Passion for Mercy to People

Today Christians gather to hear the story from the Gospel of the events which led to the Crucifixion of Jesus. The Roman Catholic Lectionary presents the story starting with the description by the Prophet Isaiah of the “Suffering Servant” by whose wounds we are healed. The psalmist praises God for deliverance from enemies. The author of Hebrews places Jesus in the tradition of the High Priest yet with the experience of all of us in being tested. Jesus is the means to know the mercy and love of God. John’s Gospel takes the reader and listener from the betrayal of Jesus to the Roman soldiers by Judas, through betrayal by Peter, into the dilemma and search for truth of Pilate, with Mary and the women beneath the cross, to Jesus death and burial. The gift of mercy, love and forgiveness is the will of the Father for humanity. Jesus is the evidence that service is the path to deliver this mercy. There is no limit or requirement for this love.