What is God’s Compassion? Never Lose Hope in God's Mercy (Rule of St. Benedict 4:74) I have always been thankful for the Elders in the community. When I was a young monk in my mid-twenties, until I was around 35, Fr. Matt was my Spiritual guide. I still remember much of what I learned from him. So as far as I can remember this is what Fr. Matt said: “It was an act of supreme mercy on the part of Jesus to ask Peter three times. For each time he asked Peter: “Peter do you love me?” It elicited a response that opened up the wound that Peter inflicted on himself by his act of denial. In other words, it was necessary for Peter to experience mercy, by going deeper into what he had actually done. No glossing over his act of cowardice, but a radical acceptance of his ‘sin’, and from that healing”. Self-Knowledge is not always a source of comfort, but it leads to a growing dependence on God’s infinite compassion for the human situation. I have found that to be true in my own Monastic journey. I can only experience God’s mercy according to my capacity to understand what I have actually done, or how I have failed. My heart can often be hard, dead, and fearful of going within, because of my own lack of the love of self that Jesus ask all of us to do. For how can I love my neighbor, if I do not love myself in the presence of the loving gaze of the Father? To experience the mercy of God is to understand that nothing I can do will stop that love from flowing. I can block it, run from it, reject it, yet God’s love is Infinite and unconditional. Mercy, while a freely given grace, it is not a short cut by any means. Mercy demands, because of its healing function, that the wounds of selfishness, self-hatred, and the harm done to others, have to be relived in order for them to be fully brought forward into the light of God compassion and love. So overtime, as grace grows in the soul, and that leads to self-knowledge, the understanding of the harm we have done to ourselves and others deepens. Sensitivity towards others grows, as well as compassion and empathy. Scott Peck, once stated that one trait of evil is that it never takes responsibility, but blames others. Evil can’t take the light of truth, so it will run from it. The opposite is true for those who seek to grow in the love of God, self, and their neighbor. It leads to the heartbreaking open by the fire of God’s mercy, which is always at work. Purgation is necessary, for the soul has to agree to it, to open up its heart to receive God’s healing. As St. Paul said: “10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.” 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 New International Version (NIV) I do believe that when we draw closer to Christ Jesus, this process starts in this life. No one can escape this necessary step towards union with God. In the NDE, the Life-Review seems to bear this out. Here is an example of what a Life-Review looks, and feels like: Post-mortem Life-review "When you have a panoramic life review, you literally relive your life, in 360 degrees panorama. You see everything that's ever happened. You even see how many leaves were on the tree when you were six years old playing in the dirt in the front yard. You literally re-live it. Next you watch your life from a second person's point of view. In this life we're taught to be sympathetic toward others. But from the second person's point of view, you'll feel empathy, not sympathy. After that, you literally will become every person that you've ever encountered. You will feel what it feels like to be that person and you will feel the direct results of your interaction between you and that person. You know the story of the Book of Judgment? Guess what? When you have your panoramic life review, you are the judger ... You do the judging. If you doubt me, believe this: you are the toughest judge you will ever have." (Dannion Brinkley) Since we are called to love God with our whole heart, mind, and soul, and to love our neighbor as ourselves, then it would seem that we will be judged by Love. One way to put it is this: Because God is love, we will all have to face what we have done, experience it, so that we can not only ask for mercy, but to learn of our deep connection with the rest of humanity. What I do to others, I do to Christ Jesus, and in the end to myself as well. So ‘sin’ is self-sabotage, there is no way to win unless we take the path to accept God’s mercy and what the implies for our lives and souls.—Br.MD
Though I don't know what your opinion of the prophesied Illumination or Warning is, it would make sense that its pattern would follow what you have shared, Mark: Post-mortem Life-review "When you have a panoramic life review, you literally relive your life, in 360 degrees panorama. You see everything that's ever happened. You even see how many leaves were on the tree when you were six years old playing in the dirt in the front yard. You literally re-live it. Next you watch your life from a second person's point of view. In this life we're taught to be sympathetic toward others. But from the second person's point of view, you'll feel empathy, not sympathy. After that, you literally will become every person that you've ever encountered. You will feel what it feels like to be that person and you will feel the direct results of your interaction between you and that person. You know the story of the Book of Judgment? Guess what? When you have your panoramic life review, you are the judger ... You do the judging. If you doubt me, believe this: you are the toughest judge you will ever have." (Dannion Brinkley) The Mercy of Jesus is such that self-knowledge must be thorough enough for each of us to grasp the unfathomable forgiveness of Christ toward us. In so doing, I will have the opportunity to perceive the unsurpassed cost of redemption "paid" with Christ's own blood on the Cross. As St. Paul writes: Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" 35 "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen.
Thanks, a great parallel. I am very open to what you are speaking about, needed today, and I include myself in that. Peace Mark
