A Mission of Mercy

Jesus said: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12-13).

One could sum up Jesus and His ministry in one word: mercy. Men sinned and God the Father could rightly send all to hell. However, instead of exacting Divine Justice, God the Father sent Jesus to redeem us in an unspeakable act of Divine Mercy – “mercy triumphed over justice” (Diary of St. Faustina, 1572).

It is almost a hundred years since those words were revealed, and the times are that much eviler. We need mercy now more than ever. Moral and physical evil is practically unrestrained at this point. Sin is everywhere. Hence, The Six Kowtows were revealed now, a time when we must prostrate ourselves, begging for God’s mercy; God has something better in store when man is “brought to his knees.” The messages revealed through Lucia Phan, especially The Six Kowtows, are essentially a mission of mercy.

Mercy is extremely important. Jesus told St. Faustina: “Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.” (Diary, 301) It was also revealed to her that Jesus is “The Divine Mercy”; that is, the personification, as it were, of God’s infinite mercy – He is mercy itself. Mercy “is as it were love’s second name…” (Pope St. John Paul, Encyclical Rich in Mercy).

We simply cannot live without mercy. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10). We need mercy more than the air we breathe or the food we eat.

In fact, a time is coming soon when priests will not be widely available to hear people’s confessions as usual. (We have already seen this.) What will people do then? This will be the time following “the Warning,” or the universal “Illumination of Consciences,” that was revealed to St. Faustina (Diary, 83 and 1588), St. Edmund Campion, Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, and others. In the Warning, God will simultaneously correct the conscience of each person on earth and give people a second chance if they need it and desire it. Jesus calls this event “the Day of Mercy” (1588). It will happen when things are seemingly at their worst in both the spiritual and temporal realms. God thus shows us without restraint that He is indeed greatly merciful. When man will be at his worst, God will intervene in a most miraculous way to help him who will not deserve such infinite kindness. God is truly good…

His interaction with us since the Fall has been one of reconciliation and mercy. We cannot save ourselves, and some of us do not want to be saved. The good God reaches down, though, in infinite condescension and, above all, love for His children. “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Man is the apple of God’s eye. God is real and He loves us. That is all we need to know. That is all we need. We can truly trust in His infinite love and mercy.

The truth is that we alone decide our fates. God Himself sends no one to hell. But we can send ourselves there by an act of free will that resolutely desires separation from God. This final impenitence is the infamous, much-misunderstood “sin against the Holy Spirit.” It is, in the end, the refusal to seek and accept God’s mercy. Most unfortunately, many people die in this state today. It tears the Heart of God when this happens, but He has given us the awesome gift and responsibility of free will. Without it we cannot truly love. It is the price of love – the ability to choose where we will spend eternity: endless suffering, hatred, and sadness or endless bliss. The choice is ours. God simply respects our decision. He always respects our free will.

The good news, though, is that it is precisely this gift of free will that enables us to choose God, choose love, choose heaven, and choose not to sin. When we sin, God will always and in every case forgive us if we are sorry – no matter how many sins or how great they are. To be sure, Hitler and Stalin do not present the least problem to God. All finite sins are like a drop against the ocean of God’s infinite mercy. They can be forgiven without the least effort on the part of God, but do sinners want it? That is the only question. As stated earlier, God sends no one to hell. No one wants hell, but if we sin too much and do not seek forgiveness, we can eventually hate God, not want His mercy, and not want to be with Him in heaven. That is how people descend into this pathetic state. According to a majority of the Fathers of the Church, the early luminaries of the Church, most people choose hell unfortunately.

One thing is for sure, though: God never fails us. He has shown us exceeding mercy since the Fall, and He never stops showing mercy to His wayward children. If we refuse His mercy, though, He will respect our desires, profoundly disordered though they are.

What do you want, then? Where do you want to go? If you repent and come back to God, you will surely be saved. It is up to you. It is entirely up to you. Heaven – eternal happiness – is yours for the asking.

Jesus, The Divine Mercy, is waiting for you. As He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). God is good and He has good things in store for you – in this life and in the next: “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him, God has revealed to us through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

Your spiritual destiny is in your hands. What you want, you will get. It is that easy. But you must turn to God. You are His dear child and He loves you like no other can. He wants you to be happy with Him forever, but you need to decide what you truly want. Sin makes no one happy. You know that. Virtue, on the other hand, does make us happy. The choice is ours.

Jesus has already redeemed you from the despair of not being able to save yourself. He has paved the way. Which path will you follow? The devil is your worst enemy. His intelligence seemingly knows no end, and he is more powerful than the greatest saint. Daily, “a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again” (Proverbs 24:16). The saint knows that he or she is wretched. We have no hope outside of Jesus and His mercy. Mercy is why He came. God wants to save us! “…as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).

Read the Parable of the Prodigal Son and notice how much the “Father” wants to forgive his sinful son:

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.’ And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to make merry. “Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found’” (Luke 15:11-32).

God knows all about our sins. We cannot hide anything from Him. But, contrary to what some think, He does not want to punish us or exact justice. No. He wants to forgive us. This is the good news. God’s infinite mercy is no joke. He truly loves you – infinitely more than any earthly parent, spouse, or child. Do you want that love and mercy? It is right there. Take it and you will finally find the happiness you long for – if not in this life, certainly in the next. God does not disappoint. Yes, we have the cross in this life, but our dreams will be realized in one way or another in heaven. Is that not what you have been looking for your whole life?

Choose God. Choose His infinite mercy. He longs to forgive you. He has prepared a place in heaven just for you. Simply choose Him and you will win in the end. It is that simple.

He came to be one of us to redeem us, and, ultimately, to save us. He opened the door and greatly desires that we go through it and be saved. Our salvation is up to us. God will indeed save us, but not without our cooperation.

You want this. The devil says sin is better and that God is bad, but he always and only is a liar, promising but never delivering: “He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Stop following him! He has no friends and seeks only to destroy you! He hates God’s mercy and does not want this good news to be known.

God, on the other hand, only has your best interests at heart. Being perfect love, He desires only your happiness and well-being. Peace, joy, and happiness is what He gives, now and eternally, to His dearly beloved children – that is, you.

Will you trust in His infinite mercy or not? Do you want to be happy or not? Are you wise or foolish? Do you want immeasurable happiness in heaven or not?

Jesus came with infinite Divine Mercy and delivered. He is also speaking to us through the messenger Lucia Phan, revealing to us a path of mercy, The Six Kowtows, and the love of His Sacred Heart in the Eucharist. This private revelation is all about God’s mercy. In a certain sense it is a continuation of the message of Divine Mercy that God gave to St. Faustina a century ago. Jesus is continuing His mission of mercy through the messages He is giving through Lucia Phan. We must take Him up on His offer of mercy. We have no other hope besides Divine Mercy. The time is now. Decide for Divine Mercy and all will surely go well with you. In the final analysis, do you want good or bad for you? Mercy is the way. The Six Kowtows are a simple and concrete way to obtain God’s mercy. Do what is good for you.

May God be praised for His infinite Divine Mercy, which is waiting for everyone who chooses it.

Sincerely practice The Six Kowtows and you will be saved. It can happen in other ways, but this is a way God is emphasizing in a special way for these times through this new initiative, this new mission of mercy.