Detail of Madonna del Magnificat by Sandro Botticelli
"Each of the Gospels has its own particular characteristic. If one is seeking signs of Our Lord's infinite mercy, he should especially read the Gospel of Saint Luke.
In this Gospel we find the detailed narratives of the conversion of Magdalen, Zaccheus, and the Good Thief. We see the Good Shepherd seeking the lost sheep and carrying it on His shoulders back to the sheepfold. We see the woman lighting a lamp and looking for her drachma; we learn that this woman's joy in finding it is only a faint image of the joy of God and His Angels when a sinner converts. We also admire the goodness of the father of the prodigal son upon the return of his child, the compassion and liberality of the Good Samaritan. We see Jesus Himself, moved by the widow of Naim who was crying over the death of her son. We see His goodness when He speaks with the disciples of Emmaus after His Resurrection; He enlightens them, comforts them, then allows them to recognize Him.
Saint Anselm says that Saint Luke the Evangelist, having previously been a physician, had devoted his efforts to relieving sicknesses of the body. After he became a disciple of the Lord, he devoted them to relieving sicknesses of the soul. And the great remedy for sickness of the soul is God's mercy, which delivers the soul of its sins. Saint Luke kept clearly in mind Mary's words, which proclaim the greatness of Divine mercy.
This mercy consists in the benefits God has poured forth at all times and will pour forth until the end upon His faithful servants, especially the benefits of the Incarnation of the Word, the Redemption, the
Eucharist, and all the graces that derive from these sacred mysteries. This mercy is not for a time but for all times, although it is not manifested in every era with equal abundance. Saint Albert the Great says, "It is great, it is continual, it is abundant, it is sweet, it is discreet." Divine mercy is also patient; it does not allow the justice and the wrath of God to act as soon as the sinner makes himself guilty, but waits for him to return to a better disposition and do penance.
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Does Our Lord not teach us that God's mercy and His perfection are one and the same thing? Listen to what He tells us in the Gospel of Saint Matthew: Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect . . . He who makes His sun rise on the good and the evil, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. [ St. Matthew 5: 48,45] Is it not in this goodness, which is extended to everyone, that Jesus Christ says the Father's perfection consists? Listen to Saint Luke, who relates the same teaching of the Lord in other terms: Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. [St. Luke 6: 36]
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If we do not fear God, if we refuse to keep His Commandments, how will we be able to lift up our eyes to the Mother of mercy? What can Mary do for a soul in open revolt against Jesus Christ, Her Son and our Judge, a soul that refuses to bow beneath His authority and defies Him? She has fore- warned us Herself that mercy is reserved for those who fear God. Do we think Mary will approve of our iniquities? She is very willing to implore our forgiveness and obtain our return to God's favor, but She will do so only if we manifest a sincere will to revert to the good, and regret having separated from God and having offended Him. Mary has an infinite horror for sin; She can help only pure souls draw near to Him, or those who implore Her help to become pure. Let us not approach Mary if we are burdened with sin, Her mortal enemy. Or if that enemy is wound around us like a deadly serpent, let us call Mary to our help, but let it be in order to be delivered from it. Then we will have a right to Her assistance; through Her we will obtain precious graces for this life and final perseverance in view of eternity."
- Excerpts from
Somme des Grandeurs de Marie, Sermons sur Ie Magnificat, Vol. VII.Abbe Z.C. Jourdai (1900)
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