy instrument. Let me be Thy blind instrument. I ask not to see – ask not to know – I ask simply to be used." Thank you, Jesus, for your gifts of love, grace and mercy. Help me be your loving, gracious and merciful servant.
ASIN: B09CHGX216
VSKU: BVV.B09CHGX216.VG
Condition: Very Good
Author/Artist:Armbruster, Jeffrey T.|McNeil, Rev. Lawrence J.
Binding: Paperback