The Name of God is Mercy summary

There’s mercy to be found in every story about Jesus.

Jesus said that he didn’t come to Earth for the righteous, but for the sinners. He didn’t come for the healthy, but for the sick. He showed mercy by focusing his efforts on people who’d been cast out of society, such as lepers.

The bishops and priests of the Church are tasked with continuing the work of Jesus. They must strive to act in persona christi, meaning to act with Jesus’s sensitivity and willingness to go where he was needed.

God’s mercy reaches humanity through priests and confessors. One of Pope Francis’s former parishioners was a prostitute. She once thanked him for always calling her “Señora” because it taught her that even if she sold her body and didn’t have food or money, she was still valuable and deserved respect.

God’s love is unconditional. He would never turn away his children, no matter what their sins – just like parents always have love for their child.

There are several instances in the Bible where God is likened to a parent. In the Gospel of Luke, for example, when Jesus is deeply moved by human suffering, the Greek word used to describe his emotions derives from a word referring to a mother’s womb. Jesus’s reaction is like that of a parent who is moved by her child’s suffering.

In order to reap the full benefits of God’s mercy, we first have to accept that we need his love and guidance because we’re all sinners.

We’re all sinners because of original sin. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God, they condemned humanity to weakness and the inability to always choose good over evil. We’re all bound to commit sin.

Sin is one thing, and corruption is another. Corruption is the act of convincing yourself and others that your sins are justified. Corrupt people may put up a facade of Christianity to conceal their sins in the hopes of deceiving not just their peers, but God himself.

Whereas sins are usually committed in a weak moment, corruption tends to be woven into the fabric of a person’s lifestyle, which makes it harder for corrupt people to return to God than for sinners. A corrupt person often focuses on money, fame and power rather than the virtues Jesus told us to pursue.

Humans aren’t divine beings like God. We can never be as merciful, patient or loving as He is. We can be compassionate, however, if we follow Jesus’s example.

The world would be a more peaceful place if people were more compassionate. Most people are indifferent to the tragedies they see on the news. They only care if it affects them.