Mercy and Trust

By: Ivonne J. Hernandez

I was listening to a Catholic podcast when one of the hosts said something that made me ponder for weeks. The host said, and I might paraphrase, “Our identity is not sinner; our identity is child of God.” My immediate reaction was: “But… aren’t we both?” And now, after praying and pondering for a while, my answer is, “Well…yes and no.”

“We don’t need to say too much about sinners because that is what we all are. We recognize this from within and we know what a sinner is; and, if one of us does not understand himself to be a sinner, he should visit a spiritual doctor: something is not right”. (Pope Francis, Morning Meditation, June 3, 2013 – The Grace of Knowing That You Are a Sinner)
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One of the first things that came to my mind was the Jesus Prayer: ‘Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ This is an ancient prayer attributed to and recommended by the Desert Fathers. It brings to our lips a reality expressed by two words we can not separate. Mercy and Sin. 

“The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God’s mercy to sinners. The angel announced to Joseph: “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” The same is true of the Eucharist, the sacrament of redemption: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (CCC 1846)
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The Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, connects two prayers in my heart: Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Jesus, I trust in You. This Feast reminds us to focus not on our sinfulness but on the love of God. 

[Reminding us of Jesus’ words to Saint Faustina:] “’I am love and mercy itself; there is no human misery that could measure up to my mercy’ (Diary, September 14, 1937). At one time, the Saint, with satisfaction, told Jesus that she had offered him all of her life and all that she had. But Jesus’ answer stunned her: ‘You have not offered me the thing is truly yours.’ What had that holy nun kept for herself? Jesus said to her with kindness: ‘My daughter, give me your failings’ (October 10, 1937). We too can ask ourselves: ‘Have I given my failings to the Lord? Have I let him see me fall so that he can raise me up?’ Or is there something I still keep inside me? A sin, a regret from the past, a wound that I have inside, a grudge against someone, an idea about a particular person… The Lord waits for us to offer him our failings so that he can help us experience his mercy.” – (Pope Francis, Homily, Holy Mass on the Feast of Divine Mercy, April 19, 2020)
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In the heart of God, our failings are burned away in the fire of His love. But one thing can stop us from giving God our failings: a lack of trust. Have you ever shared an area of struggle with someone just to have it used as a weapon against you later? Few things hurt more than when someone violates our trust. We might think every interaction should be preceded with a warning: “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you...”  The problem is when we extrapolate our experience with human beings and assume it is the same with God. 

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)
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“This is what I said when they asked me if I would accept my election as pontiff… I am a sinner, but I trust in the infinite mercy and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I accept in a spirit of penance.” (Pope Francis, August 19, 2013, Interview by Fr. Antonio Spadaro)
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“As a gift to humanity, which sometimes seems bewildered and overwhelmed by the power of evil, selfishness, and fear, the Risen Lord offers His love that pardons, reconciles, and reopens hearts to love. It is a love that converts hearts and gives peace. How much the world needs to understand and accept Divine Mercy! Lord, who reveals the Father’s love by Your death and Resurrection, we believe in You and confidently repeat to You today: Jesus, I trust in You, have mercy upon us and upon the whole world.” (St. Pope John Paul II, Regina Caeli message prepared for Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3, 2005)

Yes, I am a sinner; I sin, but my identity? I AM a BELOVED child of God. 

“And you, Faustina, a gift of God to our time, a gift from the land of Poland to the whole Church, obtain for us an awareness of the depth of divine mercy; help us to have a living experience of it and to bear witness to it among our brothers and sisters. May your message of light and hope spread throughout the world, spurring sinners to conversion, calming rivalries and hatred and opening individuals and nations to the practice of brotherhood. Today, fixing our gaze with you on the face of the risen Christ, let us make our own your prayer of trusting abandonment and say with firm hope:  Christ Jesus, I trust in you! Jezu, ufam tobie!” (St. Pope John Paul II, Homily, Mass for the Canonization of Sr. Mary Faustina Kowalska, April 30, 2000)

Ivonne J. Hernandez

Ivonne is a Catholic wife, mother, Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament, President of Elisheba House, speaker, and writer. Author of The Rosary: Eucharistic Meditations. Regular contributor for CatholicMom.com and the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament's Daily Eucharistic Reflection. She has written for other publications, including Emmanuel Publishing and Shalom Magazine. She and her husband, Rick Hernandez, coordinate the RCIA program at their home parish. She loves choral music and is a member of the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay. She lives in Trinity, FL with her husband and two of her young adult son