During Lent 2011, let's examine Pope John Paul II's second encyclical, Dives in Misericordia, which is Latin for "Rich in Mercy." Here, and throughout the most holy season, reflect on excerpts from the encyclical that explore the role of God's mercy and the need for human mercy in the world.
1. The Revelation of Mercy
It is "God, who is rich in mercy" whom Jesus Christ has revealed to us as Father: it is His very Son who, in Himself, has manifested Him and made Him known to us. Memorable in this regard is the moment when Philip, one of the twelve Apostles, turned to Christ and said: "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied"; and Jesus replied: "Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me...? He who has seen me has seen the Father." These words were spoken during the farewell discourse at the end of the paschal supper, which was followed by the events of those holy days during which confirmation was to be given once and for all of the fact that "God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ."
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