I recently addressed the power of our ‘no.’ God’s greatest gift, not a curse but truly a gift, is our free will. When we make our free choice to say yes to God, to ask for and receive His Divine Mercy, we take upon ourself an obligation.
In a sense. we can say that God imposes upon us an obligation to turn to Him with our whole being and receive His Mercy. With this acceptance, God imposes upon us the additional obligation to spread His Mercy to others.
We have to understand that this is no ordinary “obligation.” It’s an obligation of love. This means that the “imposition” of this obligation is no imposition at all. It is something that God gives us complete freedom to choose or reject. There are no strings attached, no forms of force; rather, we are left in complete freedom to choose or not to choose to accept and bestow the Mercy of God. This freedom is essential to our lives and is essential to the gift of God’s Mercy.
Only by giving us this freedom can we fully cooperate with this gift because Mercy must be freely given and freely received. If it is not, then it is not Mercy. Be grateful for the freedom the Lord has given you and use it to make a glorious choice
But, a soul who truly sees and accepts God’s Mercy, finds it difficult if not impossible NOT to share mercy. Of course, we aren’t as perfect or selfish with this sharing as is God. But, we are called to share and ultimately judged on how well we share mercy. Jesus affirmed this in Matthew 6:14-15 when He said, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
But, don’t be afraid of these words. Simply accept God’s Mercy. Meditate upon what that mercy means to your life. Contemplated the sins of your life, only in reflection not guilt, to understand how big that mercy is to you personally. Study the Bible and Jesus’ words. I highly recommend getting a copy of Divine Mercy in My Soul – St. Faustina’s diary on Divine Mercy. This has been my textbook to understanding how incredible Divine Mercy is. Then, act of what He has done for you. Mercy will pour out of you. And, as you act in mercy in little things, you’ll find bigger ways to share mercy.
“Today I went to see Mother General [Michael] for a moment and asked her, “Dear Mother, have you had any inspiration regarding my leaving the convent?” Mother General answered, “Until the present, Sister, I have always restrained you, but now I leave you complete freedom to choose to do as you wish; you can leave the Congregation or you can stay.” So I answered, “Very well.” I thought of writing immediately to the Holy Father to ask him to release me from my vows. When I had left Mother General, darkness once again descended upon my soul, as it had in the past. It is strange that, each time I ask permission to leave the Congregation, this darkness invades my soul, and I feel as though I have been left completely on my own. While experiencing this torment of the spirit, I decided to go immediately to Mother and tell her about my strange torment and struggle. Mother answered, “That leaving of yours is a temptation.” After talking to her for a while I felt some relief, but the darkness persisted. “This Divine Mercy is a beautiful thing, and it must be a great work of the Lord, since Satan opposes it so much and wants to destroy it.” Such were the words of our beloved Mother General.” Divine Mercy in My Soul # 1115